One might think that the classroom is the most important “room” in any school, right? But what if we told you that the bathroom is as important to the education of children as the classroom is?
If a child does not have access to safe, clean, hygienic bathrooms at school, it can impact their ability to learn, and their health too.
Unsanitary and unsafe toilets can help the spread of germs and disease, not to mention affect the dignity and self-esteem of children too.
Domestos is successfully running a Safer School Sanitation campaign which is focused on upgrading unsanitary toilet facilities at schools across South Africa as well as educating both learners and staff on the importance of maintaining clean school bathrooms.
Let’s take a deeper look at a checklist for keeping school washrooms clean to ensure the health and safety of the children using them.
How to Keep School Toilets Clean?
Whether you run a school or are a parent that helps with the caregiving duties, maintaining the toilets in schools should be the top priority of your cleaning team. Here are our top tips for creating and educating a great team and keeping your school toilets hygienic.
Step # 1 – Create a Responsible Team
Every school should have a cleaning team that is responsible for the cleaning of toilets daily. Whether it is a team of cleaners or whether it’s a team of teachers and parents, having a dedicated team is essential.
Step # 2 – Education on Sanitation
The cleaning team must be educated on the importance of clean school restrooms and how unsafe sanitation and poor hygiene can affect everyone.
Step # 3 – Draw up a Cleaning Schedule
A daily cleaning schedule or roster will help to ensure that everyone knows when they are expected for cleaning duty and what is supposed to be done. If you make someone accountable for a task to be done at a certain time, they are less likely to ignore or forget about it.
Your schedule should include whose job it is to do what task and a space for them to sign that they’ve completed the task once done. Cleaning of school bathrooms should take place at least once a day (ideally twice) and it should include the cleaning of all surfaces and floors as well as disinfecting of the toilet and sinks.
Step # 4 – Access to Good Quality Products
A cleaning team cannot do much without access to effective products and items. Make sure that your cleaning team has an ample supply of excellent quality detergents like cream cleaners and bleach products that can help kill germs and bacteria.
Step # 5 – Fundraising
If access to a team or access to products is not an option for you, or if your school still has unsafe sanitation methods like pit toilets, it’s time to start fundraising efforts. New, hygienic and safe toilets are a necessity for every child in SA to learn and grow.
For more information on how to get involved in the Domestos Safe School Sanitation campaign or to request assistance, visit Domestos today.
For more information on bathroom cleaning tips and tricks, visit Cleanipedia today.