Back-to-school shopping lists features all the basics, including notebooks, pens and pencils, but students need more than just supplies to thrive. They also need clean, healthy schools and classrooms.
Cleanliness Increases Well-Being
An effective school cleaning and sanitation program can have a deep impact on students’ well-being, health and performance. Environmental researcher Dr. Michael Berry makes that clear in his report titled “The Contribution of Restoration and Effective Operation and Maintenance Programs on Indoor Environmental Quality and Educational Performance in Schools.” Dr. Berry states that “There is a demonstrated link between effective facility management programs for cleaning and maintenance and environmental quality of schools. The quality of the school environment…determines an overall sense of well-being and shapes attitudes of students, teachers and staff. Attitudes affect teaching and learning behavior. Behavior in turn affects teaching and academic performance.”
Cleanliness Improves Health
Clean spaces do more than just help students concentrate on learning. They also keep teachers and students healthy and drastically reduce illnesses that require frequent absences from the classroom.
Properly cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs and desks can significantly reduce disease transmission via both indirect and direct contact with contaminated surfaces. Proper food waste disposal and management reduces pests and the numerous diseases spread from mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches and other critters.
Getting rid of dust from surfaces and school floors removes some of the most common asthma triggers, including dust mite allergens, dander and mold spores. When you remove dust from the learning environment, you can minimize exposure to these triggers and create more positive health outcomes for students and teachers with allergies or asthma.
Cleanliness Boosts Savings
A strong school cleaning program also makes financial sense: According to the “Clean School Initiative,” a 2012 study, when a school is maintained and systematically cleaned daily, the overall cost of running the janitorial operation can go down by nearly 50%.
DP Supply, Inc. is here to help you reap all these benefits through your cleaning program. If your back-to-school supply list includes paper towels, booms and mops, disinfectants, microfiber cleaning cloths and other cleaning supplies, start shopping our online catalog today!
