Concerned about the cleaning products used at your child’s school? Here’s a calm, practical way to ask about cleaning routines, fragrances and your child’s needs.
You know which smells bother your child at home. At school, it is harder to know what is used to clean their classroom, desks and shared spaces.
If you have questions, you can ask without assuming the school is doing something wrong. Teachers and cleaning staff are working to keep children well. A useful conversation starts by understanding their routine and explaining your child’s specific needs.
Quick answer: What should you ask the school?
Start with three questions:
- Which products are used in my child’s classroom and shared spaces?
- When are they used, and is the space aired out afterwards?
- Who should I speak with if my child reacts to a scent or product?
You can ask the classroom teacher where to direct your questions. Depending on the school, the principal, administration team or facilities team may be the best people to answer them.
Why ask about cleaning at school?
Regular cleaning matters in spaces shared by lots of children. It helps remove dirt and contamination from surfaces. Hand hygiene matters too, particularly before eating and after using the toilet or wiping a nose. Australian guidance for education and care settings recommends regular hand hygiene and routine cleaning, including when surfaces are visibly dirty.
Some children also find strong scents irritating. Asthma Australia lists strong smells, including those from cleaning products, as a possible asthma trigger for some people. That does not mean every scented product will affect every child. It does mean a parent’s concern about their own child is worth discussing.
Cleaning and disinfecting: what is the difference?
Cleaning removes dirt and grime from a surface. Disinfecting uses a product intended to reduce germs and requires you to follow its directions, including any dilution and contact time.
Both can have a place in a school’s routine. The helpful question is how the school decides which task is needed and whether products are being used according to their labels.
If you ask about disinfecting, try: “Do surfaces get cleaned first, and what directions do staff follow for the disinfectant?” This invites an explanation without asking the school to change a practice before you understand it.
Five useful questions for your child’s school
You do not need to send a long list. Choose the questions that fit your concern.
1. What is used in my child’s classroom?
Ask for the names of products used on desks, tables and other surfaces your child touches regularly. You can then read the product directions yourself.
2. Are strongly scented sprays used during the school day?
If your child has asthma or reacts to particular scents, explain what happens and ask when sprays or other scented products are used. Asthma Australia suggests discussing strong scent triggers in places such as school or work when avoiding them is difficult.
3. How are products used and stored?
You can ask whether staff follow the product’s dilution and use directions, and how products are kept away from children. This is especially useful if your child helps wipe tables or has access to a shared classroom area.
4. What is the process if my child has a reaction?
Ask who your child should tell and how you can share relevant information with the school. If your child has asthma, an allergy or another diagnosed condition, follow the school’s process for providing their health plan.
5. Who handles changes to cleaning routines?
A teacher may not choose the school’s cleaning products. Asking who makes those decisions saves everyone time and helps your question reach the right person.
How to start the conversation
Keep your first message short and specific. You might write:
Hi [name], I’m hoping to learn a little more about the cleaning products used in [child’s name]’s classroom. [Child’s name] is sensitive to strong scents, so I’d like to understand which products are used and when. Could you let me know who would be best to speak with? Thanks for your help.
If there has been a particular issue, add what you noticed and when it happened. For example: “She mentioned a strong spray smell after lunch on Tuesday and said it bothered her breathing.” Stick to what you know, and give the school a chance to look into it.
What if you would like the school to consider another product?
First, find out what the school currently uses and what requirements it needs to meet. Schools may have purchasing rules, cleaning contracts and instructions for particular situations.
Then explain the change you are hoping for. That might be reviewing a strongly scented product used near your child, adjusting when a product is used, or considering an alternative for everyday cleaning. Product information and clear directions will be more useful than asking staff to switch based only on a “natural” claim.
At home, you can make the same distinction between cleaning jobs. Resparkle Natural All Purpose Cleaner is an option for everyday surface cleaning, while Resparkle Organic Disinfectant Cleaner has directions for disinfecting. If you want a school to consider any product, let its staff review the full product information and decide whether it meets their needs.
If the answer takes time
You may need to follow up, especially if several people are involved in the school’s cleaning routine. Thank the person who replied, restate the one or two details you still need, and ask who can answer them.
A good outcome may be as simple as understanding the routine and agreeing on what your child should do if a scent bothers them. If a change is needed, a calm conversation gives the school a practical place to start.
Frequently asked questions
Should schools stop disinfecting?
That is not a decision parents need to make from a blog post. Ask the school when and why it disinfects, which products it uses, and whether staff follow their directions. Routine cleaning and hand hygiene remain important parts of keeping shared spaces clean.
Are natural cleaning products automatically suitable for schools?
No. The school needs to assess a product for its intended job, directions and purchasing requirements. “Natural” alone does not tell staff whether it is suitable for a particular surface or cleaning task.
What if my child has asthma?
Tell the school about your child’s specific triggers and follow its process for sharing their asthma plan. Strong scents and cleaning products can trigger symptoms in some people, so a clear description of what affects your child helps staff respond.
Start with one question
You do not need to research every cleaner in the school before reaching out. Ask what is used in your child’s space, explain any concern that is specific to your child, and find the right person to talk with. That is a useful first step towards a cleaning routine everyone understands.