Campus Cleaning Standards + Schedule
Working together to care for our campuses
Creating a clean and healthy campus environment is everyone’s responsibility. The University of Alberta acknowledges and thanks our passionate community for taking pride in its spaces and doing their part to support a clean and vibrant environment across all campuses.
We adhere to established professional cleaning standards within a set budget to support teaching, learning and research across our campuses.
The University of Alberta follows an established set of cleaning standards in accordance with the APPA, formerly known as Association of Physical Plant Administrators. These formalised standards and protocols allow custodial staff and contractors to meet cleaning targets within a set budget.
APPA Level 3 Cleaning Standards
The current cleaning standard for the majority of campus spaces is APPA Level 3.0 (casual inattention).
Alternative Cleaning Levels
Although Level 3.0 is the set standard across the institution, some spaces and facilities have alternative levels assigned. For example, patient treatment areas are cleaned daily to a Level 2.5. A complete list containing required cleaning performance level by space type and cleaning frequency can be found in the Cleaning Service Standards .
Customized Custodial Services
If you would like to arrange customized cleaning services beyond our current cleaning standards, please submit a department work requisition. Our team can customize your custodial services to best fit your department or faculty budget.
For questions or assistance, contact your facilities services partner.
Cleaning Schedule + Frequency
| Site | Cleaning Frequency |
|---|---|
| Washrooms | Daily |
| Locker and change rooms | Daily |
| Classrooms, teaching labs, seminar rooms and libraries |
Three times per week with two spot checks |
| Lounges, kitchens and lunch rooms | Twice a week with checks and spot cleaning |
| Offices (common, private and general) | Monthly |
| Reception areas and waiting rooms | Three times per week with two spot checks |
| Gymnasiums and recreational studios | Daily |
| Patient treatment areas | Daily |
| Research labs | Weekly |
| Entrances and lobbies | Three times per week |
| Main stairs, stairwells and landings | Three times per week with two spot checks |
| Secondary stairs, stairwells and landings | Every two weeks |
| Main corridors and elevators | Wash three times per week |
| Secondary corridors | Dust, mop and wash weekly |
| Bleachers | As required |
| Loading docks and receiving areas | As required |
| Storage rooms | As required |
| Mechanical rooms | As required |
Maintenance requests + reporting issues/vandalism/damage
Submit general maintenance requests online using uab.ca/fixit.
Please do not submit a maintenance request for regular cleaning. Instead, contact your supervisor for additional cleaning services if required.
Report urgent maintenance requests by calling:
- North and South Campus (including North Campus Residences): 780-492-4833
- Campus Saint Jean (including Résidence Saint-Jean): 780-492-4833
- Augustana Campus (including Augustana Residence): 780-679-1618 (during operating hours) and 780-679-1523 (after hours)
- Enterprise Square: 1-866-254-5349
How to do your part
Cleanliness + Care
- Keep shared spaces on campus tidy (common areas, lounges, study rooms, kitchenettes, etc.).
- Proceed with care at building entrances (use of boot cleaners and entry mats to avoid tracking dirt/mud/snow into university buildings).
- Avoid actions that could result in injury or damage (flooding sinks, flushing feminine hygiene products, paper towels or inappropriate items down toilets, graffiti, etc.).
Waste Management + Recycling
- Faculty and staff must complete actions related to employee area cleanliness and follow guidelines related to waste management, recycling and office cleanliness.
- Waste management responsibilities for staff include properly sorting waste and recycling, using Zero Waste Stations and emptying workstation trash bins.
- Expectations of staff when emptying workstation trash bins include disposing of organic/wet waste in central bins, avoiding leaving bins outside workstations, and retaining the bag liner when emptying your bin. All recyclable waste (in-office blue bins) must be placed in the central recycling bins.