School Cafeteria Cleaning Checklist

School Cafeteria Cleaning Checklist is the main cleaning checkpoint to ensuring Students, teachers, and other staff health. Schools that know the value of health must include this checklist on the top of the School Cleaning Services menu.

Schools will reopen eventually, and you will need to start a new cleaning schedule. Meet with your caretaking team to review cleaning procedures before beginning your school cleaning checklist. 

It is important first to discuss the distinction between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning does not destroy but defeats germs, reduces their numbers and the CDC claims to be susceptible to infection spreading.

If a person with or suspected of COVID-19 has exposed the surface to the virus, it should be washed and disinfected. “Surface disinfection destroys germs.”

So you need a cleaning plan in two parts from the beginning. The other item to discuss is the substance your employees use to clean and disinfect.

The EPA has drawn up a list of recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) or harder to destroy than SARS-CoV-2 viruses that are effective in dealing with viruses.

The next section is especially important.

Cafeterias have many high touch surfaces and are one of the hardest areas to clean in schools. Consequently, in cafeterias and kitchens viruses, bacteria and disease-causing species such as common cold and flu are more likely to be found.

Starting the school year with freshly sanitized spaces will set the tone for regular cleaning during the year, which will help to deter germs and slow disease spread.

To get the school year off to a great start, prepare these areas of your cafeteria and kitchen before the first day:

Floor coverings

Cleaning the kitchen and cafeteria floors with a mop is good regularly, but a thorough cleaning is needed before students and staff return. Virus, Bacteria, grime, and dirt love floors, and if you haven’t done a deep clean since the last school year ended, all of that grime has been hiding all summer. Deep clean the floor with an automated floor scrubber and a specialized formula before the students arrive.

The Dining Room

Cleaning all of your kitchen appliances, both inside and out, is a must. Break down your microwaves, stovetops, walk-in refrigerators, and ovens, then begin cleaning in one top corner and work your way down to the opposite bottom corner. 

This ensures the polluted water and soil fall in areas that have not yet been washed. Soak anything that needs it in a strong degreaser until the dirt and grease loosens, then scrub with a high-quality solution (ask us for recommendations!) before air-drying.

Food arrangement areas

Any food contact surface is very likely to infect bacteria or germs in students. Ensure that your cleaning equipment has all it needs to keep the room clean, including microfibres.

By using these methods instead of sponges and rags, germs cannot spread from one surface to another.

Wipe down countertops and other food storage areas with a microfiber cloth soaked in the cleaning solution. After that, remove any remaining soil with the squeegee and dry the field.

Tables for Cafeterias

Your cafeteria tables are almost certainly laminate, which is easy to clean and resists wear and tear. To prepare for the arrival of students, clean each table with a mild detergent combined with warm water.

Inside and out, clean the windows

Virus, Bacteria, Dirt may be blocking light from entering the classrooms if you don’t wash the windows from top to bottom, inside and out, regularly. To promote student learning and save money on your energy bill, clean your windows thoroughly.

The following is a general outline of the steps you can take to clean the different areas of the school cafeteria.

• Clean up the garbage on the concrete.
• Ensure that any old food or food that will expire during the summer months is removed from refrigerators.
• If your carpet is carpeted, sweep up any dirt and vacuum it.
• If the floors are rough, clean and buff them.
• Within windows should be cleaned with window cleaner and dried with a paper towel.
• Garbage cans and compost containers should be emptied.
• Removing seasonal and out-of-date material from bulletin boards and walls is a good idea.
• Disinfect regularly touched areas such as doorknobs, light switches, keyboards, and other similar products.
• Hard surfaces should be dusted.

For your janitorial staff, go through this school cleaning checklist. You might find certain parts of it irrelevant, or you might want to add to it. At the very least, this should provide you with a solid foundation. There are a couple of short points to make here.

Enable new, outside air into the school if at all necessary. More air movement will disturb the concentration of germs in one spot, and increased ventilation dilutes the number of germs, bacteria, viruses in the air.

“Disinfectants should not normally be applied on products used by children, particularly any items that children can place in their mouths,” according to the EPA. When ingested, many disinfectants are toxic.

Furthermore, maintain a record of your supplies, equipment repairs, and more with the Janitorial Manager regularly.