When you take the responsibility of taking care of a child or when you open a daycare program, you need to follow a lot of things in terms of sanitisation and safety, especially in the world of COVID. Children have a habit of putting anything inside their mouth, letting the toys touch anywhere on their body and so on.
Following simple steps and including some chores every day will help you get a good review and the security of the children. You need to come up with such a service or clean the space yourself.
Here are some things that you need to take care of while having a child around.
- Clean Mats With Warm Soapy Water
Steam cleaning and vacuuming of carpets and mats should be done at least once every six months. Change mats should be washed in warm, soapy water. After that, wipe it down with a paper towel. During lunchtime, you can also place the change mats in direct sunshine.
A childcare centre's kitchen mats where the kids eat or space where you cook should be cleaned regularly. This protects the child from any disease that can enter the body through unhygienic food. If you are a professional child care centre, you can also opt for a commercial cleaning service. The same can be said about spaces where food is prepared, such as tables or benches.
- Use Dishwashing Soap To Clean Toys
Toys Infants and toddlers should not share toys. However, in a childcare setting, this is impossible. Children frequently put toys in their mouths. Between users, these toys must be washed and disinfected.
Scrub hard plastic toys with warm soapy water before rinsing. Immerse in sanitiser and soak for the specified amount of time. After rinsing in clean water, air dry. This technique must be performed after each use for smaller children, and for older children, it must be completed at least once a week.
To clean wooden toys, use a wet cloth and a generous amount of sanitiser. Rinse and dry as soon as possible. To wash cloth toys and dress-up clothes, use warm water and soap in the washing machine. Allow to air dry completely. This should be done once a week at the very least.
- Clean A Surface Before Applying Disinfectant
Cleaning should begin with the cleanest surface and progress to dirtier surfaces as time passes. Surfaces should be left as dry as possible after cleaning to prevent the risk of slips and falls, the spread of viruses and bacteria through droplets of saliva.
It is crucial and essential to clean a surface before disinfecting it, as dirt and grime can impair the capacity of disinfectants to kill bacteria. If the surface has not been cleaned with a detergent first, the disinfectant may not destroy the virus.
- Cleaning Daily
Dust daily all the tables, benches, tabletops, floors, sinks, cabinet handles, doors, kitchen appliances and high chairs used for food preparation. Scrubbing or mopping surfaces with hot water and soap, then rinsing with clean water, should be included in cleaning services.
Hand sinks, faucets, countertops, soap dispensers, toilet seats, bowls, floors and door handles should be cleaned. Vacuum all your furniture, carpets and rugs and plastic toys every day as there can be diseases that you might not know about, and the child does not have a strong immune system.
- Clean Linens, Crockery And Cutlery
If the products may be washed, do so according to the manufacturer's recommendations on the warmest temperature available. Completely dry the clothes. If you shake your filthy laundry, the infection may spread via the air. It would help if you wash dishes and cutlery in the highest possible setting in the dishwasher. If you don't have access to a dishwasher, hand wash in hot, soapy water.
- Hand Washing Regularly
When staff and children arrive at daycare in the morning, between activities, or after wiping a runny nose, they should wash their hands. Even after using the bathroom and before and after eating. Caregivers should also wash or sterilise their hands frequently. Some centres require all parents and children to wash their hands as soon as they enter the facility, which is a great habit to get into!
Keep in mind that a cleaning centre is a safer and healthier environment for children and the staff! Keep these child daycare cleaning recommendations in mind to prevent the spread of germs and allergens, as well as fewer sick days for your kids and employees. Also, don’t hesitate to call a professional and get your daycare clean.
