Lessons learnt from pandemic cleaning
From lecture theatres and classrooms to student accommodation and shared study spaces, Kingdom Cleaning’s Contract Cleaning Manager, Laura Ward, shares the valuable lessons learnt from education cleaning during a pandemic.
Cleaning and hygiene have always been incredibly important in the education setting. After all, schools and universities are hotbeds for germs, making them the perfect environment for bacteria and viruses to thrive.
With high footfall and shared equipment in both classroom and communal spaces, keeping on top of hygiene levels is a challenge for cleaning operatives. Add in a global pandemic with an incredibly contagious virus, and the task becomes even more rigorous.
Pre-COVID, we would carry out one thorough daily clean of the entire premises, either before the students and teachers arrived at the premises, or after they had left for the day, and deep cleaning in the holidays. Of course, there would be spot cleaning when needed due to spillages or poor weather conditions, but the majority of work would be done outside of school or university hours.
Now it’s a very different story. Since COVID-19 came along, the cleaning of schools and education facilities has become even more complex.
Keeping on top of hygiene
When the first wave of COVID-19 hit the UK, our cleaning teams instantly had to take on a new way of working to ensure that clients’ premises were safe and hygienic.
Touchpoint sanitation became even more critical than before, and cleaning became more of a constant, rather than a daily, activity. However, this increased activity was also met with strict social distancing and infection control measures, which added to the complexities.
In response, our education teams developed an intense cleansing programme that delivered the highest standards of hygiene. From navigating one-way systems and wearing face coverings for long shifts, to working individually and
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using new chemicals to provide enhanced protection; we transformed our processes.
Bolstering our defence
To cope with the increased demand for cleaning, we had to strengthen our teams. With an almost constant cleaning schedule, we needed to make sure we had enough people on the ground to keep hygiene standards high.
At a number of our college and high school sites, we added additional members to our existing teams and created new rotas that catered for increased cleaning hours, and shift patterns that adhered to social distancing.
Upskilling the team
Of course, when introducing new people to a team, it's vital that they are supported with the right training. Learning and development is something that we have always prioritised at Kingdom Cleaning, but it became even more necessary during the pandemic. Not only to ensure new team members were equipped with the right skills, but to share knowledge on products and processes, as well as PPE and social distancing guidelines.
Lockdown learnings
The past year has very much been a learning curve – one that I doubt any of us will ever forget – but it has also been incredibly humbling to know that we have made such a difference. Thanks to our robust approach to cleaning, the low infection levels across all our sites have been outstanding, and that makes it all worthwhile.
Battling against a pandemic, particularly in busy facilities, has been incredibly challenging. With the right people, techniques and attitude, we have quickly adapted to the changes thrown at us, and most importantly, kept the pupils and teachers safe.
www.kingdom.co.uk/cleaning twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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