School events raise money and help bond community. They also create big messes. The positive outcomes definitely outweigh the extra cleaning school events require. Studies show that students who participate in extracurricular activities and social events have higher GPAs, feel a stronger sense of belonging, and enjoy better mental health over time.
But still, someone will have to clean before, during, and after school events. Here’s how school custodians and parents can get the job done.
Pre-Event Cleaning: The Set Up
Participants expect a clean venue when they show up for their event. There may be some confusion about who is responsible for that initial work, as seen in this Reddit post. However, general consensus agrees that the school custodian is responsible for that initial clean.
School custodians already clean the building’s gyms, multipurpose rooms, cafeterias, and theater spaces every day. So, it’s reasonable to expect these areas will be fresh and ready for evening and weekend events. Parents and other adults will notice dingy floors and dirty restrooms. Poor cleaning will get them wondering about the school’s normal level of cleanliness and hygiene.
Thorough cleaning before the event protects your school’s image and reputation. Be sure custodians know the after-school calendar and are clear about expectations. Schedule special cleaning right before events for the best impact. For instance, if your staff only cleans restrooms with the No-Touch Cleaning® system from Kaivac once or twice a week, be sure those cleans happen before public events.
Cleaning During the Event: Accidents Happen
PTO Today magazine lists favorite family events. While glow dances, movie nights, and ice cream socials sound like a lot of fun, they also sound potentially messy. Even a book fair morphs into a mess if food and drinks are served.
That’s why proactively planning for spill cleanup during a school event is vital. Slips, trips, and falls are already the most common injury in schools, according to the CDC. The excitement and bustle of an after-school event multiplies that risk.
Be sure that one or more adults present at the event know how to clean up spills. If there is an accident these adults should:
- Clear the area and set up Wet Floor signs
- Remove the mess and clean sticky residue
- Allow floor to dry before letting people back to the area
There are many ways to remove a messy spills from rolls of paper towels to inefficient mops to canisters of powdered spill absorbents. But Kaivac offers tools for the fastest, safest, and most complete spill removal.
The No-Touch Cleaning system and the AutoVac™ Stretch pick up spills quickly and completely. Both are battery powered, removing the risk of tripping on a power cord. Both tools also leave floors completely dry, so the party can start up again quickly.
After Event Cleaning: The Party’s Over
The party may be over, but the maintenance work has just begun. Students and staff expect to come back to clean kitchen areas, fresh looking floors, and spotless restrooms. That means that a PTO member or, more likely, a night custodian must take on the task.
Tools from Kaivac make these late-night jobs easier. The No-Touch Cleaning system removes soils from restrooms quickly and completely, while the AutoVac Stretch takes care of dirty, scuffed floors.
If the school kitchen was used, surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized and floors must be free of fallen food, dirt, and grease. Follow proper cleaning protocols for cleaning and sanitizing kitchen counters and equipment.
Cleaning kitchen floors takes even more time and effort. Tools like the UniVac® from Kaivac makes this unpleasant task fast and easy. Simply dispense solution on the floor, scrub problem areas, and then vacuum up the slurry. The tool’s long vacuum wand reaches under counters and equipment to easily pick up fallen food.
Don’t let poor cleaning protocols take the fun out of your next event. Look to Kaivac for cleaning solutions that help your school shine.
