K-12 facility managers, teachers, and staff deserve a pat on the back for helping their schools stay open this academic year. And there is no rest; while the 2021-2022 school year nears completion, facility managers are already preparing for the next school year, which will likely look different yet again. With the pandemic (hopefully) in the rear-view mirror, facility managers may want to breathe a sigh of relief, but now is not the time to let up the guard. With masks disappearing from use and other COVID practices like social distancing relaxing, germs will likely re-emerge, possibly with a vengeance.
Unfortunately, back to school means back to germs; the first few weeks in session can feel like schools are an illness transmission "hot zone." When school starts, so do colds, coughs, stomach bugs, and other common illnesses. Of course, we can now add COVID-19 to this list. Teachers and parents commonly refer to it as the "back-to-school plague." When children return to school after the summer break, in close indoor spaces, for long periods of time, it's easy for germs to be shared. Germs can linger on classroom desks, tables, doorknobs, or other highly touched surfaces, promoting the spread of illnesses across the school facility.
What germs are expected next school year?
Although we don't know exactly what to expect and when – especially with an ever-changing COVID now in the mix – we know that illness-causing germs will be a part of the 2022-2023 school year. According to Johns Hopkins, in pre-COVID years, most children had 6-8 cold-like illnesses per year.1 The last two years amid the pandemic have been atypical, with common illnesses like the flu and stomach bugs greatly reduced compared to previous years.2 This has some scientists worried that illnesses will be on the rise as COVID decreases and personal hygiene practices decline. With reduced infection mitigation "layers" in place in our schools, basic hygiene practices like surface disinfection are likely to play a more important role.
Does this mean going back to disinfecting everything all day long?
A worry for facilities managers is that more germs mean the need for more surface disinfection, and an ongoing theme of the pandemic has been to "do more with less." Luckily, 2020-level disinfection is not necessary to reduce germs in schools. Less can be more; It's about achieving a balance between time and resource invested and achieving a maintainable disinfection approach that reduces germs to prevent and control outbreaks.
What can I do now to prepare for the next school year?
You may be planning for a new school year, but luckily, the overall surface cleaning and disinfection guidance is not new. What is new is an approach for the 2022-2023 school year that allows facility managers to kick off the year with a simplified plan using products and practices that work with you and your team (not against you).
Here are a few tips to help you prepare for the new school year and avoid hygiene "burnout":
- Have a cleaning and disinfection plan in place. The CDC provides updated guidance on best hygiene practices for facilities like schools.3 Ensure all maintenance staff (or any staff participating in surface hygiene) are aware of the plan and trained on how to do it correctly and safely. Your facility's plan should also include details on what to do in the event of an outbreak.
- Focus on surfaces that matter. In most cases, frequent surface cleaning is sufficient, but some hard surfaces throughout your school building are more likely to harbor germs than others, and that's where to focus frequent disinfection. These include highly touched surfaces like handrails, desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, mice, shared learning items, sports equipment, faucet handles, phones, and toys. Other germy surfaces include water fountains and lunch trays.
- Choose 1-step or all-in-1 products. Some products clean, some sanitize, some disinfect (read about the difference in this blog post), and some do all three in a single application. It's important to read the label to understand what jobs the product is meant for and how it should be used, such as if pre-cleaning, wiping, or rinsing after use are required. Overall, with resources a constant challenge, it's important to choose the right products that allow cleaning staff to get the job done and move on to the next one.
- Choose fast-acting products. Some surface disinfectants can take up to 10 minutes to kill germs, while others take as little as 30 seconds. This is called "dwell time" and is listed on the back of the disinfectant product. Where speed is critical – select disinfectants that work fast and allow students and staff to get back to task quickly.
- Choose product formats that speed up the job. There are product formats that provide convenience and efficiency in use. Ready-to-use sprays will save time compared to products that need to be diluted or prepared before each use. Battery-powered or electrostatic sprayers are also great for efficiently disinfecting large areas and soft or irregularly shaped materials like classroom rugs, gym mats, and sports equipment. Surface wipes are convenient and easy to place in settings like classrooms and breakrooms. As with the selection of any disinfectants, make sure that the products are EPA-registered to work against key viruses like SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-194 and that any accessory devices are compatible with the disinfectant product being used.
- Focus on moments that matter. Some germs tend to rear their ugly heads at certain times, like the first few weeks back to school or the typical "cold/flu season" in the winter months, while other outbreaks (such as COVID-19) may be less predictable. Plan ahead and monitor the situation so you can prevent or respond to an outbreak with an amplified (or ramped-up) disinfection approach.
- Don't bring in harsh chemicals. It's important to avoid products containing harsh chemicals in facilities like schools, and luckily, since there are efficient, low-toxicity disinfecting products that kill germs effectively, there's no need to compromise. Look for products with EPA's lowest toxicity rating of IV. Here's another tip – disinfectants that have higher toxicity ratings frequently have "Caution" statements like "causes eye irritation" or instructions to "wash hands thoroughly after use."
Following these tips – and having the right products and practices for your school at the start of the year – can help your facility open and remain protected from germs next school year.
PURELL® surface disinfectant sprays and wipes clean and disinfect in one step (with no need to rinse) and kill germs that cause COVID-19, flu, and stomach bugs in less than 1 minute. PURELL® surface sprays are now offered with a battery-powered sprayer to help kill germs on surfaces even faster. Plus, they don't require gloves, handwashing, or rinsing after use – even on food-contact surfaces – making it simple to get one-step powerful germ-kill without harsh chemicals.