Daily School Cleaning Checklist to Boost Sanitation & Hygiene

Cleaning is a crucial part of every establishment and place, be it an office, a retail store, a nursery or a school. Schools, in particular, require extensive cleaning for the safety and well-being of students, teachers and school staff.

Schools have high foot traffic during the school year, and cleaning should be a part of their facility management. Daily school cleaning is a complex and immense task, but with a comprehensive cleaning checklist, it turns into a strategic and highly efficient process.

In this article, we have provided the best daily school cleaning checklist that ensures health, sanitation and hygiene all over the premises.

Daily School Cleaning Checklist

This school cleaning checklist applies to all schools regardless of size, number of classrooms and number of facilities. We grouped each area of the school into a section and provided a dedicated cleaning checklist. You can refer to each section depending on your school’s cleaning requirements.

Courtyard & Playground

• Sweeping the courtyard, playground and parking
• Wiping benches, stands and other similar equipment
• Wiping and sanitising equipment
• Cleaning windows from the outside (if within reach) (once or twice per month)
• Emptying rubbish bins and replacing liners
• Pressure washing rubbish bins (once every two months)

Entrance, Lobby and Reception

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Pressure washing tufty mat (once per month)
• Wiping windows from inside (if within reach)
• Dusting and cleaning furniture and the reception desk
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish bins and replacing liners

Hallways & Corridors

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors & stairs
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Cleaning and sanitising stair handles
• Dusting ledges and sills
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Emptying rubbish bins and replacing liners

Classrooms

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Wiping and sanitising furniture and desks
• Dusting shelves, bookcases, cupboards and lockers
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Dusting and cleaning the display screens or the projector
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Cleaning windows from the inside (if within reach)
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish & recycling bins and replacing liners

ICT Room & Science Lab

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Wiping and sanitising furniture and desks
• Deep cleaning computers to remove excess dust
• Dusting and cleaning the display screens or the projector
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish & recycling bins and replacing liners

Library

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Wiping and sanitising furniture and tables
• Dusting and wiping exposed surfaces on shelves and bookcases
• Dusting and cleaning the reception desk, computer and other items
• Cleaning windows from the inside (if within reach)
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish & recycling bins and replacing liners

Amphitheater

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors, the stage area and the backstage area
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Wiping and sanitising seats
• Dusting and cleaning furniture and equipment in the backstage area
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting sills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish and replacing liners

Art & Music Room

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Wiping and sanitising furniture and desks
• Dusting shelves, cupboards and lockers
• Dusting and cleaning art and music equipment
• Dusting and cleaning the display screens or the projector
• Cleaning windows from the inside (if within reach)
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish & recycling bins and replacing liners

Gym & Sports Hall

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Wiping and sanitising gym equipment
• Wiping and sanitising lockers
• Cleaning and sanitising changing rooms
• Cleaning and sanitising washrooms and showers
• Cleaning windows from the inside (if within reach)
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish and replacing liners

Office Area

Schools often have designated office areas. This includes the headteacher’s office, meeting room, records room, and teachers’ rooms. You can also use our office cleaning checklist to clean school office areas.

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Wiping and sanitising furniture and desks
• Dusting shelves, cupboards and lockers
• Dusting and cleaning computers and display screens
• Wiping windows from the inside (if within reach)
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish & recycling bins and replacing liners

Washrooms & Showers

Schools often have multiple washrooms, toilets and showers in different areas around the premises, like gyms, courtyards and hallways. This checklist applies to cleaning any washroom and shower in the school.

• Damp mopping floors with disinfectant solutions
• Cleaning and sanitising toilet basins and seats
• Cleaning and sanitising hard-to-reach areas like behind the toilet tank
• Cleaning and sanitising sinks
• Wiping mirrors
• Dusting light fixtures and air vents
• Restock washroom supplies and consumables (soap dispensers, toilet rolls, paper towels, air fresheners, etc.)
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Emptying rubbish and replacing liners
• Descaling toilets, urinals, faucets, showerheads and taps (once per month)
• Check plumbing for any potential issues to prevent future water damage

Kitchen, Dinner Hall & Eating Area

• Sweeping and damp mopping floors
• Vacuuming carpets (if any)
• Wiping and sanitising furniture and tables
• Cleaning and sanitising food stations
• Cleaning kitchen appliances according to the manufacturer’s instructions
• Descaling coffee machine and tea kettle (once per month)
• Dispose of spoiled and mouldy food
• Wiping windows from the inside (if within reach)
• Dusting wall fittings and light fixtures
• Sanitising switches and door handles
• Dusting windowsills and ledges
• Dusting door tops (once per week)
• Refill hand sanitiser dispensers, paper towel holders, etc.
• Emptying rubbish & recycling bins and replacing liners
• Check for potential plumbing issues, moulds or pest infestation

Other Areas

Depending on the size of the school, there might be other areas that require cleaning. Some schools, for example, have large storage areas, in-house medical offices, drama studios, etc.

To clean any other area that might be in your school, refer to the office cleaning checklist or the classroom cleaning checklist section.

Other Cleaning & Support Service Requirements

To fully benefit from school cleaning services, schools often require additional cleaning and support services regularly. These services include the following:

• Deep cleaning or spring cleaning
• Floor scrubbing
• Carpet cleaning
• Handyman and maintenance services
• Washroom services
• Janitorial supplies and washroom consumables
• COSHH risk assessment
• Commercial window cleaning

Conclusion

School cleaning is one of the most important requirements for every school. However, it is an immense and complex task that requires a comprehensive and efficient plan. In this article, we provided the best daily school cleaning checklist and grouped each area of a typical school into a section to make sure it can be applied to schools of all sizes.

The easy-to-follow school cleaning checklist provided in this article can help you create a bespoke cleaning plan for your school premises, efficiently and thoroughly clean the school and provide a safer and hygienic learning environment for students and teachers.