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How To Clean and Disinfect Schools To Help Slow the Spread of Flu
Cleaning and disinfecting are part of a broad approach to preventing infectious diseases in schools. To help slow the spread of influenza (flu), the first line of defense is getting vaccinated. Other measures include covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands, and keeping sick people away from others. Below are tips on how to slow the spread of flu specifically through cleaning and disinfecting.
- Know the difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing.
Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfecting works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.
Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces or objects to a safe level, as judged by public health standards or requirements. This process works by either cleaning or disinfecting surfaces or objects to lower the risk of spreading infection.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched often.
Follow your school's standard procedures for routine cleaning and disinfecting. Typically, this means daily sanitizing surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, hands-on learning items, faucet handles, phones, and toys. Some schools may also require daily disinfecting these items. Standard procedures often call for disinfecting specific areas of the school, like bathrooms.
Immediately clean surfaces and objects that are visibly soiled. If surfaces or objects are soiled with body fluids or blood, use gloves and other standard precautions to avoid coming into contact with the fluid. Remove the spill, and then clean and disinfect the surface.
- Simply do routine cleaning and disinfecting.
It's important to match your cleaning and disinfecting activities to the types of germs you want to remove or kill. Most studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for only 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on a surface. Therefore, it is not necessary to close schools to clean or disinfect every surface in the building to slow the spread of flu. Also, if students and staff are dismissed because the school cannot function normally (e.g., high absenteeism during a flu outbreak), it is not necessary to do extra cleaning and disinfecting.
Flu viruses are relatively fragile, so standard cleaning and disinfecting practices are sufficient to remove or kill them. Special cleaning and disinfecting processes, including wiping down walls and ceilings, frequently using room air deodorizers, and fumigating, are not necessary or recommended. These processes can irritate eyes, noses, throats, and skin; aggravate asthma; and cause other serious side effects.
- Clean and disinfect correctly.
Always follow label directions on cleaning products and disinfectants. Wash surfaces with a general household cleaner to remove germs. Rinse with water, and follow with an EPA-registered disinfectant to kill germs. Read the label to make sure it states that EPA has approved the product for effectiveness against influenza A virus.
If an EPA-registered disinfectant is not available, use a fresh chlorine bleach solution. To make and use the solution:
- Add 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 quart (4 cups) of water. For a larger supply of disinfectant, add ¼ cup of bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
- Apply the solution to the surface with a cloth.
- Let it stand for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Rinse the surface with clean water.
If a surface is not visibly dirty, you can clean it with an EPA-registered product that both cleans (removes germs) and disinfects (kills germs) instead. Be sure to read the label directions carefully, as there may be a separate procedure for using the product as a cleaner or as a disinfectant. Disinfection usually requires the product to remain on the surface for a certain period of time.Use disinfecting wipes on electronic items that are touched often, such as phones and computers. Pay close attention to the directions for using disinfecting wipes. It may be necessary to use more than one wipe to keep the surface wet for the stated length of contact time. Make sure that the electronics can withstand the use of liquids for cleaning and disinfecting.
Routinely wash eating utensils in a dishwasher or by hand with soap and water. Wash and dry bed sheets, towels, and other linens as you normally do with household laundry soap, according to the fabric labels. Eating utensils, dishes, and linens used by sick persons do not need to be cleaned separately, but they should not be shared unless they've been washed thoroughly. Wash your hands with soap and water after handling soiled dishes and laundry items.
- Simply do routine cleaning and disinfecting.
Pay close attention to hazard warnings and directions on product labels. Cleaning products and disinfectants often call for the use of gloves or eye protection. For example, gloves should always be worn to protect your hands when working with bleach solutions.
Do not mix cleaners and disinfectants unless the labels indicate it is safe to do so. Combining certain products (such as chlorine bleach and ammonia cleaners) can result in serious injury or death.
Ensure that custodial staff, teachers, and others who use cleaners and disinfectants read and understand all instruction labels and understand safe and appropriate use. This might require that instructional materials and training be provided in other languages.
- Handle waste properly.
Follow your school's standard procedures for handling waste, which may include wearing gloves. Place no-touch waste baskets where they are easy to use. Throw disposable items used to clean surfaces and items in the trash immediately after use. Avoid touching used tissues and other waste when emptying waste baskets. Wash your hands with soap and water after emptying waste baskets and touching used tissues and similar waste.
- Learn more.
- CDC Says "Take 3" Actions to Fight the Flu
- Guidance for School Administrators to Help Reduce the Spread of Seasonal Influenza in K-12 Schools during the 2010-2011 School Year
- Questions and Answers for Schools
- Seasonal Flu Information for Schools and Childcare Providers
- Antimicrobial Products Registered for Use against Influenza A Virus on Hard Surfaces (EPA)
[20pgs, 62 KB]
- Green Clean Schools (Healthy Schools Campaign)
- Interim Guidance on Environmental Management of Pandemic Influenza Virus (HHS)
- Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools (AAP)
- National C.L.E.A.N.® Award (NEA, NEA HIN, ACI)
- National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
- The Red Book- Exposure to Blood on the Job: What School Employees Need to Know (NEAHIN)
English: www.neahin.org/resources/2004 Red Book.pdf[32pgs, 918 KB]
Spanish: www.neahin.org/resources/2004 Spanish Red Book.pdf[32pgs, 1.3 MB]
Last syndicated: September 10, 2010 11:08 AM EDT
This content is brought to you by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
A combination of the right cleaning supplies can reduce the number of sick days in your office. Keep your office healthy by being prepared this Flu Season.
Our Favorite Office Objects: The Endlessly Versatile Binder Clip
Patented 100 years ago to mitigate the time-consuming process of manually hole-punching and thread-binding papers and manuscripts, the classic piece of office-supply brilliance known as the binder clip deserves a prominent spot in every office, home, and quick-and-dirty DIYers' toolkit.
A Brief History of Binder Clips
Let's marvel for a bit at the design mastery behind the binder clip. It's made of one solid but flexible piece of steel and two hinged wires. When folded back, the binder clip's metal hooks provide the leverage necessary to open the powerful spring-loaded clasp. After you've bound your papers (or whatever you've fit into the mouth of the binder clip), the metal arms fold forward, flush against the bound object. Or you can remove them altogether.
Unlike its older and significantly more simplistic cousin, the paperclip, the binder clip binds significantly larger stacks of paper together with ease; unlike staples, hole-punches, or thread, the binder clip is a completely non-destructive method of binding and organizing paper with a vice-like grip. (You can even completely remove the wires if you prefer to keep the clip fastened and want to lose the cruft.)
Per Wikipedia, the binder clip has undergone next to no significant design improvements or changes since it was invented nearly 100 years ago. You can find the indispensable gadgets in a variety of sizes, from the tiny roach-clip style to clamps the size of your hand (but with a significantly stronger grip).
In the UK, it's called a bulldog clip. Yeah. Update: Reader Mark clarifies that the Bulldog clip is actually just a brand, like saying Kleenex instead of tissue.
Beyond Paper
So yeah, binder clips hold paper together. That's not terribly sexy, and even the fact that it's stood the test of time and remains one of the most reliable and ubiquitous office supplies doesn't really change that. But the binder clip transcends the yawn-factor of office knighthood through the many brilliant and clever ways they've been put to use outside the piles of workspace papers. Let's look at a few of our favorites:
Binder Clip as Cable Catcher
The picture says it all, but you can also combine binder clips with magnets for an even better hidden alternative.
The Hipster PDA
Sick of digital tools like Evernote and long for the days of analog capture? Personal productivity guru Merlin Mann's classic Hipster PDA is a bundle of 3"x5" notecards and a binder clip. Done.
Smartphone Stand
Combine binder clips with a sturdy sync cable and you've got yourself a syncing stand. Or you can do a little bending for a smartphone stand of a different style.
And So On
The binder clip can also stand in as emergency cuff links in a pinch, keep your toothpaste squeezed, stop hanging folders from sliding, create a quick DIY photo wall, hold your duvet cover, and more. It's one of those "let your imagination run wild" DIY tools, and its surprising versatility seems almost endless.
So it's in that spirit that we salute the classic binder clip, this editor's favorite understated workplace timesaver.
Send an email to Adam Pash, the author of this post, at tips+adam@lifehacker.com.
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Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.What now? every time i post a post with this pic it dont get posted and the text is all in a red background...
I had to not mention the word "D-ra,g'on f`ly", ad rename the file to make it post ?
What the phuque is that about? Reply
MaxellDVD1 approved this comment
I did a Google search. Man did I see a ton of other clever uses.
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Pic: [www.abovethemedia.com]I mainly use them to close bags of potato chips. Reply
Nice. I have friend who uses a binder clip, attached via elastic to the top tube of her bike. The clip is attached to her skirt to stop it riding up her legs. Disappointing for some, but reassuring for her. Replydanielblakes approved this comment
There are three kinds of people in the world:Those that roll the toothpaste from the bottom up.
Those that don't care.
And then Those that use a paperclip and fold the toothpaste tube from the bottom up.
I am proud to be the latter. Works wonders :D Reply
I buy the biggest of them all (1" wide)and used them on cereal, potato chip, pretzel, cheetos, coffe bean bags an so on....At any time I have dozens in use.... work 1000 times better than those silly plastic clips. Reply
You know when those crappy little plastic keyboard feet snap off? Yep, replace them with the little metal handles. Reply
I used a mini binder clip with one arm removed as a cable minder in my car to keep the power cable from flapping around between my 12v outlet and my PDA that I used for nav and music. The clip was the same color as the piece of trim that it clipped to and the whole solution was so tidy that most people never noticed it. Reply
How do you make the binder clip as cable catcher? I'm fiddling with one right now, and none of my cables fit through the clip. Reply
They are used in molecular biology labs around the world for holding gel electrophoresis rigs together.There's even a company that sells stainless steel ones for this purpose. Reply
Several uses of the binder clip were still not mentioned here Adam.Though, those uses may be better covered in a post on the Gawker blog not mentioned in the banner at the bottom of the page. Reply
Put several clips on their side and place your laptop on it to improve airflow and viewing angle.
#laptopstands Reply
I use them to clip the edges of blankets to furniture and as tie-offs for impromptu tents and forts in my daughter's room.We also use them as clamps for small projects - especially school projects. Reply
More office supply awesomeness!
Psst...want to save some money on printing? Try Century Gothic.
Hit by the high prices of inkjet and toner cartridges, we're all looking for ways to shave some bucks off the cost of printing. New data from Printer.com found that because different fonts use different amounts of ink to print, using the right font could save you as much as 31 percent off your inkjet and toner cartridge expenses.
Printer.com, a Dutch company that compares printers and their costs, recently put its theory to the test. The company set up two printers--a Canon inkjet and a Brother laser printer--to see how much money could be saved by using different fonts. Both printers were left at their default settings of 600x600 dots per inch.
Can the right font cut your printing costs?
(Credit: Printer.com)Using the default Arial font as a baseline, Printer.com changed to different fonts as it put the printers through their paces. The winner: Century Gothic, which delivered a 31 percent savings in printing costs over Arial.
On a dollar basis, the company projected that the average person printing around 25 pages a week would save $20 a year by using Century Gothic for all documents. A business or heavy-duty user printing 250 pages per week would save around $80 for the year. And large companies with multiple printers could potentially save hundreds of dollars a year.
As a thin and light font, Century Gothic managed to beat out Econfont, which was specifically created to cut costs by spewing out less ink. But if Century Gothic doesn't look like the right style for your documents, third place and always popular Times Roman could also help ease your printing budget, according to Printer.com's results.
To conduct its tests, Printer.com switched among the 10 most frequently used fonts and chose a font size of 10 or 11. To better determine the coverage of each font, the company printed documents saved as PDF files and used a software program called Apfill to calculate that coverage.
I actually saw this article a few months ago and shared the link, but I think it's worth another look...it's a great tip!
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Combine binder clips with a sturdy sync cable and you've got yourself a syncing stand. Or you can do a little bending for a 
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