When young children spend time together in a daycare center, they often share toys and snacks and play closely with each other. Little kids love exploring their world with their hands and enjoy putting items in their mouths. They also haven’t mastered the art of continuous hand-washing and often sneeze or cough openly. This combination can cause the spread of germs, with the potential to make the children and staff sick.
Parents trust that their child’s daycare center has the proper cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection processes to keep everyone healthy. Cleaning a daycare center requires more than just a quick wipe-down of the tables the kids eat at and taking out the trash. A professional cleaning company will also deep clean areas that may get forgotten by busy staff members. We’ve put together a list of areas that need extra cleaning in a daycare center.
Floor Mats
Kids attending a daycare center spend a lot of time playing on the floor, and mats can easily harbor germs and bacteria. Sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming can help pull up dirt, dust, and spilled food. However, you want to sanitize and disinfect them regularly to eradicate harmful germs and bacteria. For deep-cleaning of floor mats, use a commercial sanitizing solution that’s safe for daycare centers. Follow the mixing instructions and use a high-quality mop or microfiber cloth to scrub the mats thoroughly. Rinse with clean water, and let the mats dry before using them next.
Bonus tip: You can make your own floor mat cleaner to help remove dirt and grime. What you’ll need:
- A 16-ounce spray bottle.
- 1 cup of distilled water.
- 1/2 cup of witch hazel.
- 1/2 cup of vinegar.
- 3 drops of essential oil like tea tree or eucalyptus.
- 3 drops of fragrant essential oil such as lavender, rose, or lemongrass.
Spray the solution on the mats, then take a mop and wash them or use a scrub brush to get the solution into every section. Rinse with fresh water and let mats dry. Please keep in mind that the Environmental Protection Agency does not recognize these types of household solutions as a disinfectant, only a cleaner. For deep cleaning and sanitizing, hire a professional cleaning company that uses eco-friendly products.
Shared Toys
One of the joys of children spending time in a daycare center is being able to share toys with their peers. However, with dirty little hands and possible saliva touching the toys, germs can spread rapidly. While you can wipe the toys off at the end of the day or put them in a bucket of water to rinse them off, sanitizing or disinfecting them properly is far more effective in eliminating germs.
For rubber or plastic toys, you can soak them in a disinfecting solution based on the manufacturer’s recommendations or run them through the dishwasher. Then, rinse them with clean water, air-dry them, and store the toys properly.
Bonus tip: Many types of toys aren’t suitable for soaking in a solution and need an alternative method for cleaning. For fabric toys, run them through the washing machine with hot water and dry them in a hot clothes dryer.
For porous toys like wooden blocks, make the solution, dip a cloth into it, and wipe the toys down. For deep cleaning of these types of toys, soak a small scrub brush or used toothbrush in the disinfecting solution and scrub the hidden areas. Then, wipe them with a damp cloth dipped in fresh water. Use this method for electronic or battery-operated toys as well. Allow the toys to dry and store them until the next use.
Restrooms
Both kids and adults use the restrooms throughout the day, touching multiple surfaces. While we understand the importance of washing hands thoroughly, in reality, if we don’t do it properly, we can still pass germs to other surfaces. While a cleaning company will wipe down toilets, urinals, sinks, and mirrors, they may miss hidden areas that can harbor germs, including:
- Light switches.
- Door handles.
- Air conditioner remote controls.
- Shower curtains (if applicable).
- Sink drains.
- Baseboards.
- Soap dispensers.
- Paper towel dispensers.
- Mirror frame.
- Toothbrush holders (if applicable).
- Air vents.
When you hire a professional commercial cleaning company, have a list of these hidden areas you would like them to clean. Some areas, like the air vents and baseboards, may only need occasional cleaning, while others need daily or weekly attention.
Bonus tip: To find hidden urine or feces, use a specialized black light. Use the light to search around the bottom of the toilet bowl, under the lid, and in any diaper changing areas to find these harmful contaminants.
Keeping your daycare center clean and hygienic is essential for children’s health. In addition, a clean daycare center looks professional and helps inspire parents to continue using your service.
As a busy daycare center owner, you have many tasks to deal with on a daily basis. Having a professional commercial cleaning service come to your center and help with daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning can help you stay focused on running your business and keeping the little ones entertained. If you’d like help with professional cleaning for your daycare center, request an estimate today. We look forward to providing you with our top-notch commercial cleaning service.
