Back to School Preparedness

Monday, September 23, 2019
disinfectantsfacility maintenance

Back to School Preparedness

Back to school season is here, which means it’s time to get things up and running before students flood the halls. State®’s vast catalog of unique products is here to help make all areas of your facility look, feel and smell their best. 

Cleaners, Disinfectants and Sanitizers

It’s not surprising that the beginning of a new academic year leads to the spreading of germs and other bacteria, making it easy for sicknesses to run rampant. State offers an array of products with numerous kill claims, including Influenza, H1N1 and more.

Children are especially notorious for not covering their mouths when they cough, so having hand sanitizer readily available is an easy step in keeping everyone healthy, especially during cold and flu season. Since alcohol-based sanitizers are frowned upon in educational climates, try State’s Gentle Fresh™ Sanitizer. This foaming, alcohol-free hand care option kills 99.9% of bacteria on contact. Pair it with the Soap Factory® Pro to easily dispense sanitizer in classrooms, hallways and cafeterias.

Did you know the flu virus can survive on hard surfaces and is infectious for 24 to 48 hours? Often, people do not even realize they are sick until that amount of time has elapsed, which is why general classroom disinfecting – including desks, chairs and door knobs – is a necessity when it comes to keeping your classrooms healthy. Disinfecting fast is key in these busy areas.  State’s concentrated Ecolution® Disinfectant and Quick Defense™ NDC™ are effective one-step pH neutral quaternary formulas with short dwell times, making disinfection quick, easy and safe on most surfaces. For a fast option in between classes, our popular Quick Defense ready-to-use disinfectant has a 60-second dwell time for select pathogens. The best part? It also serves as a sanitizer, deodorizer and fabric refresher and can be sprayed almost anywhere.

Outside of the classroom, locker rooms and gyms are especially vulnerable to lingering germs and bacteria, which is why it’s vital to regularly disinfect and sanitize showers, floors and equipment to stop the spreading of germs, diseases and blood-borne pathogens. These rooms exhibit higher temperatures due to the large amount of physical activity that takes place. Use DBC-34™, State’s concentrated disinfectant bathroom cleaner, to clean and disinfect your locker rooms. A stronger alternative to DBC-34 is Quick Defense NDC, which disinfects surfaces in five minutes and includes kill claims for Athlete’s Foot, E.coli, Influenza and HIV-1. To supplement this neutral disinfectant cleaner, Quick Defense Wipes can be used to wipe down and disinfect weight room equipment in just two minutes. 

Janitorial Supplies

In addition to sanitizers and disinfectants, schools typically keep an inventory of other products in their supply closets for virtually any need. It’s easy for shelves to quickly become crowded and overstocked with products that rearely used products. State’s One Solution™ dilution system eliminates this issues. With our concentrated products – including floor, bathroom and multi-purpose cleaners and degreasers – and excellent customer service-oriented sales model, you can be confident knowing products will stay organized, dispensed accurately and safely by your team and stocked appropriately, while staying within your budget.

On top of regular cleaning, janitorial teams strip and wax the floors at least twice a year. Depending on the traffic in your hallways, we can help make your floors gleam and look glossier than before. State also offers a handful of floor strippers that make the removal of wax and reapplying finish a breeze.

Many schools are becoming more environmentally-conscious and prefer to use green products. If your school falls in this category, State’s Green Seal Certified Ecolution® Floor Stripper and High Solids Floor Finish are the perfect solution for your floor care needs. These products work extremely well and are more ecofriendly. 

Air Care

Did you know that there are numerous benefits of adding ambient scents to your school? Research shows that fragrance can reduce anxiety (Fenko, A. & Loock, C.), positively affects attitudes and behaviors (Baron, R. A.) and plays a role in decision making (Gagarina, A. & Pikturniene, I.). Fragrances can improve your students’ performance and behaviors in the classroom, all while making your facility smell great.

We are well aware that many people are hypersensitive to fragrance, which is why our Citrus Green Tea, Coastal Dreams™, Abscent™ and Water Lily scents were developed to contain no-known allergens according to the EU Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009. Abscent, our low-fragrance scent, is an excellent option if you want to focus on deodorization, rather than ambient scenting. These scents are available in a variety of systems, making them perfect for classrooms, locker rooms, restrooms and hallways. Our Account Managers cen help you freshen the air in your school. 

Want to Know More About State’s School Solutions?

Let us help you take care of your school. Call (877) 747-6986 to be put in contact with your local Account Manager.

Sources

Baron, R. A. (1990). Environmentally Induced Positive Affect: Its Impact on Self-Efficacy, Task Performance, Negotiation, and Conflict1. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20(5), 368-384. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1990.tb00417.x

Fenko, A., & Loock, C. (2014). The Influence of Ambient Scent and Music on Patients Anxiety in a Waiting Room of a Plastic Surgeon. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 7(3), 38-59. doi:10.1177/193758671400700304

Gagarina, A., & Pikturnienė, I. (2015). The Effect of Ambient Scent Type and Intensiveness on Decision Making Heuristics. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 213, 605-609. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.457