Ultimate Summer Cleaning Checklist for Schools
Your School Summer Cleaning Guide
The summer break provides a golden opportunity for schools to do some deep cleaning. As the hallways and classrooms lie empty, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and give your school a fresh start.
This is why we’ve put together the perfect Summer cleaning checklist to take advantage of. Follow our Summer school cleaning guide and you’ll be guaranteed to impress prospective parents come September!
12 places often missed in School cleaning
Your Summer Cleaning Schedule
It’s best to work in areas of the school to make sure that nowhere is missed! This is why we’ve organised our Summer cleaning checklist for schools into sections.
1. Common Areas
Where does this cover?
- Hallways
- Reception areas
- Student hangouts
- Libraries
- School Halls
Cleaning tasks to add to your Summer Cleaning Checklist for this area:
- Floors should be swept, hoovered, mopped and cleaned as the surface covering dictates.
- High traffic touch points should be cleaned and sanitised (think door handles, light switches, bannisters, plugs, desks)
- Any soft seating locations should be hoovered and cleaned.
- Any and all bins need to be emptied, deep-cleaned and sanitised.
- Windows should be wiped down and cleaned.
- If there are any light shades used, they need to be cleaned, dusted and washed (dependent on the material).
- Any scuff marks on floors should be buffed out.
- Any scuff marks on walls should be repainted and ready for the new school year.
- Any kitchen areas in student hangouts and staff rooms should be cleaned and sanitised. Making sure to properly sanitise food preparation or storage areas like microwaves, sinks and fridges.
- Cleaning materials and products should be updated to make sure there is sufficient for the new year.
- Any shelving should be cleaned and dusted.
- Any lockers or storage cabinets need to be dusted and wiped down.
- Phones in any of these areas should be cleaned and wiped down.
- The reception desk should be sorted, tidied and wiped down.
- Any computer equipment should be properly cleaned with desks wiped down.
- Lighting fixtures should be monitored and updated/fixed if required.
- Any ventilation should be properly maintained and cleaned.
Why is cleaning high-touch points so important?
2. Eating Areas
Where does this cover?
- Canteens
- Kitchens
- Other indoor eating areas like staff rooms
- Outdoor eating areas
Your cleaning tasks for these areas:
Kitchens and food preparation areas need to be thoroughly deep-cleaned and sanitised.- Fridges should be sorted and cleaned. Any food that is due to go out of date is thrown away.
- Flooring should be tidied and thoroughly cleaned. So carpets need to be hoovered, outdoor areas should be litter picked and any appropriate surfaces buffed and cleaned.
- Tables and chairs should be wiped down and sanitised.
- Pay special attention to high-touch points that get a lot of traffic like door handles, lunch tray returns and light switches.
- Any soft seating locations should be hoovered and cleaned.
- Any and all bins need to be emptied, deep-cleaned and sanitised.
- Windows should be wiped down and cleaned.
- Any scuff marks need to be repaired, so the flooring needs to be buffed and the walls repainted.
- Any ventilation should be properly maintained and cleaned.
- Any kitchen appliances should be cleaned and maintained ready for work again in September.
What’s the difference between “clean” and “sanitised?”
3. Toilets and bathrooms
Tasks you need to be doing here as part of your Summer deep-cleaning:
All toilet and bathroom floors need to be swept, cleaned, mopped and sanitised.- Bathroom mirrors need to be wiped down and cleaned.
- Any and all toilets need a thorough deep cleaning and sanitisation so get them ready for use again in September.
- Doors to the toilet need to be cleaned properly on both sides. They can get quite mucky throughout the school year!
- Sinks shouldn’t be ignored either. Residue can easily build up over the school year, so make sure they’re cleaned, sanitised and any wetness dried to prevent mould growth.
- Cleaning and bathroom products should be re-stocked ready for the new school year.
- Any towel dispensers or hand dryers need to be cleaned properly. Towels should also be replaced to ensure they’re fully ready for September.
- Tiled surfaces should be washed, sanitised and wiped down.
- Any scuff marks need to be taken care of. For example, scuffs on walls need to be repainted and doors thoroughly cleaned.
- Any high-traffic touch areas need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised. Areas such as door handles, locks, light switches, mirrors, radiators and sink handles get a lot of touch traffic so need to be properly cleaned.
- Radiators should be dusted and wiped down.
- Any windows should be cleaned thoroughly and ensured that they are still in working condition.
- All bathroom equipment should be checked before the school closes down for the Summer. This way any fixes can be scheduled during the close-down period.
- Any bins need to be emptied and cleaned properly.
School bathroom cleaning tips
4. Classrooms
The areas that are important to clean during close down:
Whiteboards/blackboards need to be cleaned appropriately. Make sure to use cleaning products and equipment that are safe for the products.- Flooring needs to be hoovered and deep-cleaned. Summer shutdown for schools is the perfect time to deep-clean carpets to prolong their life.
- All bins need to be emptied and cleaned, this includes any recycling bins available in the classroom.
- All desks and chairs should be dusted, wiped down and cleaned.
- Always pay special attention to the high-touch areas in classrooms like communal sharpeners, door handles, light switches and plugs. These areas get touched often and bacteria can quickly build up here.
- Corners, edges and shelving should be dusted down and cleaned.
- Any scuff marks on walls should be repainted.
- Windows need to be wiped down and clean to ensure they’re streak free and ready for September.
- Certain classrooms may need additional sanitisation procedures completed, for example, laboratories and food tech. These classrooms may need additional areas cleaned too like walls and ovens.
- Equipment should be restocked and ready for the new school year.
