4 Stages of Cleaning

As you begin to clean and organize your classroom, you will probably notice that some areas are cleaner than others. That’s ok! I think of 3 basic stages that everyone goes through when cleaning any given space, and we’ll utilize that idea in our classrooms.

Stage One: Decluttering

In this stage, we will be working to generally clean up areas so that you can get into a routine that keeps your space neat and clean.

Stage Two: Deep Clean

In this stage, you will already have a space decluttered and you’ll be ready to tackle the tasks that get left for last, or sometimes never get tackled.

Stage Three: Maintenance

Maintenance cleaning should continue for approximately 3 weeks before you begin to purge items.

In this stage, you have already decluttered and deep cleaned your space. You are now in maintenance cleaning for a few weeks. This allows you to build habits of putting things away where they belong before they become clutter again- taking you back to stage one. And it allows you to start fresh in a space after a deep clean. This is where you concentrate on picking up the day to day messes before they get out of control.

Stage Three: Purge

In this stage, you will evaluate your space and look for ways to purge items you don’t use, or don’t need. This is the hard part because many teachers save things just in case we need it. Ever. It is ok to get rid of extra clutter.

Want to see me complete this project? Find me on Patreon for access to my videos where I show you what it looks like to implement this system. Classroom Cleanup on Patreon