Are You Getting the Janitorial Service Your School Deserves? How to Tell

Studies have shown that about 60 percent of parents believe their children are exposed to too many germs at school on a regular basis. About 50 percent of parents also admit to packing lunch for their kids every day because they don't think the cafeteria at their child's school is clean enough.

If you utilize a janitorial service to keep your school clean, you might be under the impression that you don't have anything to worry about as far as cleanliness is concerned. But there is a chance your school isn't anywhere near as clean as it could and should be.

Whether you just started working with a new commercial cleaning company or you've been working with the same company for years, it's a good idea to take a look at the job they're doing every so often. Here are some ways you can tell they're providing you with a clean school.

Flooring Throughout Your School Shines

The next time you're walking around in the hallways at your school, look down at the floors that you're walking on. Do they shine bright and reflect the lights that hang above them?

If your floors look dull and lifeless, this is not a good sign. It means that your janitorial service isn't doing a good enough job when cleaning your floors.

The flooring in a school is, as you might imagine, extremely important. Whether it's an elementary school, a middle school, a high school, or even a college, there are likely kids running around on the floors every day. If the floors aren't cleaned and polished, it can make them slippery and subject kids to dangerous conditions.

Make sure your commercial cleaning company uses the right cleaning services and products to sanitize your floors and make them shine. It'll prevent slips and falls and improve the overall appearance of your school.

Desks, Tables, and Bookcases in Your School Are Dust-Free

In addition to looking down at the floors in your school to evaluate your janitorial service, you should also get into the habit of inspecting desks, tables, bookcases, and other surfaces in your school.

Do these surfaces look they haven't been dusted in weeks? If so, this should serve as a huge red flag. It means your commercial cleaning company isn't taking the time to dust and wipe down the various surfaces in your school.

It also means that many of the surfaces in your school have likely turned into breeding grounds for germs. You can't see these germs, but there's a decent chance that they're there along with all the dust.

By dusting, your janitorial service will give your school's aesthetic appeal a boost. They'll also eliminate a lot of germs. And they'll even improve your school's indoor air quality and ensure students aren't breathing in dust and other irritants day in and day out.

Bathrooms in Your School Are Sanitized From Top to Bottom

There is nothing fun about cleaning the bathrooms in a school. Since so many students use them each day, it's not uncommon for them to get filthy within just a 24-hour period.

But keeping bathrooms clean is a job that your janitorial service must do. They should use heavy-duty but eco-friendly cleaning products to wipe down:

• Bathroom sinks
• Toilets
• Bathroom floors
• Mirrors
• Door handles (more than 10 percent of kids admit to not always washing their hands after using the bathroom at school!)

Don't be afraid to walk around to the different bathrooms in your school first thing in the morning to see how they look. If you suspect that they haven't been cleaned from top to bottom, it's time to talk to your commercial cleaning company about taking a new approach.

Waste Bins Throughout Your School Are Always Emptied

Throughout the course of a normal day, there are all kinds of things that can end up in the waste bins in schools. From broken pencils and crumpled-up pieces of paper to dirty tissues and half-eaten sandwiches, you'll find a little bit of everything in them.

If these waste bins aren't emptied out every day, they can spread germs, attract pests, and even introduce foul odors into your educational facility. It's why it's essential for your janitorial service to empty waste bins and remove waste from your building.

Ideally, all waste should be placed into larger waste receptacles outside that are closed tight to prevent insects and rodents from getting into them. Those receptacles should then be emptied by a waste management company every week or so to make space for new waste.

Your School Has a Low Student Absenteeism Rate

On a national level, the student absenteeism rate has gone down over the last 15 years. Back in 2003, about 22 percent of eighth-graders demonstrated "chronic absenteeism." Today, that number is down to 19 percent.

Your school should keep tabs on how often students are absent over the years and use your specific absenteeism rate to your advantage. If you find, for example, that the absenteeism rate is going up, it could be because:

• You don't have a strong enough attendance policy in place (i.e. "Those students who are absent more than 10 times in a school year cannot move on to the next grade")
• Your students are having a hard time arranging transportation to and from school
• Your school isn't keeping accurate attendance records

It could also be a cleanliness issue. Your janitorial service might not be doing a good job cleaning your school, and as a result, more students might getting sick and missing school.

Analyze your attendance records to see where your student absenteeism rate stands. Clean schools tend to have better rates than those that don't take cleaning seriously enough. The state of childcare, Pre-K, and K-12 education in the U.S. needs all the assistance it can get. Even facilities management can make a difference.

Hire the Right Janitorial Service to Clean Your School Today

Do you suspect that your janitorial service might not be doing the best job possible while working to keep your school clean?

If you find that your floors are always dirty or that your waste bins are constantly overflowing, it's time to take action. Consider hiring a different janitorial service to help you with your cleaning needs.

We specialize in cleaning schools and other educational facilities and stand behind the work that we do. Contact us today to find out how we can help you maintain a clean school throughout the school year.