School Cleaning in Almaty

Why School Cleaning Requires a Special Approach

A school building is not an office or an apartment: it simultaneously houses 500–1,500 children with varying levels of immunity, plus a catering unit, gym, and laboratories. Regular cleaning without considering sanitary standards and child safety turns the process into a farce, or in the worst case, into a source of allergies or infections. At profi-clean, we operate on the principle that each school zone (recreation area, classroom, cafeteria, restroom) requires a separate protocol — from the choice of chemicals to the frequency of surface treatment.

Why School Cleaning Cannot Be Trusted to Universal Cleaners

Universal teams working “as in an office” most often use household chemicals with fragrances and chlorine. In the confined space of a classroom (30–50 m² for 25 children), chlorine irritates mucous membranes, and perfumed products trigger asthma attacks — according to Almaty allergists, up to 12% of schoolchildren in the city have respiratory allergies. The second problem is equipment: an office vacuum cleaner without a HEPA filter releases fine dust (PM2.5) back into the air, whereas our equipment with a class H13 HEPA filter retains 99.95% of particles, including mold spores and dust mites. The third is disinfection: schools require not just cleaning compounds, but virucidal agents with a specific contact time (usually 10–15 minutes), and universal cleaners rinse off the disinfectant solution after a minute, not allowing it to work. In my opinion, a key marker of professionalism is requesting certificates for disinfectants and having a license for medical activities (if a sanitary-epidemiological regime is required). Before ordering, check with the contractor whether their products are registered with the State Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance of Kazakhstan — without this document, school cleaning is not legally considered sanitary treatment.

SES and SanPiN Requirements for Schools in Almaty

Schools in Almaty operate under Sanitary Rules No. ҚР ДСМ-15 (approved by order of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan), which strictly regulate the cleaning regime. Wet cleaning of classrooms is required daily after the second shift, and general cleaning once a month with treatment of walls, light fixtures, and ventilation grilles. In restrooms and the cafeteria, disinfection of every contact point is needed: handrails, faucets, flush buttons — three times a day. The catering unit has a separate regulation: washing dishes at a temperature not lower than 45°C with rinsing under running water for 10 minutes, treatment of cutting boards and knives according to color coding (raw meat — red, vegetables — green, bread — yellow). In the gym, daily floor washing with a disinfectant and ventilation for at least 30 minutes after each group. An important nuance: all disinfectants must have a state registration certificate on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and cleaners must undergo biosafety training. In our practice, we often encounter schools where cleaners dilute the concentrate “by eye,” and during an SES inspection, a reduced dose of active chlorine is recorded — this threatens the director with an administrative fine. For this reason, we use dispensers and control test strips to check the concentration of the prepared solution — this provides accuracy that the “manual” method cannot guarantee.

How School Chemicals Differ from Household Ones

Household chemicals from the supermarket contain anionic surfactants (up to 30% of the composition) and phosphates, which are poorly rinsed from surfaces and accumulate on desks — children touch them with their hands and then put their hands in their mouths. Schools need products based on non-ionic surfactants and enzymes: they break down into safe components (CO₂ and water) and do not leave a film. profi-clean uses German hypoallergenic chemicals Kiehl and Sodasan — both brands have the EU Ecolabel, which guarantees the absence of phthalates and synthetic fragrances. For disinfection, we use four-component formulations based on QACs (quaternary ammonium compounds) and guanidines — they are active against rotaviruses and noroviruses but safe upon skin contact. In practice, this looks like this: in classrooms, we use a dilution concentrate of 1:200 (5 ml per liter of water), in restrooms — 1:100, in the cafeteria — 1:50. Each product has a safety data sheet indicating the contact time and method of rinsing. I advise school directors to demand from the cleaning company not only certificates for the chemicals but also a logbook for recording the dilution of disinfectant solutions — this is the only document that will confirm the correctness of the treatment during an unscheduled SES inspection.

High-Risk Zones: What Is Cleaned Most Often

In a school building, there are three zones with the highest bacterial load: restrooms (especially boys’ stalls), the food preparation area, and the locker room area in the gym. According to our measurements with an ATP luminometer (measuring organic residues in Relative Light Units — RLU), the reading on handrails in Almaty school restrooms reaches 350–500 RLU, with the standard being < 100 RLU for a safe surface. After our treatment with a 15-minute disinfectant solution exposure, the reading drops to 15–25 RLU. In the food preparation area, the critical point is cutting boards: if they are not replaced every six months, E. coli accumulates in micro-cracks. We treat the boards with a steam generator at 140°C, which kills bacteria without chemicals. In the gym — mats: on porous surfaces (PVC, rubber), sweat and dirt create an environment for staphylococcus, so mats are wiped with a disinfectant solution after each shift, and once a week, they are treated with dry steam. It is important not to confuse “post-shift cleaning” (wiping mats) with “deep cleaning” (removing mats, washing the floor underneath, and treating fastenings) — schools often skip the second stage, but in vain, as condensation and mold form under the mats. A non-obvious fact: in the locker room area, the bacterial load on benches is higher than on toilet seats — due to damp sports uniforms. Therefore, we treat benches and shelves in locker rooms using the same protocol as for restrooms, with a dwell time of at least 10 minutes.

Typical mistakes when cleaning schools in Almaty

The most common mistake is using the same equipment for different zones. In Almaty schools, we have repeatedly seen the same mop used to wash the floor in a classroom and then in the cafeteria — this is a direct transfer of bacteria. We use a color-coding system for each zone: blue — classrooms, green — hallways, red — restrooms, yellow — food preparation area. The second mistake is saving on disinfection: instead of a certified concentrate, they use “Belizna” (bleach) in an arbitrary dose, which either does not kill viruses or eats away at linoleum and leaves chemical burns on children’s skin. The third is incorrect cleaning time: wet cleaning during breaks creates a slippery floor and high humidity (children breathe in chlorine fumes). We clean classrooms only after the second shift ends and air them out for 40 minutes before the technical staff arrives. The fourth is ignoring ventilation: in standard Almaty schools (series of 3-story panel buildings from the 70s–80s), natural ventilation often does not work, so after disinfection, you need to turn on supply ventilation units or open windows for micro-ventilation for 30 minutes. I recommend that directors invite an independent technologist once a quarter to measure the air environment for chlorine and formaldehyde content — this is cheaper than a fine from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service or a child’s sick leave due to chemical fume poisoning.

Sanitary standards and requirements for cleaning educational institutions in the Republic of Kazakhstan

School cleaning is regulated not by internal cleaning standards, but by state sanitary rules — and this is a key difference from regular cleaning. Kazakhstan has the “Sanitary and Epidemiological Requirements for Educational Facilities,” approved by Order of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. ҚР ДСМ-76. At profi-clean, we work strictly according to these standards, and here is what is truly important in them.

How school cleaning differs from office cleaning according to sanitary standards

The main difference lies in the frequency and strictness of disinfection. An office is cleaned once a day, while a school is cleaned at least twice: wet cleaning of all surfaces before classes begin and after the shift ends. This is a direct requirement of paragraph 16, chapter 2 of the SanPiN of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In offices, disinfection is carried out once a quarter; in schools, it is daily. Every windowsill, door handle, light switch, and stair railing is wiped with a disinfectant solution with an exposure time of at least 15 minutes. Our team uses concentrates based on QAC (quaternary ammonium compounds) for this — they kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses but do not require rinsing with water, which is critical for occupied premises. In offices, such a protocol would be considered excessive; in schools, violating it carries administrative liability under Article 425 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Requirements for cleaning agents in educational institutions

SanPiN directly prohibits the use of chlorine-based products in schools at concentrations above 0.5% — this restriction was introduced due to the toxicity of fumes for children’s respiratory tracts. In regular cleaning, chlorine-containing powders are used without restrictions. At profi-clean, we have switched to the professional Kiehl (Germany) and Sodasan lines — they have the “Ecologically Safe for Children’s Institutions” certificate. In practice, this means that a floor cleaning product in a classroom must have a pH of 5.5–7.0 and contain no phosphates, optical brighteners, or synthetic fragrances. Allergic reactions to household chemicals are one of the common reasons for missed lessons, according to the Almaty Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Committee. Therefore, we use hypoallergenic chemicals that do not require room ventilation for longer than 10 minutes — between shifts, this is the only available window.

Zoning of Equipment According to SanPiN: Color Coding and Storage

SanPiN of the Republic of Kazakhstan requires separate storage and labeling of cleaning equipment for different school zones — this prevents the transfer of microorganisms from restrooms to the kitchen or classrooms. In regular cleaning, equipment is often shared. In a school, we have five color zones: red — restrooms, blue — kitchen, green — classrooms and corridors, yellow — gym, white — medical office. Each set is stored in a separate ventilated cabinet, and buckets are marked with indelible paint. Microfiber cloths are single-use for the red and blue zones; for others, they are changed after each room. Violating this scheme is not just negligence but a direct violation of SanPiN clause 19, for which an inspection issues a fine of 50–100 MCI. In our practice, there was a case where a school received a fine because a contractor carried one bucket from the toilet to the cafeteria — we developed a zoning route map for them.

Air Disinfection: Standards for School Premises

Requirements for air disinfection in schools are stricter than in offices — this is due to the high density of children. SanPiN mandates air treatment with closed-type recirculators in every classroom and gym, and during periods of epidemiological trouble, daily quartz treatment in the presence of children (for recirculators) or after they leave (for open UV lamps). In regular cleaning, air is not treated at all. At profi-clean, we use “Dezar-3” recirculators with two 30W UV lamps — one unit treats up to 80 m² in 40 minutes. An important nuance: after quartz treatment with an open lamp, the room needs to be ventilated for 20–30 minutes due to ozone, while a recirculator allows cleaning without interrupting lessons. When ordering regular school cleaning from us, we include daily air treatment with recirculators in the protocol — this is not a separate service but part of the sanitary minimum.

Common Mistakes in School Cleaning and How to Avoid Them

The most common mistake is using household chemicals from the supermarket instead of professional disinfectants approved for children’s institutions. The school saves 2-3 thousand tenge per liter of concentrate but receives a Rospotrebnadzor order and risks allergies in children. The second mistake is violating the frequency of water changes: the standard requires changing water in the bucket after every 20 m²; in practice, some cleaners wash 50-60 m² with one batch of water. The third is ignoring “red zones”: cloths from restrooms should not be used in classrooms, even after washing. At profi-clean, we have introduced a “5 Control Points” checklist: checking the cloth color before starting, measuring the disinfectant concentration with test strips, photographing the labeled bucket, recording the water change time, and the cleaner’s signature after each zone. A school principal can order an audit of the current cleaning from us — we come, inspect the equipment, measure the concentration, and provide a conclusion on whether the cleaning complies with SanPiN.

What Products and Equipment We Use for Disinfection

In a school, disinfection is not a formality but a barrier between the health of hundreds of children and seasonal outbreaks of ARVI, norovirus, and contact dermatitis. At profi-clean, we select chemicals and equipment not from a catalog but for specific zones of the school building — from the chemistry lab to the cafeteria — and here is what and how we work with.

What We Use for Cleaning: Product Line for Different School Zones

• Kiehl Fluids 3 for classroom floors: Belgian concentrate with active oxygen — kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses (including influenza A) in 5 minutes, chlorine-free and fragrance-free, leaves no sticky film that attracts dust.
• Sodasan Antibac for restrooms and food service areas: German hypoallergenic series based on citric acid and alcohol — handles E. coli and staphylococcus without eroding grout lines or producing harsh odors that irritate children’s mucous membranes.
• Kiehl Neutral Cleaner for desks and windowsills: pH-neutral formula that does not strip protective lacquer from wooden surfaces or leave white streaks on plastic — essential in elementary classrooms where children touch everything.
• Professional aldehyde disinfectant for laboratories: Special agent with a short exposure time (3 minutes) effective against chemical residues and mold — used only after room ventilation, following a reagent handling checklist.

What equipment we use for floor and air disinfection

Our equipment is not household-grade but professional, certified for medical facilities, and we adapt it to school workloads. The primary tool is the Nilfisk SC250 floor scrubber with pre-spray disinfectant application: it applies the solution in one pass, scrubs it into tile or linoleum with a brush, then collects dirty water in a separate tank — leaving no puddles where a child could slip. For recreation areas and hallways, we use a rotary machine with an H13 HEPA filter — it captures not only visible dirt but also fine allergen particles (pet dander, dust mites) that settle on floors between classes. Air in gyms and cafeterias is treated with closed-type ultraviolet recirculators: they circulate air through a UV lamp, destroying viruses, while children and staff can remain in the room — no ozone or retinal damage. In chemistry and biology classrooms, after wet cleaning, we additionally run the air through a Dantherm dehumidifier — it reduces humidity from 80% to 50% in 40 minutes, preventing mold growth on shelves with reagents and herbariums.

How we disinfect restrooms and food service areas — separate protocols

Restrooms and food service areas are zones with the highest risk of cross-contamination, and we handle them with different procedures, never using the same cloth for sinks and cutting boards. In toilets, we apply a two-step treatment: first, an alkaline foam cleaner (Kiehl Alkaline Foam) to remove uric scale and soap scum, rinse, then spray an aldehyde disinfectant with a 10-minute dwell time — it remains effective even with low water temperature (in winter, schools often supply water at +10 °C, where standard chlorine agents lose potency). For food service areas, we use a separate set — Sodasan Kitchen degreaser based on citrus oils for exhaust hoods and stoves, and for cutting boards and knives, thermal treatment with a Karcher SG 4/4 steam generator at 140 °C; steam penetrates micro-cracks in plastic and wood where bacteria accumulate — no chemicals, just heat. After cleaning, each restroom and food service block is marked with colored tape (green — disinfected, yellow — in process), so the head teacher or maintenance staff can visually check status without touching surfaces.

Nuances of cleaning chemical laboratories and rooms with reagents

Schools with laboratories have a specific profile: ordinary chlorine-containing or acidic agents can react with reagent residues on tables, releasing toxic gases, so we use only neutral or slightly alkaline compounds with mandatory preliminary pH testing. Before starting work, a profi-clean cleaner checks the reagent logbook (schools are required to keep it by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan) — if an experiment with acids or alkalis is scheduled for the current day, we postpone wet cleaning to the next day and limit ourselves to dry wiping of surfaces. For fume hoods, we use a separate microfiber cloth with an antistatic impregnation — it does not leave lint that could clog ventilation grilles and does not electrify the glass (important for electronic scales and dispensers). In my opinion, the key mistake schools make is entrusting laboratory cleaning to the same cleaners who wash corridors and toilets, without separating the tools: if a rag from the restroom ends up in the lab, it poses a risk of chemical contamination of reagents, so we have a specific color code for sponges and cloths for each zone (red — restroom, blue — laboratory, green — classrooms, yellow — food unit).

How school cleaning differs from office or apartment cleaning

A school building is not an office with open-space zones or an apartment with a familiar household schedule: it simultaneously houses hundreds of children with different immune systems, plus staff and a food unit, which dictates fundamentally different requirements for cleaning, disinfection, and the choice of chemicals.

People flow and risk zones: why school is more complex than an office

In a school, 800–1200 people pass through recreation areas, the cafeteria, and restrooms per day — this is 3–4 times more than in an average business center of the same area. At profi-clean, we had a case: in one Almaty gymnasium, 14 cases of ARVI were recorded in a week — after switching from an office cleaning schedule (once in the evening) to twice-daily treatment of contact surfaces, the incidence dropped to 3–4 cases. In an office, it is enough to wipe tables and door handles once a day; in a school, the same handles, stair railings, and elevator buttons are touched by hundreds of children every hour — without intermediate sanitary treatment at lunchtime, a critical bacterial load accumulates on these surfaces by evening.

Covering materials: why school floors won’t survive “office” chemicals

In Almaty schools, linoleum, PVC tiles, and polymer self-leveling floors predominate — they are cheaper than office carpeting and parquet, but aggressive alkaline agents (often used in offices to remove coffee stains) eat away the protective layer of PVC within 2–3 months. Our team tested a universal cleaning concentrate with a pH of 11 on tiles in the gym of school No. 178 — after 4 treatments, the coating became matte and began to crack in areas of heavy foot traffic. We switched to neutral compounds with a pH of 6–7 from Kiehl and Sodasan — they do not provide instant shine like office polishes, but preserve the integrity of the coating for 2–3 years longer. This problem is irrelevant for apartments: there, tiles are ceramic or laminate, resistant to any household chemicals.

Chemicals and safety: the difference between “hypoallergenic” and “approved for children’s institutions”

The “hypoallergenic” label on a household product for the home does not mean it can be used in a school cafeteria or elementary school classroom. In Kazakhstan, certification under TR CU 009/ “On the safety of perfumery and cosmetic products” is mandatory for educational institutions — this includes testing for mutagenicity, sensitization, and acute toxicity. Office cleaners often use concentrates with fragrances and chlorine (cheap and fast), but chlorine in a closed classroom causes coughing attacks in children with asthma — in our practice, there was a case where, after cleaning the cafeteria with a chlorine-containing agent, three elementary school students developed a rash on their hands. We use only chlorine-free disinfectants based on QACs (quaternary ammonium compounds) and hydrogen peroxide — they break down into oxygen and water, do not leave a sticky layer on desks like office polishes, and do not require rinsing with water, which is critical for the food unit.

Schedule and volume: why school cleaning doesn’t fit into the “office” 2 hours

A standard office in Almaty with an area of 300 m² is cleaned in 1.5–2 hours by one cleaner: vacuuming, wiping tables, and taking out the trash. A school of the same area means 8–10 classrooms plus recreation areas, restrooms, a cafeteria, and a gym; each classroom requires not just sweeping up crumbs, but wet cleaning of desks (20–30 units) with an antiseptic, washing the board with a special compound (chalk dust oxidizes linoleum), and treating windowsills and radiators. Our team of two cleaners spends 3.5–4 hours on a 400 m² floor in a typical secondary school — with half the time taken not by floor cleaning, but by the sanitary treatment of contact surfaces, which is done once a week in an office but daily in a school.

How we work with chemical laboratories and specialized classrooms

A chemical laboratory and a physics classroom with reagents are high-risk areas where standard wet cleaning can create an emergency situation. We have a separate protocol for such rooms, which we developed in collaboration with lab technicians from Almaty schools.

How laboratory cleaning differs from regular classroom cleaning

In a chemistry classroom, we never use water to wash the floor if there are traces of reagents on it. The interaction of water with dry powders (e.g., copper sulfate or potassium permanganate) triggers a chemical reaction with heating or gas release. Our protocol: first, dry cleaning with a HEPA-filter vacuum cleaner, then a visual inspection of surfaces for spilled reagents, and only then — wet treatment with a specially selected neutral solution. A similar approach applies to biology classrooms, where traces of dyes or fixatives may remain on tables. In my opinion, the key mistake of non-specialized cleaners is the absence of this dry fixation stage, which has led to damaged linoleum and respiratory irritation in children in Almaty schools.

Protocol for fume hoods and sinks with acid drains

A fume hood in a school laboratory is not just furniture, but a forced ventilation system with filters and acid drains. We clean its work surfaces without abrasives, which scratch the protective layer of stainless steel and create corrosion points. Sinks in lab rooms are a separate story: they often have residues of acids and alkalis poured into them, so we check the pH balance of the rinse with indicator strips before draining into the general sewer. If the medium is acidic, we neutralize it with soda; if alkaline, with citric acid. In our practice, there was a case in one school in the Turksib district where a clogged acid drain led to a leak into the classroom below — now we check the flow rate and the tightness of the traps during every visit.

Which products are allowed and which are prohibited in rooms with reagents

• Chlorine-containing products: prohibited in the laboratory area — when in contact with ammonia and organic acids, they release toxic chlorine. We use them only in restrooms and corridors isolated from the lab room.
• Alcohol and acid cleaners: allowed only for the glass of fume hoods and microscope optics — they leave no streaks and do not react with formaldehyde residues.
• Alkaline concentrates (pH > 10): used exclusively for washing floors in the lab room where greasy stains from oils and wax may be present — but only after a complete rinse with water to avoid reaction with acid vapors in the air.
• Neutral surfactants (pH 6–8): the main working solution for all surfaces in the chemistry classroom — it is safe in contact with most school reagents and leaves no film that could distort experiment results.

How we work with lab technicians and subject teachers

One hour before cleaning begins, the lab technician must remove all open reagents into a safe or locked cabinet, and also drain residues from conical flasks into special containers. If this is not done, our cleaner does not enter the classroom until the lab technician completes the preparation. After cleaning, we sign a bilateral act: the teacher confirms that the equipment has not been moved, reagents are untouched, and drains have been checked. At profi-clean, this is our “Red Line” rule: no job is closed without the signature of the responsible person, because in Almaty schools there have been precedents where careless cleaning led to the disappearance of labeled test tubes or misalignment of scale settings.

profi-clean licenses and certificates for disinfection activities

For a cleaning company to work in a school, it is not enough to simply show up with a mop — the state and the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (SES) require documentary proof that disinfection is carried out according to regulations and with safe compounds. profi-clean undergoes accreditation annually, and here are the documents we keep on hand before entering a school.

License for Disinfection Activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, cleaning educational institutions using disinfectants is equated to sanitary and preventive measures and requires a license from the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control. profi-clean holds a valid license for disinfection, disinsection, and deratization — without it, we are not authorized to treat classrooms, the food unit, or the gym. The license is issued for three years, and each time the commission checks that we have certified products, chemical consumption logs, and trained employees. A school principal, when signing a contract, has the right to request a copy of the license — we provide it before the act is signed. In our practice, there was a case where a school refused an aggregator without a license, but signed a contract with us the very next day — the principal did not risk jeopardizing an SES inspection.

Certificates for Disinfectants

Every product we use in the school — from the “Alaminol” concentrate for wet cleaning to the chlorine-containing powder for restrooms — has a certificate of conformity from the Republic of Kazakhstan and a state registration certificate. These documents confirm that the preparation has passed toxicological testing and is approved for use in children’s institutions. We keep the original certificates in the office and carry copies with us to every site — during an SES inspection, the inspector cross-checks the batch number and production date of the product against the documents. In practice, this has saved schools from fines: profi-clean always has certificates on hand, while teams without documents face chemical confiscation and a protocol for 50 MCI (Monthly Calculation Index). We are especially thorough in checking the hypoallergenic Kiehl and Sodasan lines — their certificates confirm the absence of chlorine and phenol, which is critical for primary school classes.

Employee Certificates for Disinfection

Only a trained cleaner is authorized to work with disinfectants — without a certificate of completion of a disinfection course, access to the school is prohibited. profi-clean annually sends all its full-time cleaners to courses at the Almaty Center for Sanitary and Epidemiological Training, where they pass an exam on preparing working solutions and safety measures. Each employee holds a certificate with a hologram and personal signature — we check them before every site visit. If a cleaner loses their document, they do not work a shift until a copy is restored in the company archive. In October, we had a case where a school demanded to see the certificates of the entire crew before cleaning began — we showed five IDs within a minute, and the caretaker immediately signed the access permit.

Sanitary and Epidemiological Conclusion for the Building

After the first treatment of a school, we help the principal obtain a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion from the SES for the building — a document confirming that the premises meet microbial contamination standards. profi-clean takes surface swabs in classrooms, the cafeteria, and restrooms, sends them to an accredited laboratory, and receives a test report. If the result does not meet the standards, we redo the disinfection in the affected areas free of charge until a clean conclusion is obtained. In our practice, a school on Baizakov Street failed an inspection after doing its own cleaning — we went out the same evening, treated the food unit area with “Nikoy-extra,” and brought a clean report two days later. The principal has since renewed the contract without negotiation — the difference in documentation turned out to be more costly than saving on non-professional cleaning.