Green cleaning protocols help build safer classrooms, resulting in better student and teacher attendance, higher grades and test scores, lower national healthcare costs, and superior educational outcomes.
Cleaner Classrooms Result in Superior Educational Outcomes
Clean classrooms promote academic success by removing surface and airborne contaminants that result in illness, affect behavioral health, and negatively impact cognitive functions.
Further, when applied consistently by qualified staff, cleaning for health protocols that include green sustainable methods produce superior outcomes over conventional cleaning approaches that prioritize facility appearance over occupant health.
According to a 2012 study conducted by researchers from BYU;
Using different environmental measures, Dr. Berry determined the effects temperature, climate, lighting, safety hazards, teaching space, maintenance practices, bio-pollutants, furnishings, decor, and dust has on learning.
He found a strong correlation between the quality of the physical condition of the school and quality of learning at Charles Young Elementary.
Dr. Berry has conducted other studies within this same general topic of school cleaning and how it relates to student academic achievement.
In the study, “Educational Performance, Environmental Management, and Cleaning Effectiveness in School Environments,” he concludes “that effective cleaning programs enhance school and student positive self-image, and may promote overall higher academic attendance and performance.”
Dr. Berry came to this conclusion through several key indicators: absenteeism, chronic schedule changes, disciplinary incidents, health accident reports, risk behaviors, academic and other performance gauges.
Some key components that Dr. Berry states include cleaning for health instead of solely for appearance (which has been the most popular reason in the past).
The Problem With Dirty Classrooms
While effective cleaning and infection prevention programs clearly have a positive impact on student academic performance, dirty classrooms have demonstrably negative effects that go beyond the classroom, including:
Increased illnesses and absenteeism--not just with the students, but the teachers-- means higher district expenses in the form of substitute teacher pay.
Reduced performance--illness, especially chronic illness, corresponds directly to poor academic performance.
Low student, teacher, and staff morale--low community morale negatively impacts mental health, which can affect immune response.
Higher staff and faculty turnover rates mean inconsistent education standards and significantly underperforming classrooms.
Reduced property value--poorly maintained buildings drop in property value and negatively impact the value and profitability of neighboring homes and businesses.
How Green Cleaning Makes Your Classroom Safer
Environmentally-preferable classroom maintenance programs focused on improving occupant health ensure classroom safety by:
- Reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - VOCs are contaminants emitted by sources typically found in offices and classrooms, including many commonly-used disinfectants. Green cleaning and disinfectant products release far fewer VOCs, making them safer for use in enclosed occupied buildings.
- Reducing dust - Dust in the carpet, air, and on surfaces leads to allergic reactions and can trigger asthma attacks or asthma-like symptoms in occupants. Commercial-grade HEPA-filtered vacuums and microfiber have been shown to remove far more dust than their conventional counterparts.
- Enhancing infection prevention and control - Commercial-grade microfiber has been shown to remove up to 99% of bacteria from surfaces in laboratory tests compared to roughly 30% for cotton mops and towels, making it far more effective at preventing and controlling the spread of infectious disease.
- Using safer products - In addition to releasing fewer VOCs, environmentally-preferable sanitation products are made from natural (not corrosive) chemicals and processes, which means they are less likely to cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation.
References & Resources
- Science as it Relates to OS1
- Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes?
- Do K-12 School Facilities Affect Education Outcomes?
- Why Dirty Schools are a Big Problem—and What We Can Do to Clean Them Up
Takeaway
Cleaner classrooms equate to more desirable educational outcomes.
Green cleaning produces superior results compared to conventional cleaning methods, which studies have shown contribute to declining attendance, test scores, and student and teacher health by introducing toxins and VOCs into the environment.
Critical to the success of a sustainable, environmentally-friendly cleaning program focused on occupant health are the following:
- Service provider and management competence.
- Ongoing departmental industry education.
- Routine program validation through testing, and;
- Consistent service.
[...] cleaning contributes to performance by reducing anxiety and distractions; controls the appearance, making a pleasant environment; and protects human health.
Furthermore, [...] when a school is systematically cleaned and maintained daily, the overall cost of running a custodial operation can decrease by almost 50 percent.
Onboarding and managing the requisite labor and material resources to ensure the highest standards of enhanced and sustainable cleanliness level are achieved and maintained will likely prove cost-prohibitive for many organizations.
Outsourcing is a proven method for onboarding highly in-demand cleaning and disinfection services and experience for a fraction of the price of maintaining a similar service in-house.
If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation on-site assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!
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In Valencia, CA, or Santa Clarita, CA, call (661) 437-3253
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