Knowing the proper procedures to keep a school clean is important for the safety of students and staff, but finding effective training for custodians can be a difficult job. The Buckeye Honors^® Custodial Training Program for Schools and Universities offers standardized procedures to help clean any area of your school or university.

Routine Cleaning Procedures with Honors

Honors has broken down routine cleaning into 5 simple steps.

1. High Dust

Clean each room in a clockwise pattern from high to low until all surfaces have been dusted.

2. Spot Clean/Remove Graffiti

Spot clean all nonporous surfaces with Buckeye Eco® All-Purpose Cleaner E11.

Clean glass and dry erase boards with Buckeye Eco Multi-Purpose Glass Cleaner E13. 

Spray tough soils with Buckeye Eco Muscle Cleaner E14. Let it dwell for 3 minutes. For stubborn stains, agitate the area and then wipe it clean with a paper towel or microfiber cloth. 

3. Dust Mop or Sweep

Sweep and scrape up items stuck to the floor with a putty knife before dust mopping, being careful not to gouge the floor.

4. Empty Trash

Avoid pushing down on the trash as there may be sharp objects in the trash bag.

5. Damp Mop

Post “Wet Floor” signs at the area entrance. Outline the area with a damp mop and fill using a figure-8 technique.

Download our wall chart to help guide the cleaning process.

The Complete Honors Program

Routine cleaning is only part of keeping a school clean. The Honors Program provides training in routine cleaning, restroom, shower and locker room cleaning, carpet care, hard floor care, gym floor care, food service procedures, summer cleaning procedures, and product safety.

Each video breaks down the procedures and equipment needed for each custodial task. The Honors website serves as an online custodial training manual with resources including wall charts, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), product literature, and more. Your custodial staff will have 24/7 access to all of the tools they need to keep your school clean.

Honors also offers reporting, testing, and surveys to monitor the level of cleanliness in your facilities. Contact a Buckeye representative to learn about all Honors features and resources.

With cafeterias, restrooms, locker rooms, classrooms, gymnasiums, and hallways, maintaining a high standard of cleanliness in all areas of a school is challenging. Having the right tools to keep schools clean for students is a major component of a successful maintenance program. If your custodial team spans across multiple facilities, Buckeye Honors® is a great tool that can help you keep track of training and monitor the needs of each facility.

Surveys

With customizable surveys, Honors makes it easy to track the progress made in each of your school’s facilities. These surveys allow you to evaluate the cleanliness of parts of your facility. They are customizable, giving you the option to rate specific classrooms, school grounds, locker rooms, and more.

Staff can:
Rate the area being surveyed from 1-5
Upload photos of the area
Leave comments and concerns

For school districts and universities that need to monitor several facilities, Honors surveys make it easy to assess the cleanliness of all areas.

Additional Features

Honors serves as a training website for custodial staff of schools and universities. It provides 24-hour access to resources including training videos, posters, wall charts, PowerPoints, and checklists. With Honors training videos, your staff will gain a complete understanding of proper daily, interim, and restorative maintenance procedures. You can also test new trainees on these procedures and review their answers with the Honors reporting system.

Honors can help you standardize your maintenance procedures across your school, school district, or university. Contact your Buckeye representative to learn more.

Buckeye has always emphasized complete cleaning programs over individual products. With a complete program, maintenance staff receive all of the resources and training they need to keep facilities looking their best. Each Buckeye program is equipped with training materials that standardize cleaning procedures and promote human health and environmental safety.

Buckeye’s in-person training is offered by market-specific representatives. These representatives receive specialized training and can expertly advise on maintenance issues from cleaning and disinfecting to floor care and hand hygiene. Each of Buckeye’s maintenance programs also comes with tools and resources like posters, signs, and wall charts to assist staff with proper procedures and product identification.

To compliment in-person training, Buckeye offers market-specific training programs for schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, retail facilities, correctional facilities, and gyms. These training programs include step-by-step instructional videos, detailed yet clearly presented procedure manuals, and easy-to-follow wall charts or flip charts.

The Buckeye Honors^® Custodial Training Program for schools and universities is the most advanced of Buckeye’s training programs, providing 24/7 access to videos and training material at buckeyehonors.com. These videos and materials are accompanied by tests that asses knowledge of procedures. Administrators can then view reporting on team member test scores. 

Honors provides additional resources like customizable PowerPoint presentations, training manuals, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), product literature, and wall charts. The website also includes a surveys feature, allowing admins to assess the current state of a school or university.

No matter the facility or maintenance needs, Buckeye has the resources and training materials necessary to produce excellent results. Contact your local representative for more information about Buckeye training programs.

Oftentimes, facility maintenance managers will hire contractors to recoat their gyms floors. Because wood floors can be one of the most expensive floors in a facility, staff members don’t want to risk damaging them with improper equipment and inexperience. While recoating a wood floor does require a specific skillset, Reflections has experienced representatives who can train facility maintenance staff to recoat wood floors without compromising their quality, durability, and beauty.

Wood floor contractors can be a costly expense. By training staff members to recoat wood floors in house, facilities can cut down on costs. In person and online training are available through the Reflections Wood Floor Program to train staff members on proper technique, equipment, and products.

The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program can help facilities get the most out of their wood floors. With products and procedures that can extend the life and beauty of your wood floors, Reflections creates a custom program for each facility’s unique needs. Reflections representatives assess the floor, noting things like the age of the floor, damaged areas, and previous maintenance procedures in order to create the best program for that facility.

Because the Reflections program uses equipment most facilities already have, there are no added equipment costs. Training, both in person and online, can make recoating your wood floors easier, and in some cases, faster. Reflections water-based wood floor coatings allow for light sports play on gym floors only 48 hours after recoating.

For added protection, Arena^® 300 Microban^® Antimicrobial Wood Floor Coating utilizes Microban antimicrobial product protection to help inhibit the growth of bacteria. Microban protection is built into Arena 300 during the manufacturing process. When microbes come in contact with the product surface, Microban protection penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce.

Once a floor has been recoated, Reflections will help facilities maintain their floors between recoats. In addition to in-person training, staff members have access to wall charts, literature, and videos that can guide them through each maintenance process. The Honors^® Custodial Training Program for Schools and Universities can also help guide staff members through each process with videos, PowerPoints, and literature. Honors is available 24/7 online, and comes with additional features like tests and reporting.

Make wood floor maintenance a priority this summer. Contact your local representative to schedule a Buckeye Reflections product demonstration or host a wood floor seminar at your facility.

As K-12 schools develop plans for reopening during 2021, having a comprehensive training program for custodial staff is a priority. While schools and universities navigate reopening, Buckeye continues to take a proactive approach in our effort to prevent illness. Buckeye programs strive to educate custodial staff on the importance of best cleaning, disinfecting, and hand hygiene practices.

The Buckeye Honors Custodial Training Program

The Buckeye Honors® Custodial Training Program presents the products, procedures, and training needed to meet a school or university’s highest standards. Buckeye's goal is to make cleaning and maintenance procedures easy and rewarding, providing products that are safer for the worker and environment that produce excellent results.

The Honors website features the complete program and materials available 24 hours a day for your convenience. Watch videos, read product literature, and follow wallcharts before assessing your knowledge with tests available for each segment.

COVID-19 Additions

Honors now features videos and tests on enhanced disinfecting and proper hand hygiene procedures during COVID-19. The Honors manual has also been updated to include these new procedures. New downloadable wallcharts, posters, and checklists are available to guide your staff through these procedures.

Contact your local representative to learn more about Honors and find out how Buckeye can help your school or university reduce the spread of COVID-19. 

On Dec 27, 2020, the COVID-19 Relief Package was signed into law, providing additional financial assistance to K-12 schools. This funding can be used towards cleaning supplies and programs, staff training, and other resources needed to address coronavirus in schools.

The new relief package allows for a broad range of uses and specifically mentions:

• Providing resources for principles to address coronavirus in their schools
• Training staff on the best ways to sanitize and schools and proper use of personal protective equipment
• Purchasing PPE and the supplies needed to clean and disinfect schools

Find more information on the COVID-19 relief package here.

How Can Buckeye Help? 

Buckeye’s maintenance programs provide door to floor protection for schools. Buckeye’s 4 levels of protection include hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting, antimicrobial floor protection, and custodial training that follows CDC recommendations.

Level 1: Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program

The CDC states that hand washing is one of the best ways to help reduce the spread of germs. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program provides tools that promote education, awareness, and motivation to practice hand hygiene.

Level 2: Eco^® Proportioning Program

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved several Buckeye products for use against SARS-Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [cause of COVID-19], including Buckeye Eco One-Step Disinfectant-Deodorizer-Cleaner E22.

Following CDC guidelines and label directions, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects with the help of the Eco Proportioning Program. Buckeye’s Eco Proportioning Program is fully integrated with effective, hermetically sealed products for any applications.

Level 3: Clarion^® 25 Microban^® Antimicrobial Floor Finish

Continually protect your facility with Clarion 25 Microban Antimicrobial Floor Finish and Arena^® 300 Microban Antimicrobial Wood Floor Coating. While not a substitute for normal cleaning practices, Microban protection continuously fights the growth of microbes, and makes floors easier to clean - keeping them cleaner, longer at no additional cost to you.

Level 4: Honors^® Custodial Training Program

The Buckeye Honors Program is a complete custodial program for schools and universities that presents the products, procedures, and training needed to meet a school or university’s highest standards. Honors features videos and tests on enhanced disinfecting and proper hand hygiene procedures during COVID-19.

For more information about all of Buckeye’s cleaning programs and how Buckeye can help your school combat COVID-19, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Did you know that 90% of a floor maintenance budget is spent on labor?

Reducing the amount of labor it takes to strip and refinish floors provides the biggest opportunity for total program cost savings. Buckeye has developed its Hard Floor Care Program with superior products and training in proper techniques to maximize labor savings. With Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program, facilities can save 20-40% of their floor maintenance budget.

Superior Products

Buckeye products are developed with patented Liquescent^® technology. This water-based technology strengthens the cleaning power of Buckeye products and replaces hazardous chemical ingredients including butyl, ammonia, solvents, and alcohol bases. Products like Buckeye’s RipSaw^® Floor Stripper use this technology to remove floor finish in one application.

Buckeye’s floor finishes use Renaissance^® Performance Polymers, specifically designed for Buckeye. Competitors buy polymers from companies who do not specialize in making floor finishes. Renaissance replicates exact polymer specifications for Buckeye floor finishes, which guarantees consistent results for customers. Because of this, Renaissance helps Buckeye floor finishes achieve maximum durability and water-clear clarity.

Clarion 25^® Microban Antimicrobial Floor Finish 

In addition to providing clarity and durability, Clarion 25 with Microban Technology provides 24/7 antimicrobial product protection. When microbes come in contact with the product surface, Microban technology penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce.

Customized Training

Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program is tailored to your facility. Buckeye representatives provide in-person training to ensure staff members have a solid understanding of proper procedures. One Jacksonville, FL school’s head custodian notes Buckeye’s attention to training, saying, “The reps stand out, always coming by to check on me, offer help, or provide training.”

For schools and universities, Buckeye also provides the Honors^® Custodial Training Program. Available 24/7, this online program is complete with videos and tests to improve staff knowledge. Supervisors can view reports on test scores and conduct facility surveys to see how maintenance has improved over time.

To see how Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program can be customized to fit your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.

The Eco^® Proportioning Program can help standardize cleaning in any facility. With cleaners, disinfectants, sanitizers, and odor eliminators all dispensable from one system, Eco makes cleaning easy for staff of any facility.

There are three compact Eco proportioning systems, made to fit in virtually any custodial closet. Designed for broad spectrum cleaning, the Eco Pro can dilute for up to six different applications. The more compact Eco Element and Edge are designed for remote, satellite, and focused applications, each diluting for up to three applications. Each proportioning system operates the same, automatically diluting products with the press of a button, taking the guess work out of product dilution.

Eco’s extensive product line provides products to clean any part of your facility. They are each color and number coded to make proportioning even easier. Each product’s number and color match with its corresponding bottle and proportioning system dispenser. Recently a church in Phoenix, AZ switched from ready-to-use products to the Eco Proportioning Program. They had also been using several different product dispensers throughout their facilities, making diluting cleaners a confusing, time consuming process. The Eco proportioning systems automatically diluted products and each Eco product, bottle, and dispenser is labeled with a corresponding color and number making it easy to distinguish between products. Switching to Eco helped consolidate their cleaning supplies and develop a better cleaning system.

For schools looking to implement the Eco Proportioning Program, Buckeye’s Honors Custodial Training Program can help guide staff as they clean. Available 24 hours a day, the Honors Program provides training in routine cleaning, restroom, shower and locker room cleaning, carpet care, hard floor care, gym floor care, food service procedures, summer cleaning procedures, and product safety. The program presents easy to follow procedures that are researched and proven to increase efficiency with videos, tests, training manuals, product literature, and wall charts.

For more information about the Eco Proportioning Program and how it can simplify cleaning in your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Caring for wood floors requires time and expertise that most facilities don’t have. This is why many schools hire contractors to recoat and care for their gym floors. Because wood floors are among the most impressive features in any facility, staff members don’t want to risk destroying their beauty by attempting to recoat the floors in-house. With the proper products and training, facility managers don’t need to be concerned. The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program provides products and trains staff on prepping, scrubbing, and recoating wood floors.

Oftentimes, hiring a contractor can be expensive. Facilities looking to cut down on costs while maintaining the quality of their wood floors can take advantage of the in-person, online, and video training options provided by Reflections. Reflections training includes procedures for restorative, interim, and routine wood floor care.

In addition to in-person training, staff members have access to wall charts, literature, and videos that can guide them through each maintenance process. The Honors^® Custodial Training Program for Schools and Universities can also help guide staff members through each process with videos, PowerPoints, and literature. Honors is available 24/7 online, and comes with additional features like tests and reporting. Supervisors can track the progress of each staff member with reporting on test scores and the amount of video each staff member has watched. 

Since Reflections procedures work with equipment most facilities already have, there is no added cost for new equipment. The training provided by the Reflections program can make recoating your wood floors easier and, in some cases, faster. With Reflections water-based wood floor coatings, staff no longer has to wait for summer to recoat gym floors. The quick dry-times of water-based coatings mean school staff can recoat during winter or spring break, making wood floor care more convenient.

Reflections products also offer some of the lowest VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the industry, improving the indoor air quality for employees as they work. Reflections has also removed hazardous crosslinkers from their coatings. These crosslinkers can be harmful to the respiratory health of employees and visitors. With its products and training, Reflections has made recoating wood floors quick, easy, and safer for employees.

For more information on the Reflections Wood Floor Program’s training program and products, contact your local Buckeye representative. 

Restrooms are high traffic areas that receive a lot of use, and require frequent cleaning and disinfecting. Often restrooms are affected by mold, mildew, germs, odors, and even graffiti.

Before cleaning a restroom, it’s important to take proper safety measures. Place a “Wet Floor” sign at the entrance to the restroom and be sure to wear the proper personal protective equipment – rubber gloves and eye protection.

Gather the proper equipment and products, including several products from Buckeye’s Eco^® Proportioning Program. The Eco Proportioning Program is Buckeye’s solution to dilution control. Eco proportioning systems dilute concentrated products quickly and accurately. Each product is reliable and economical, offering the end user overall value and convenience. Eco provides all the products you’ll need to clean restrooms and nearly any other room in your facility, including several Green Seal^™ certified products for facilities that are concerned about their environmental impact.

Begin the cleaning process by lowering the water in each toilet bowl with a bowl brush, and spraying the bowls and urinals with Eco One-Step Disinfectant/Deodorizer/Cleaner E22. The key to restroom cleaning is allowing your Eco disinfectant to dwell for 10 minutes before wiping down the area. Allowing for proper dwell time gives disinfectants time to effectively kill germs.

As you let E22 dwell, high dust anything above shoulder height and check that all soap dispensers are working and filled with soap. Then, clean mirrors and glass with Eco Glass Cleaner HD E12 or Eco Multi-Purpose Glass Cleaner E13 and a microfiber cloth. Spray and wipe the sinks and countertops with your Buckeye Eco disinfectant. Clean walls and partitions using Eco Muscle Cleaner E14 and Eco Heavy-Duty Cleaner E61 for difficult areas such as graffiti and permanent marker.

By this time E22 has had enough time to dwell. Respray the external parts of the toilet bowls and urinals, and wipe them down with a microfiber cloth working from high to low. Then use a bowl brush to clean the inside of toilet bowls and urinals. To remove stubborn mineral deposits, use Eco Acid Cleaner E16.

Finally, sweep the floor and scrape up gum and other items stuck to the floor with a putty knife. Empty the trash receptacles and replace the liners. Damp mop the floor with your Eco disinfectant cleaner using the figure-8 technique. Let the disinfectant air dry.

Every two weeks: clean sinks, toilet bowls and urinals with Eco Acid Cleaner E16.

Once a week: Clean trash receptacles with an Eco Once-Step Disinfectant/Deodorizer/Cleaner E22 and apply Eco Odor Counteractant E42 to the floor, and around toilets and urinals.

Removing germs from restrooms is important for the health of everyone in your facility. Having proven cleaning procedures can help improve the state of your facility and the health of the people in it. Buckeye provides standardized training programs for nearly any facility type. These programs include instruction videos, detailed procedure manuals, and easy-to-follow wall charts.

For schools and universities, Buckeye provides the Honors^® custodial training program. This program’s videos and training materials are online and accessible 24/7. Viewers can test themselves on the knowledge they have gained from each Honors video. Supervisors can then view reports on those tests to gauge how much information has been retained.

For more information on restroom cleaning, the Honors custodial training program, or Buckeye’s other custodial training programs, contact your local Buckeye representative.