Childcare Cleaning Tips for Daycare Centers in Toronto

As a child daycare provider, germs, bacteria and disease can spread throughout your facility, among the children and your staff. Every single place, from toys and children’s books to chairs, floors and walls, can harbor dangerous bacteria and dirt. Therefore, it is very important for the health of your children to prioritize germ control to prevent the spread of disease, create a healthier and safer environment, and reassure parents who often worry about the cleanliness of the facility.

Running a daycare center in Toronto, means a lot of work. Besides taking care of the children, you have to take care of a lot of things every day. You’ll have to prepare food, come up with craft activities and games for the older children, keep track of the children’s food needs, and deal with fights and tantrums. But one of the biggest tasks you’ll face as a daycare provider is keeping your daycare clean.

The Star Team daycare cleaning service a daycare can be daunting, especially depending on the size of the facility you manage. Check out our website for some tips that can help you keep your daycare clean and safe for all children.

Many people know that children are messy and have not yet learned to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, or not to put their fingers in their noses or mouths and then wipe them on objects. In general, a clean daycare center can also prevent everything from getting covered in snot or spit-up.

In the past two years, cleaning daycare centers has become more important than ever. With the outbreak of the COVID -19 pandemic, which spreads through respiratory droplet infection (snot and spit), cleaning has become our first line of defense. Since children cannot yet be vaccinated against COVID, cleaning is the best way to prevent a daycare center from becoming the center of a major outbreak.

When we talk about cleaning a child care facility in Toronto, it’s important to know the differences between cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing. Cleaning is about removing visible dirt and debris, as well as some germs, from a surface. You typically use soap and water to do this, although some germs may remain.

The definition of cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing.

• Disinfection

Disinfection destroys most germs but not bacterial spores. The clean area should be covered with a disinfectant solution such as bleach or ammonia. Allow the area to air dry or follow the manufacturer’s recommendations before wiping it down.

• Cleaning

Clean with soap, dishwashing detergent and water. This will remove dirt, debris and most germs by scrubbing and rinsing.

• Sanitization

Sanitizing reduces germs to a safe level. Dishes, food, contact surfaces and toys that children put in their mouths and more need to be disinfected after cleaning. Disinfection helps your child care facility comply with public health regulations.

Disinfection typically uses a chemical such as bleach or ammonia to kill viruses. Disinfection aims to remove most or all germs, including viruses and bacteria, to reduce populations to safe levels.

One of the most important things you can do when cleaning a child care facility is to establish a routine. There are many potential sources of infection that can spread throughout a child care facility. If you are trying to keep track of which ones have been cleaned and which ones have not, you are likely to miss some.

Establish a specific routine for cleaning that follows the same pattern each day. Such as you might start by wiping down all the items in the changing area, then the area itself before moving on to the play area. You could repeat this in all areas of your daycare and finish by wiping the floor.

Although daily cleaning is crucial for a daycare center, you will also need to perform minor cleanup tasks throughout the day. As you undoubtedly know, children can spread body fluids on many surfaces. These include snot, spit, urine, feces, vomit and even blood, all of which can be potential sources of infection.

As much as possible, try to clean up body fluids immediately. Of course, if feces, urine, vomit or blood gets on a surface, disinfect it immediately. But also try to remove the more harmless fluids, such as snot and spit, immediately to prevent other children from coming into contact with them.

The diapering area is one of the most important areas to take care of when cleaning your child’s room. Obviously, this area is exposed to more bodily fluids and germs than the rest of the child’s room. And in this area, children do not have clothing that protects them from coming into contact with these germs like they do in other areas of your daycare.

Wipe down the diaper-changing area after each child and make sure you store all used diapers in a trash can with a lid. Disinfect all surfaces and tools in this area at least once a day. And daycare staff should wash their hands before and after diapering to prevent germs from spreading to other areas of the daycare.

Becareful when choosing products for cleaning children’s rooms. Young children are especially sensitive to chemicals. Therefore, read all labels to avoid introducing toxic substances. Choose simple soap and water cleaners for cleaning and an approved product or bleach solution with water for disinfecting or sanitizing.

Many child care facilities have a policy that requires toys to be cleaned and disinfected at least once a day. Since toys are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to spreading germs, every time they are put in a child’s mouth, they should be set aside until they can be properly cleaned and disinfected.

Remember, a clean facility is safer and healthier for both children and staff! Take these tips for cleaning child care facilities to heart to minimize the spread of germs and allergens and reduce the number of sick days among children and staff.

Children’s play areas can also get dirty when children pick their noses, sneeze, put their fingers in their mouths, and pass toys around. So keeping the play area clean is especially difficult, but if you take care of it in small portions throughout the day, it will be easier to manage. Try to wipe down surfaces in the play area throughout the day, and give toys that are used frequently a quick wipe down during naps or when playing outside.
Thoroughly clean the play area at the end of each day to maintain hygiene. Spray hard plastic toys with disinfectant and let dry, and thoroughly wipe down storage boxes, play mats, tables and chairs. That’s why it’s a good idea to hire the star team’s professional cleaning service, so you can reach those hard-to-reach places where germs might be lurking.

Cloth items are among the worst places for germs to grow in a child’s room. Unlike hard plastic and metal surfaces, you cannot spray them with a disinfectant. Still, it’s important to clean them too, especially if they frequently come into contact with bodily fluids.

Collect all cloth items in your day-care for a day or two and have them sent to the cleaning service. This includes stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, rugs, towels, painter’s aprons and low-hanging curtains. If possible, run the washing machine on the hot cycle and use a fragrance-free, mild soap to prevent allergies in the children.

When cleaning your child care facility, pay special attention to surfaces that are frequently touched. These are places that are touched by many people, both children and adults, throughout the day. Germs can accumulate on these surfaces, and if someone else touches them, they can transfer germs to themselves.

Wipe down doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, household appliance handles and other surfaces at least once a day. You can also spray them with a disinfectant in between to keep germ levels down. Our Star Team Daycare Cleaning Service Pay special attention to bathroom and exterior door handles, as they can be the most contaminated with germs.

Hygiene in areas where food is handled is always a good practice, but now it is especially important. High chairs, tables and areas where food is prepared can get very dirty, not to mention bottles, plates, bowls and utensils. You do not want to spread germs among children, especially babies who are still drinking from bottles.

Always wash dishes with hot water, rinse them extra, and dry them hot. Wipe down all areas where meals are prepared and eaten at the end of the meal and at the beginning of the day. And, of course, make sure employees always wash their hands before handling food.

The other area in your daycare that needs a thorough cleaning is, of course, the bathroom. It goes without saying that the toilet should be scrubbed every day, and you should also wipe down the seat and any potties. But you should also wipe down the sink, paying special attention to the faucet handles and spraying light switches and door handles with disinfectant.
It is best to always keep the toilet lid closed when flushing to avoid the toilet plume effect. If you flush with the lid open, a cloud of gas is released into the surrounding air, carrying germs and bacteria to the surrounding surfaces. For the same reason, it’s also a good idea to keep trash cans with lids that lock.

Maintaining a daycare centre involves a lot of work, and cleanliness is an important part of that. Pay special attention to areas that are touched frequently or where there are likely to be more germs. Wash your hands frequently, keep the toilet lid closed when flushing, and consider hiring a professional cleaning company to help with hygiene.

If you need help with day-care cleaning, check out The Star team day-care cleaning service on our website. We provide professional commercial cleaning services to keep your business clean and safe. Request a quote from us today and discover the commercial cleaning partner you need.

Contact us (Call: (647) 772-4486 and Email: info@starteamcleaning.com) today for a free consultation!