The summer holidays are in full swing and teachers and pupils are taking a well-earned break after a tumultuous few months of education – both in school and at home.

However, all year groups are expected to attend school full-time in September, so, whilst most premises are empty, now is the perfect opportunity to get ready for their return. With COVID-19 still in circulation, preparation is key. Here are our recommendations to help minimise the risk of transmission once the autumn term begins.

Step 1: Although more frequent cleaning has become common practice over the past few months, a deep, intensive clean is essential prior to reopening, and should include all walls, surfaces, and equipment in the building.

Step 2: Review washroom facilities. Is everything in good working order? If not, now is the time to improve, fix, or replace any broken equipment. With hand hygiene a top priority, consider implementing a solution that provides a clear link between classroom learning and practical application. Our innovative Jangronauts range features four hand washing heroes and engaging messaging, designed to make using dispenser units fun, familiar and second-nature for younger children. What’s more, we offer a free-on-loan service, when soap cartridges are purchased^[1].

Step 3: Make sure it is possible for hand hygiene to be extended in the classroom too. There should be ample opportunity for staff and children to clean their hands. This may mean ensuring you have enough sanitiser dispensers for each class room or zone, and supply soap and paper towels if there is a basin present in these areas.

Step 4: Social distancing will become part of daily school life. Although it is widely accepted that young children find this difficult, placing floor markers can help them comply, especially now the guidance has been reduced from 2 metres to 1 metre+.

Step 5: Perform the final checks. Check all stock levels and order more supplies if you are running low on PPE, soap, paper towels, sanitising gel and wipes, or Jangro Virucidal Cleaner. These will be vital for the ongoing hygiene maintenance required once children return to school.

For more information about cleaning supplies for schools, please click here or call our friendly distributors on 01204 795 955.

[1] T’s & C’s apply

I have long celebrated the value that cleaning operatives bring to organisations – indeed I firmly believe that they are a vital cog in business success. The pandemic has further shone a light on their significance, and the contribution they make to society, as levels of cleanliness and hygiene have continued to be an important infection prevention measure.

However, as the country takes its first tentative steps to get moving again, a ‘new normal’ is emerging. Whilst operatives are still performing their usual tasks (and more), cleaning duties will no longer be exclusively theirs. That is to say, non-domestic staff will now need to pay attention to ‘touch point’ hygiene, as the need for more frequent cleaning increases.

Risk assessments in schools, for example, have deemed this an essential control measure, meaning that teachers will be constantly cleaning areas throughout the day – tasks that are usually reserved for cleaning staff.

But cleaning is not just a case of picking up a sponge or a cloth and giving surfaces a quick wipe down. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (and, indeed, other viruses and germs), surfaces must be hygienically cleaned. To achieve this, and ensure personal health and safety, staff must follow best practice.

Cleaning operatives are well-trained in this, but most non-domestic workers are not. Our innovative training platform, the Jangro Learning Management Solution (LMS), is perfect for those that have been thrown in the deep end with little knowledge or training on how to clean effectively.

The Jangro LMS offers a variety of courses, including an introduction to cleaning, and colour coding and infection control – critical knowledge to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Optimised for all devices, it enables users to learn remotely at times that suit them, and dip in and out of sessions as required.

It also offers a versatile system to ‘train on the go’ with its Task Cards. These are brief, highly visual documents, which contain step-by-step instructions for product usage and safety information.

What’s more, users can also sign in with their social media log-ins, making it even quicker and easier for them to access best practice and advice. For more information about Jangro LMS, please visit www.jangrolms.net

As lockdown continues to loosen, the same cannot be said for the demand for cleaning and hygiene products. In fact, as more organisations get ‘back to business’, the surge for these essential items will remain exceptionally high.

Unfortunately, this huge demand for hand sanitiser, PPE, disinfectants, and other essential items, has led to opportunistic new companies entering the industry and taking advantage. Charging desperate buyers extortionate prices for products, which have no guarantee of meeting industry standards, is wrong. Quite simply, it is unscrupulous profiteering.

Such unethical behaviour recently prompted the UK Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA) to issue a warning, advising buyers against purchasing from these immoral and exploitative companies. They advised purchasing from a CHSA Accredited Distributor, like Jangro. This is the only way that customers can be sure that they are buying products, which are fit-for-purpose, meet industry standards, and are reliable both in terms of their high quality and the exact quantity promised on the packaging.

We are committed to quality, reliability, and prices, and are proud to be one of the first ever distributors to be accredited by the CHSA’s Accredited Distributors Scheme. This means that we only stock and sell CHSA Accredited products, or products that conform to the same Standards as required by the relevant CHSA Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Scheme. Compliance is guaranteed by a random, rigorous independent auditing process, and in our last inspection, were delighted to score 99.7%.

So in these challenging times, I’d like to echo the CHSA’s advice: please don’t turn to these unscrupulous new dealers. Look for a supplier which has the CHSA stamp of approval; that’s the only way you can guarantee that you won’t be paying over the odds, or risk purchasing sub-standard and unsafe items.

In the meantime, I’d like to say thank you once again to team here at Jangro, who are making every effort to meet demand, and keep our customers stocked up on essential items. For more information about Jangro, please visit www.jangro.net

COVID-19 has disrupted just about every aspect of everyday life, but as lockdown gradually eases and restrictions are lifted, we now need to come to terms with our ‘new normal’. Whilst keyworkers have continued to work throughout the crisis, including many from the cleaning industry, lots of other organisations are only just starting to prepare for getting back to business.

However, with the threat of a second wave, they have valid concerns, and indeed a responsibility, to ensure that their premises are as safe as possible for their staff, visitors, and customers. The key to this is to implement effective infection prevention measures, and make sure that workspaces are as clean, hygienic, and healthy as possible, before reopening.

That’s why we have developed two new guides to help businesses get to grips with the new requirements, so that they are ‘COVID-19 secure.’ In clear, easy to understand language, they explain how to control the risk of COVID-19 via deep cleaning, and explore the importance of hand hygiene, with tips and advice to achieve compliance.

‘Deep Cleaning – Controlling the Risk’ covers key cleaning and hygiene topics, including: personal protective equipment (PPE), hand hygiene, cleaning in non-healthcare settings, infection control colour coding, types of disinfectant and sanitiser, and the equipment required for wiping surfaces, floor care, and emergency spillages. It also includes advice for washing laundry, waste disposal, and signposts other support materials available, such as infection control guides and wallcharts and area cleaning charts.

The ‘Importance of Hand Hygiene’  includes instructions for good handwashing practice, advice about the type of soap or cleansers to choose, and steps to help maintain good hygiene. It also gives guidance for handwashing in facilities where children are present, such as our innovative Jangronauts range – perfect for schools and nurseries. Additionally, there is information about hand sanitising, including tips about the most effective locations to position hand sanitising stations within a building.

As well as cleaning and hygiene, don’t forget about social distancing! Ensuring that people are two metres apart is important to limit the spread of the virus, and to keep workplaces healthy. We have a great range of signage and matting to help prompt responsible behaviour – check out our range here.

For more information or to download ‘Deep Cleaning – Controlling the Risk’ and ‘Importance of Hand Hygiene’ visit https://www.jangro.net/coronavirus.