Cleaning, Disinfection, and Hand Hygiene in Schools

Reducing the risk of exposure to coronavirus (or SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19) by cleaning and disinfection is an integral part of reopening schools that will require careful planning.

This guidance is intended to aid school administrators as they consider how to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of students, teachers, other school staff, families, and communities and prepare for educating students this fall.

School administrators are individuals who oversee the daily operations of K-12 schools, and may include school district superintendents, school principals, and assistant principals.

Cleaning and disinfecting your school will require you to:

• Develop your plan
• Implement your plan
• Maintain and revise your plan

Recommendations are based on CDC’s current knowledge of COVID-19 in the United States. CDC will continue to monitor COVID-19 activity and update guidance as needed. This guidance is meant to supplement—not replace—any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which schools must comply.

Importance of Cleaning, Disinfection, and Hand Hygiene

Cleaning and disinfecting and promoting hand hygiene are important everyday actions schools can take to slow the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases and protect students and staff. CDC offers the following cleaning, disinfecting, and hand hygiene considerations to help school administrators make decisions, protect their students and staff, and communicate with families and communities.

Why is Cleaning and Disinfection Important?

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 can be reduced and killed from surfaces, objects, and hands if the right products are used correctly. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person, but it may also spread by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your own mouth, nose, or possibly your eyes. Cleaning and disinfecting can reduce the risk of spreading infection by reducing and killing germs on surfaces people frequently touch. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has compiled a list of disinfectant products that can be used against the virus that causes COVID-19external icon, including ready-to-use sprays, concentrates, and wipes.

Why is Practicing Good Hand Hygiene Important?

Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others from getting sick. When SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, gets onto hands and is not washed off, it can be passed from person to person. Germs from unwashed hands can get into the body through the mouth, nose, and eyes and make people sick. Good hand hygiene – regular handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not readily available – reduces the spread of germs that can cause illness, especially if done at key times throughout the day. To avoid poison emergencies, hand sanitizers should be stored away, and out of sight of children under six years of age and should be used with adult supervision.

Cleaning and Disinfection – What’s the difference?

Cleaning and disinfecting are part of a broad approach to prevent infectious diseases, including COVID-19, in schools. To help slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, preventive measures include staying home when sick, social distancing, using cloth masks, washing hands often, and regular cleaning and disinfection. Use the tips below to slow the spread of disease specifically through cleaning and disinfecting.

• Cleaning physically removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects by using soap (or detergent) and water. 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. Clean surfaces and objects using soap and water prior to disinfection.

Key Considerations

Integrating Cleaning and Disinfection into the Daily Plan – Who Will Clean, How Often, and Where?

Cleaning and disinfecting reduce the risk of spreading infection by removing and killing germs on surfaces people frequently touch. Consider cleaning and disinfecting more frequently at your school to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Staff and Scheduling

• Cleaning and disinfection products should not be used by children or near children, and staff should ensure that there is adequate ventilation when using these products to prevent children or themselves from inhaling toxic fumes.

  Make a plan with staff and teachers. Discuss obstacles to more frequent cleaning and disinfecting and ways to overcome those obstacles.

• Train staff. Ensure that cleaning staff, teachers, and others who use cleaners and disinfectants read and understand all instruction labels, understand safe and appropriate use, and have and are using the PPE appropriate to the product. Consider providing instructional materials and training in other languages.
• Develop a schedule for increased, routine cleaning and disinfection. Modify your standard procedures to accommodate more frequent cleaning and disinfection. Focus cleaning and disinfection on frequently touched objects (e.g., doorknobs, light switches, classroom sink handles, countertops) and shared items between uses.

Soiled Surfaces and Objects

• Immediately clean surfaces and objects that are visibly soiled. Use soap (or detergent) and water to clean surfaces or objects that look dirty. Visibly dirty surfaces should be cleaned prior to disinfection.
• 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.

Frequently Touched Surfaces

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces (e.g., playground equipment, door handles, sink handles, drinking fountains) within the school and on school buses at least daily or between use as much as possible. This may include adding additional areas or surfaces to standard procedures for disinfection.
  • If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

Shared Objects

• Limit the use of shared objects (e.g., gym or physical education equipment, art supplies, toys, games, computers) when possible, or clean and disinfect between use.
• Discourage sharing of items that are difficult to clean or disinfect such as electronic devices, pens and pencils, classroom stapler, whiteboard markers and erasers, books, games, art supplies (e.g., markers, crayons, scissors), and other learning aids. Soft and porous materials, such as area rugs and seating, may be removed to reduce the challenges with cleaning and disinfecting them.
• Keep each student’s belongings separated from others’ and in individually labeled containers, cubbies, lockers or areas.
• Ensure adequate supplies to minimize sharing of high touch materials to the extent possible (e.g., assigning each student their own art supplies, equipment) or limit use of supplies and equipment to one group of students at a time and clean and disinfect between use.

Safe and Effective Cleaning and Disinfection

Choosing the Right Products

• Use products that meet EPA disinfection criteriaexternal icon. These products can kill the virus that causes COVID-19 and include ready-to-use sprays, concentrates, and wipes.
• Ensure adequate supplies are available to support more frequent cleaning and disinfection.
  • Consider whether teachers and staff will need additional cleaning and disinfection supplies (e.g., cleaning and disinfection products, paper towels, gloves) beyond those normally stocked in classrooms.
  • Consider providing EPA-registered disposable wipes to teachers and staff so that commonly used surfaces (e.g., desks/tables and chairs, keyboards, doorknobs, classroom sink handles, countertops) can be wiped down before use.

• Caution

  Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other disinfectant. This can cause fumes that may be very dangerous to breathe in.

  Consider using a bleach solution. If EPA-approved disinfectantsexternal icon are not available, diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted. Diluted bleach solutions should be prepared fresh daily.
  Prepare a bleach solution by mixing:

  • 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of room temperature water or
  • 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of room temperature water
• Do not stockpile disinfectants or other supplies. This can result in shortages of appropriate products for others to use in critical situations and supplies can degrade and become less effective if stored for long periods of time.

COVID-19 Case in the School

A school might need to implement short-term closure procedures regardless of community spread if an infected person has been in a school building. In addition, CDC recommends cleaning and disinfecting the school building thoroughly by:

1) Closing off areas used by the persons with COVID-19 and waiting as long as practical before beginning cleaning and disinfection to minimize potential for exposure to respiratory droplets

• Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the area.
• If possible, wait up to 24 hours before beginning cleaning and disinfection.

2) Cleaning and disinfecting all areas (e.g., offices, bathrooms, and common areas) used by the person(s) with COVID-19, focusing especially on frequently touched surfaces

• Surfaces should be cleaned using soap (or a detergent) and water prior to disinfection.
• For disinfection, most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Check EPA’s list of disinfection productsexternal icon.

In most instances, a single case of COVID-19 in a school would not warrant closing the entire school. Community spread and how much contact the person with COVID-19 had with others, as well as when such contact took place, need to be considered. These variables should also be considered when determining how long a school, or part of the school, stays closed. Administrators should work with local health officials to determine if temporarily closing the school building is necessary.

Additional Key Resources:

• CDC’s Cleaning and Disinfection for Community Facilities Recommendations
• Cleaning/disinfection decision toolpdf icon
• For more information about cleaning and disinfecting school buses or other transport vehicles, read CDC’s guidance for bus transit operators
• How to clean and disinfect if someone is sick
• Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes
• EPA List of disinfectants for use against the virus that causes COVID-19external icon

Promoting Hand Hygiene in Your School

The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, which is thought to spread mainly from person to person. Another key preventive action you can take is to regularly clean hands. Cleaning hands at key times with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water is not readily available is one of the most important steps a person can take to avoid getting sick. This helps prevent a variety of infections because:

• People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get into the body through the mouth, nose, and eyes and make us sick.
• Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, tabletops, or keyboards, and then be transferred to another person’s hands.
• Removing germs through handwashing therefore helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections.

Teaching people about handwashing helps them and their communities stay healthy. Handwashing can reduce respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by up to 21%. Additionally, school-based programs promoting handwashing and hand hygiene can result in less gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses and fewer missed school days.

For more information, see CDC’s Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives website.

Establishing a Culture of Hand Hygiene

• Teach and reinforce handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and increase monitoring to ensure adherence among teachers, students, and staff.
• Build time into daily routines for students and staff to wash hands, especially at key times like after bathroom breaks, before lunch, or after playing outside. Take into consideration any additional time students or staff may need to wash their hands while social distancing.
• Consider making hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol available for teachers, staff, and students. Hand sanitizers can be placed near frequently touched surfaces (e.g., water fountains, doors, shared equipment) and areas where soap and water are not readily available (e.g., cafeterias, classrooms, gyms). Supervise young children under the age of 6 when they use hand sanitizer to prevent swallowing alcohol or contact with eyes.
• Promote hand hygiene throughout the school by placing visual cues such as handwashing posters, stickers, and other materials in highly visible areas.
  • Download and print materials
  • Order handwashing materials from CDC for free using CDC-INFO on Demand

Using Hand Sanitizers to Clean Hands

CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water because handwashing reduces the amounts of all types of germs and chemicals on hands. But if soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.

Soap and water remove all types of germs from hands, while sanitizer acts by killing certain germs on the skin. Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs in many situations, they should be used in the right situations.

Additional Resources

For School Administrators

• Preparing K-12 School Administrators for a Safe Return to School in Fall 2020
• Cleaning and Disinfecting: Plan, Prepare, and Respond
• Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs
• Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility
  • What to do when a confirmed case has entered a school, regardless of community transmission
• Considerations for Schools
  • Promoting Behaviors that Reduce Spread
• COVID-19 Videos
• Flu Guidance for School Administrators
• Flu How to Clean and Disinfect Schools
• MN Department of Health: COVID-19 Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidance for Schools and Child Care Programsexternal icon
• EPA Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting (Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes)pdf iconexternal icon
• NY Department of Health (Interim cleaning and disinfection guidance for primary and secondary schools)external icon
• AAPCC (American Association of Poison Control Centers) Daycare and School Safetyexternal icon
• NPIC (National Pesticide Information Center) Antimicrobial Fact Sheetexternal icon
• CA Department of Public Health: Healthy Cleaning & Asthma-Safer Schools: A How-To Guidepdf iconexternal icon
• CDPHE Environmental Cleaning Guidance for COVID-19external icon

For Parents

• How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home if Someone Has COVID-19
• Key Times to Clean and Disinfect Your Home
• Handwashing: A Family Activity
• ACI’s (American Cleaning Institute) Cleaning Tips for Parents & Caregiversexternal icon
• Canadian Paediatric Society: Caring for Kids (Handwashing for Parents and Children)external icon
• AAPCC Poison Safety Checklist (Handout for Teachers)image iconexternal icon
• Stanford Children’s Health: Teaching Kids to Wash Their Handsexternal icon
• Lysol’s Resources for Teaching at Home: Handwashing Lesson Plans & Home Activities (Pre-K through Grade 5)external icon

For Students

• Toolkit for Youth and Young Adults: 15 to 21
• K-12 Students: Did You Wash Your Hands?pdf icon
• K-12 Students: Don’t Feel Well? Stay Home When You Are Sickpdf icon
• K-12 Students: Don’t Let Your Germs Go for a Ridepdf icon
• K-12 Students: Class Rulespdf icon
• Calling All Kids: Be a Handwashing Expert!pdf iconexternal icon
• Lysol’s Healthy Habits: In-Classroom Lesson Plans (Pre-K through Grade 5)external icon

For Educators

• Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT)
• Key Times to Clean Toys in Childcare Programs
• Key Times to Sanitize Toys in Childcare Programs
• ACI’s (American Cleaning Institute) Cleaning Tips for Teachersexternal icon
• WA Department of Health’s Classroom Cleaning Tips for Teachersexternal icon
• Handwashing Posters for Children, Teens, and Adults
• Handwashing Stickers and Mirror Clings
• CDC-INFO Handwashing Materials (Order FREE)

For Other School Staff

• American Federation of Teachers (Resource for Custodians and Others)pdf iconexternal icon
• American Federation of Teachers (Resources for School Bus Personnel)pdf iconexternal icon
• TN Department of Education (Tips for School Buses)pdf iconexternal icon