Survey Shows Educators Plan Increased Cleaning Frequencies

U.S. educators say they plan to increase the frequency of school cleaning and disinfecting as teachers and students return for in-person learning, according to a new survey by OpenWorks, a national facility services and commercial cleaning and disinfecting service provider.

OpenWorks polled more than 200 educators across the country and found 92% plan to increase the frequency of their cleaning and disinfecting efforts, and more than half will increase these efforts to multiple times a day.

“Schools are moving from basic, manual cleaning procedures, like vacuuming and wiping down surfaces, into specialized, more advanced cleaning protocols that include disinfecting. It is a trend we don’t see waning any time soon,” said Eric Roudi, president and CEO of OpenWorks.

Those polled believe that the school areas most prone to germs include: bathrooms (89%), cafeterias (81%), buses (77%), locker rooms (71%), computer labs (70%), regular classrooms (67%), gyms (66%), and playgrounds (66%).

The surfaces educators believe are the most prone to germs include: door handles (90%), drinking fountains/water station areas (81%), desks (80%), railings (76%), computers (75%), gym equipment and classroom supplies (67%), light switches (66%), and playground equipment (54%).

Additional findings from the survey showed that:

• 79% plan to follow social distancing measures, yet only 59% plan to reduce the number of students in the classroom
• 74% are ensuring all educators and staff wear masks, and 64% are ensuring all students wear masks
• 58% of educators are ensuring their school buses are cleaned and disinfected
• 45% are hiring additional maintenance/janitorial staff or increasing their hours to clean/disinfect more frequently
• 39% are planning to have their indoor air systems (heating, ventilation, and cooling) inspected or upgraded prior to their schools reopening to students
• 38% are hiring additional outside cleaning/disinfection crews to clean/disinfect more frequently.