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Back to Basics: Antimicrobial Use at Schools

Integrated germ management focuses on the safe and proper use of antimicrobial pesticides. Follow these Back to Basics tips to ensure the proper use of antimicrobial pesticides, including disinfectants and surface sanitizers, at your schools:

• Use only EPA-registered disinfectants. Locate the EPA registration number on the product label and follow all label directions. Hand sanitizing products cannot be used to disinfect surfaces.
  
  
• Keep the surface wet for the required contact time as directed by the label to effectively kill microbes. The contact time, specific to each product, is how long a surface must remain wet in order to be disinfected or sanitized. If using disinfectant wipes, multiple wipes may be required.
  
  
• Never allow students to use antimicrobial pesticides or touch the applied product when wet. Keep all antimicrobials out of the reach of students.

Healthy Schools Act Training Required

Antimicrobials such as disinfectants and surface sanitizers are pesticides. Anyone applying pesticides at a California K-12 public school or licensed child care center must complete Healthy Schools Act training.  DPR offers free online training courses in English and Spanish to fulfill this requirement. The training courses provide IPM tips for safely, sustainably, and effectively managing pests at schools while protecting human health and the environment.

Disinfectant and Sanitizers Frequently Asked Questions

Check out the Disinfectants & Surface Sanitizers FAQs for the most commonly asked questions about using disinfectants and surface sanitizers while ensuring compliance with the Healthy Schools Act.

Video: Best Practices for Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting at Schools

Cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting are all practices performed by school employees to maintain healthy learning environments. This video will go over when each is typically used, proper PPE required, and steps needed to safely and effectively apply pesticides.

Questions? Contact Us:

Please contact the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s School IPM Program by emailing school-ipm@cdpr.ca.gov. For additional information about the School IPM Program please visit DPR’s website.

Who We Are

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation protects human health and the environment by fostering safer and sustainable pest management practices and operating a robust regulatory system to monitor and manage the sale and use of pesticides across the state. DPR’s work includes registering all pesticides sold or used in California, conducting scientific evaluation of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment, investing in innovative research to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices, monitoring for pesticides in the air and water, conducting outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to safety information, and enforcing pesticide regulations in coordination with 55 County Agricultural Commissioners and their 400 field inspectors.