Important Tips for Preschool Cleaning

Preschool cleaning helps parents, teachers and students to feel safe while away from home. Every surface children touch in every room at school and home are constantly bombarded with germs and bacteria.

Where there are children, there will be germs. It’s a fact of life. Keeping any preschool or daycare clean and sanitized can seem like a monumental task, but only because the definition of clean and disinfected remains undefined.

Here are some tips to help you maintain your healthy preschool.

First, knowing the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting is important. Cleaning a preschool properly means more than removing unsightly dirt, grime, or other messes from surfaces kiddos touch. There are specific areas that need to be sanitized and disinfected after cleaning.

Cleaning removes dirt, dust, and crumbs from surfaces or objects. When you clean, you most likely use a detergent and water to physically clean off the surface and objects. This will get your surface clean but won’t kill all germs.

Sanitizing could be done by either cleaning, disinfecting, or both. Sanitizing means that you are lowering the number of germs to a safe level. What is considered a safe level for public health depends on public health standards at your school or workplace. You will sanitize a restaurant differently than a classroom at a school.

Disinfecting uses chemicals to kill germs on surfaces and objects. Some common disinfectants are bleach and alcohol solutions. You usually need to leave the disinfectant on the surface and object for a certain period of time. Disinfecting does not clean the dirt or grime from the surface.

If you both clean and disinfect a surface or object, you can further lower the risk of spreading infection. There are products that clean and disinfect at the same time.

The order of cleaning

It is important to do in order when cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting. This is a three-pronged attack which is the best way to combat the spread of germs that cause illnesses. The first step is cleaning, then sanitizing, and finally disinfecting. Cleaning and sanitizing can often be combined together before you disinfect.

Cleaning on a schedule

Every area of your preschool needs to have a visible and printed cleaning / disinfecting schedule. Ask the parties that are responsible for these tasks to sign off on the log sheet every time they clean and disinfect.

This provides accountability for everyone responsible for keeping things clean and disinfected. It also provides a record in the event that you need to conduct a contact tracing for a virus-like COVID-19. Most importantly it tracks problems in your facility so you can easily identify problem areas and efficiency in cleaning.

Choose your cleaners and disinfectants carefully

Carefully consider the cleaning products that you use in your preschool before you purchase. Green cleaning labels don’t always mean green. It is critical that you read the labels on “hospital grade” germicides, as there are certain solutions that are dangerous can’t be mixed, and can potentially be toxic to children. You should never use chemicals in a preschool that are labeled toxic or corrosive. This may seem like common sense, but few people are aware of the dangers presented by commercial and hospital-grade cleaning products. OTC (over-the-counter) cleaners are typically not as strong as commercial cleaners.

Where to focus

The obvious trouble spots are dirty restrooms. They will need to most attention, but it is important not to overlook the hotspots which are known for spreading germs.

Clean, sanitize, and disinfect entryways, door handles, light switches, pens, pencils, cubbies, floors, walls, railings, phones, and keyboards daily. These areas tend to have the most traffic during the day and most people tend to touch them in some way.

Few practical tips

• Immediately clean and remove spills
• Vacuum carpeting daily
• Install hands-free trash cans
• Place any items that need washing (toys, paint brushes, trays, etc.) in a separate container that can be kept covered and removed from the room.
• Use disinfecting wipes throughout the day to keep germs at bay

In keeping your daycare center clean, sanitized, and disinfected starting to feel overwhelming? Give us a call at Grimebusters inc. We have the knowledge, expertise, and experience to keep your preschool safe and healthy.