Back to School: Shared Spaces Cause for Concern

WASHINGTON -- New survey results from the American Cleaning Institute show that while most parents give their child’s school positive marks for cleanliness, shared spaces where hygiene matters most like bathrooms and cafeterias remain top concerns.

This underscores the essential role cleaning plays in creating school environments where students can learn, eat and gather with confidence. And as families prepare for a new school year, parents are paying attention to how clean and well cared for their children’s schools are.

As families prepare for a new school year, parents are paying attention to how clean and well cared for their children’s schools are.

While 39 percent of parents with children in school rated the school’s cleanliness level as excellent, most felt there was room for improvement. Among the areas of concern identified were:

• Bathrooms (50%)
• Cafeterias (34%)
• Classrooms (25%)
• Gyms and locker rooms (20%)
• Common areas (16%)
• Buses (15%)

“Cleanliness is not just a maintenance issue; it is part of the broader back-to-school checklist that helps reassure parents that schools are prepared to welcome students back,” said Kristin DiNicolantonio, ACI’s Senior Director, Stakeholder Communications. “Parents want to know that the places where their children learn, eat and play are being cared for. Strong cleaning and hygiene practices help support healthier school communities and keep students focused on learning.”

ACI encourages families and school communities to keep cleaning and hygiene top of mind throughout the school year by reinforcing handwashing, keeping frequently touched surfaces clean and using cleaning and disinfecting products as directed.

Parents can reinforce proper handwashing at key moments, including before eating and after using the restroom, and include hand sanitizer in back-to-school supplies for older children.

Cleaning is a foundational part of a successful school year. School staff and parents can get more resources on supporting hand hygiene and cleaning best practices in their school system at HealthySchoolsHealthyPeople.org.

The ACI Parents survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 500 nationally representative U.S. parents between July 31st and August 6th, 2026, using an email invitation and an online survey. Data has been weighted to ensure an accurate representation of parents, 18 and older.

The American Cleaning Institute is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors.

For more, go to www.cleaninginstitute.org.