Keeping your space clean is essential for running a safe, high quality, successful daycare center. Germs, bacteria, and illnesses can spread throughout the center and affect children and staff quickly. Every surface, from toys and books to tabletops, floors and walls can harbor unsafe bacteria and grime. Therefore, it’s essential that you make germ fighting a priority to stop the spread of sickness, create a healthier and safer environment, and ease the minds of parents who are frequently concerned about center cleanliness. Here are a few important facts about daycare cleaning.
Differences between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting
When should you clean vs. sanitize vs. disinfect surfaces? You know that it is important to do all three but what does each action really do?
- Disinfecting destroys most germs but not bacterial spores. Covering the cleaned area with a disinfecting solution such as bleach or ammonia. Allow the area to air dry or follow the manufacturer’s recommendation before wiping it off.
- Cleaning is done with soap and detergent and water. It removes dirt, debris, and most germs through scrubbing and rinsing.
- Sanitizing reduces germs to a safe level. Dishes, food, contact surfaces, and toys that children put in their mouths, and more must be sanitized after cleaning. Sanitizing will make your day care come up to regulation of public health codes.
Different states vary with regard to standards to cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection. Generally regular cleaning must be done throughout the entire center and regular sanitizing and disinfecting is expected in areas like bathrooms, kitchens, or diaper changing stations.
Areas to Clean
The easiest way to ensure thorough cleaning is to follow a schedule and clean areas in the same order every day. Any surface with a visible mess, especially bodily fluids, should be cleaned and disinfected immediately. While many areas of your childcare center are maintained by your staff, a commercial cleaning service can be key to ensuring your facility provides a healthy environment for students and employees. Below you will find a short outline of what should be cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected by area.
Diaper Changing Area
Diaper changing area must be disinfected between each diaper change. The provider must also wash hands between each diaper change, even when using gloves. Gastrointestinal illnesses caused by rotavirus and norovirus are easily spread and can cause dangerous diarrhea resulting in dehydration.
Play Areas
Play areas with toys and pacifiers should be cleaned after each use, then cleaned and sanitized at the end or every day. Washable items like blankets, toys, sheets and mats should be cleaned each week. Each day clean the entryways including the door handles, light switches, pens and pencils, cubbies, floors, walls, railings, phones, and keyboards. A commercial cleaning company can ensure the daily hotspots are thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day with the appropriate health based disinfectants
Food Areas
Food areas during meal times can get very messy in a daycare. Tables, chairs, and high-chair trays are often wiped down quickly between uses to make sure everyone is fed and employees can get back to caring for the children. But cleaning spaces that involve food should go beyond just a simple wipe down. A commercial cleaning service can help reduce the spread of of bacteria from surfaces by using color coded microfiber cloths for the different areas inside your space.
Bathroom Areas
Bathroom area at the end of each day toilets, counter tops, sinks, faucets, and floors should be cleaned rinsed and disinfected to prevent the spread of germs. This is another area where it is essential to eliminate cross contamination. A commercial cleaning service can handle that chore for you.
Tips on Cleaning Your Daycare Center
- Immediately clean up any spills.
- Vacuum daily.
- Clean the bathroom before opening in the morning.
- Use a hands-free covered trash can in each room.
- Keep a container to place items that need to be washed such as toys that have been chewed, paint brushes and trays, and other frequently soiled items.
- If allowed by state regulations, some types of disinfecting wipes may make cleaning chores easier.
Tips for Daily Practices
- Employees should wash their hands between handling each child.
- Lock the cleaning products in a safe place.
- Allow time for areas to dry off after cleaning.
- Post policies where staff and parents can see them.
- Place cribs 18-inches apart for when babies are sleeping.
- Make your bleach-water mix and remember to date it.
- Turn on some music and welcome children and families in for the day.
The importance of daycare cleaning
It is known that young children are at a greater risk of exposure to toxins and germs than their adult counterparts. Common cold, the flu, coughs, sore throats and diarrhea are just a few of the illnesses that run rampant in daycare facilities. It is estimated that children in child care and school settings will have as many at 8 to 12 cold each year. In addition, one of the most likely groups to get hepatitis A are children and workers in daycare centers. With this in mind, operations managers at daycare facilities must do all they can to maintain a safe and clean environment for the children in their care. Cleaning services for daycare facilities can be an answer for facility managers looking to ensure the most thorough clean.
First Green Commercial Cleaning can help you with the cleaning of your Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky commercial office or industrial facility. We offer superior customer service and strive to build long term business relationships with our clients.
Contact us (859-292‐8556) today for a free consultation!
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Why First Green Commercial Cleaning?
Why First Green Commercial Cleaning?- Customized Cleaning Plans – What sets First Green Building Services apart is our attention to detail. We understand that different businesses have different needs. For years, First Green Building Services has been providing janitorial services for educational facilities, schools, and colleges. Over the years we have provided K-12 Public School Cleaning, K-12 Private School Cleaning, Technical School Cleaning, and College Cleaning
- Owned and Operated Locally – With direct owner involvement, we provide immediate response time to any situation you might incur. Even after business hours, First Green Building Services has a 24-hour customer service number to resolve any cleaning issue.
- Quality Control – First Green Building Services has a low cleaner to supervisor ratio which allows us to make sure your facility gets the attention and detailed cleaning that it deserves.