Those corner piles of papers, decorations and science experiments serve as great collection areas for dust. All of that dust can be very harmful to breathe, especially to kids with asthma or other respiratory problems. Divide and conquer to get rid of harmful dust from classrooms and pick up litter around the school yard. 

First Step

Either schedule a time to clean outside around a school in your community, or contact the principal or college facilities administrator to get their support for cleaning the inside of the school. 

How To

• Get a Green Cleaning Team together. Key participants to consider include nurses, environmental health and safety staff from the district, custodians and community health experts. 
• Clean out your classroom. Remove unused papers, books and supplies. Strongly consider removing items that typically collect dust and mites, including stuffed animals, cloth pillows and fabric. To make it easier for your classroom to be cleaned and maintained effectively, remove supplies from the floor and put them into cabinets or onto shelves. Ensure that the heating and cooling units, windows and vents supplying air to your classroom are free of obstructions. Ensure that animal cages and fish tanks are regularly cleaned.
• Do a trash pick up around the school playground and other areas on the school grounds.
• Brush up on asthma prevention tips, and share with the community. 

Project Resources

The Healthy Schools Campaign has a lot of resources to get started, and use the EPA Tools for Schools Classroom Checklist to organize your day.