We clean our homes on a daily basis and sometimes even twice a day. Cleanliness is something we live by. At home, we try not to use those chemicals to which our family members are allergenic. Have you ever wondered why we are so particular about cleaning our homes regularly? Yes, we do not want germs and other disease causing bacteria to grow in our home sweet homes. We sweep, mop and even use vacuum cleaners to make sure every corner of our homes are cleaned properly.

                         Now kids spend maximum time of the day in their schools. Parents are always worried about the hygienic conditions in the school their children are going to. In fact, while getting their kids admitted into schools, parents look for schools with proper hygiene. Many parents want to send their kids to nig private schools for the very same reason- cleanliness. A child needs to grow up in a disease free clean environment as this is the stage when their immunities are building up. So the schools have to be extra careful in cleaning the building, the science laboratories, the computer laboratories, toilets, playgrounds, libraries, auditoriums, staircases, sick rooms and every place present in the school.

                      Now, how can a school be cleaned? It cannot be done overnight. One cannot just leave the buildings and premises dirty for a long period and then suddenly start cleaning it one day. It is just not possible to start cleaning midway. The school has to be kept clean right from Day 1. Small activities must be carried out by every individual to keep the school clean. It is not just the duty of the school authorities to keep the school clean, teachers and even students should participate in it. From a very early age the importance and need of keeping the school clean must be incorporated in children. Only then will they follow this good habit throughout their schooling years.

                      Students must take care not to make the walls and desks dirty. Small things like using the waste paper basket, keeping the blackboard or whiteboard clean, not painting the walls, not sticking chewing gums on benches or walls etc. can make a big difference in the long run. The teachers should see to it that the hallways and corridors are kept clean. Any student who throws litters in the school campus should be fined or punished. The authorities should keep waste baskets everywhere inside the campus and not just in classrooms. It is the duty of the school authorities to see that the restrooms and lavatories are cleaned at least thrice a day. With so many students using the restrooms, cleaning them once a day will not be sufficient. The science laboratories should also be thoroughly cleaned at the end of the day after so many students visiting them and performing experiments throughout the day. Same goes for the sick room. Different students bring in different kind of allergies and infections and viruses. So the sick rooms should be cleaned regularly to prevent the working staff from falling ill in that environment.

                         The doors and windows too, should not be left out. Using phenyls and chemicals to clean them is not a very good option as one never knows what might cause an allergy to a kid. The schools should use the more effective and natural way of cleaning, which is vinegar. It is a good cleansing agent. But it is better not to use raw vinegar as that might leave behind an unwanted pungent odor. So mix one part of distilled vinegar in two parts of water and clean with it. The doors and windows come out squeaky clean, exactly the kind that should be in schools.

                       Schools repaint themselves during long holidays to welcome children to a colorful building and colorful classrooms so that they do not get bored attending school after such a long vacation. But the smells of these paints are not at all good for the health as they contain toxic substances. So during the holidays, the school authorities must make sure to fight the odor and remove it completely before students start coming in again. For this, a bowl of vinegar needs to be placed in a closed room and a half cut onion, with the cut side facing the ceiling must be dipped in the vinegar. This bowl of vinegar and onion needs to be kept in the room for 12 hours or more to fight the odor.

                     Vinegar is a very strong cleansing agent and a disinfectant as well. It can be used to mop doors and windows as mentioned earlier, clean the benches and other furniture, mop the floor and what not? If there is a scuff mark on the floors, it can be removed permanently without even damaging the floor. All you will need is a paste of baking soda and a damp cloth and a little rubbing and scrubbing that spot.ad there you are, the floor is back to normal!

So now we all know our roles in keeping our school as clean as our homes!