Cleaning/sanitizing products

Hi there, I'm new in the forum... I have been reading for over two hours and you guys are AWESOME! Very valuable information and experiences. I'm a mother and a new daycare owner. I just care my two kids (under 3) and one more baby (10 months). I'm kind of picky about cleanlinness at home, so I need some advise about sanitizers (I don't mind kids mess... But no one steps on my home with shoes in, and I vaccum twice every day :blink:)
I'd like to know what the law says about cleaning/sanitizing daycare facilities, especially kitchen and toys. Is there any list of approved detergents for countertops (food)? How often we have to clean up toys?. Any suggestion?

Hi and welcome to the forum!

When I worked in daycare centres, the standard was to disinfect once every week. This only increased if there was an outbreak of something like pink eye, hand, foot and mouth, etc. I worked in 1 place that used Dettol and water solution but were told by an inspector to use bleach and water. Personally, I don't like the bleach solution. It ruins your clothes, can be hard on toys and if it drips on your soft furnishings or carpet, you get some lovely blotches. Plus, my skin reacts to it big time. I use Dettol. It smells like pine, my sickness rate is reasonably low and I feel that, if you follow the instructions, it has good disinfecting power. Dettol is used in hospitals so, frankly, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

Hope that helps :)

Hi cfred, thank you for sharing your experience. I am allergic to chorine, but for some reason I can use Clorox wipes safely. Tha's what I habe been using... I'll try Dettol and see how my allergy goes. ;)

I just wanted to say that there is no law regarding what we clean with, how often we clean, etc . We are home daycare providers and as such we do what works for us and are only accountable to the parents who use our services. So as long as you tell the parents what your cleaning routine/products are (if they want to know) then it is up to you. Personally, I use mostly natural cleaning products, although I do use a light bleach solution at times as well.

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Originally Posted by sunnydays

I just wanted to say that there is no law regarding what we clean with, how often we clean, etc . We are home daycare providers and as such we do what works for us and are only accountable to the parents who use our services. So as long as you tell the parents what your cleaning routine/products are (if they want to know) then it is up to you. Personally, I use mostly natural cleaning products, although I do use a light bleach solution at times as well.

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Ohhh ok... Good to know.
I am really concened about it because there is a case of a baby who died at a no registered home daycare (well actually three this year) and I read the report for one of those daycares and they gave the owner a list of things they have to change in order to reopen the business. One of the main issues in that case is the cleaning. So I thought there was a law involved.

I sanitize the table top/countertop and booster seats after every meal with a bleach solution and sanitize the bathroom once a day. I also have a separate hand cloth for each child for hand drying after washing. I try to sanitize playroom surfaces and toys about once a week, more often if someone is sick. Each child also has their own bedding that does not get shared.

I also have separate change pads for each baby and try to sanitize them at least once a day.

My husband does vacuuming about twice a week (he's so helpful) and I try to wash the floors once a week. I am not supposed to vacuum during daycare hours, I guess because it can put dust up in the air. So I sweep the floor twice a day.

I am a licensed home daycare in Manitoba and do have guidelines to follow.

When I worked in daycare centres we had to disinfect toys daily on a toy rotation. We had a notebook that we would write in so we knew what had been cleaned the day before. I can't remember what we used but it was a mixture of cleaning solution with water.

I am private so have no laws/regulations to follow in regard to cleaning. I clean the toys once a week unless there has been illness. I use clorox/lysol wipes and also sometimes fill the tub or sink with a bleach/water mixture and throw the toys in there. I sweep after each meal and wipe down the table and chairs. The potty gets cleaned after each use. I have one change pad and clean it after each change. (I like the idea of each child having their own but don't have the room for that. Amanda do you use the small fold up kinds? I think I might do that and keep it in their individual drawers)

I wash the crib sheets, their blankets, my couch cover and all the stuffies once a week on the weekends. I will wash them more often if there was illness. My other half vacuums, mops the floor and cleans the bathroom about once a week or every other week.

Sorry if this sounds silly, but I am hoping to learn how to simplify things. How do you clean toys that can't be submerged in water? I'm thinking mostly of my toys with batteries, and all the fisher price little people that would get water stuck inside of them. And do stuffed animals survive the washing machine?

I am licensed and here in B.C. We're required to wash the floor, vacuum and clean bathrooms daily. In the past we've been required to sanitize with bleach but now I believe that's been dropped due to possible allergies. We're required to clean the toys weekly, particularly the dress up clothes and stuffiness. Also the bedding must be cleaned often. Just wondering how you go about cleaning the playpens?

Oops didn't proofread, darn spellcheck! I meant stuffies of course!

I use clorox/lysol wipes for anything that can't be submerged in water. I also use them to clean the toy shelfs, the toy buckets, the play kitchen, light switches and doorknobs. I use them to clean the playpens too.

I wash the little people and just let them air dry over the weekend and put them away Monday morning. I have also seen that you can hot glue gun the hole on toys and I might do that. I saw it on pinterest for water toys but I'm sure it work for little people too.

I don't have that many stuffies just because I hate washing them and for the most part, they aren't really played with here. However, when I do have them out and need to wash them I just throw them in with the same load as the crib sheets, the kids blankets, pillow and couch covers. They have always washed fine and then I just let them dry over the weekend but I'm sure they would be fine in the dryer. If there are stuffies with batteries and can't be machine washed I just use a hot wash cloth with a bit of laundry soap and scrub it.

I go overboard !!! Every night I wash all blankets I use (in the playpens) and wash the playpens down with a disinfecting wipe . All my tables and chairs and all my big toys are wiped down as well . I sweep and wash all the mats on the floor, the bathroom is done twice daily and the potty is wiped down each use . I throw the stuffies in the washer and dolls about twice a month .

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Originally Posted by superfun

Sorry if this sounds silly, but I am hoping to learn how to simplify things. How do you clean toys that can't be submerged in water? I'm thinking mostly of my toys with batteries, and all the fisher price little people that would get water stuck inside of them. And do stuffed animals survive the washing machine?

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I use Clorox Anywhere daily sanitizing spray. It is approved for kids and pets and does not need to be rinsed. There are Numerous reports that this is suitable for use where people suffer from asthma and environmental allergies as it doesn't aggravate. I have to buy it from the states and fortunately I live close enough to the border to go collect it from us address but even if I didn't I would just pay for shipping into Canada as it is a necessary business expense and I order it in a box of 9 at a time.

I use it on toys that can not be submerged, play pens, if there is a toileting accident on the carpet following scrubbing with regular hot soap and water I spray after to make sure I kill everything.

Here is a link if anyone is interested. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would never use any kind of chemical household cleaner on something that a child would potentially put in there mouth. A lot of them build up regardless of how well you rinse too and it is not good even in very small doses. I use a natural cleaner, really all plant based ingredients, for my regular cleaning which is safe for kids and then the hard surface sanitizer as stated above for my less frequent disinfecting. I also don't disinfect to frequently unless there is illness as it's actually a necessity for the kids to be exposed to germs in order for their immune systems to become strong. Potentially the more often you disinfect the more likely they are to get sick and more often.

I am not a big believer in ton of cleaning. I vacuum and steam mop once a week. I only really clean the toys if someone is sick or I see it go in the mouth. The kids in my program are rarely sick. Wash the table with soap and water after meals etc but definitely not a clean freak.

I've been thinking a lot about disinfecting lately too with the cold and flu season kicking in. I used a bleach solution daily last winter and it did NOTHING to keep us from getting sick. We were sick ALL winter. I really didn't like bleach because I ruined some of my clothes with it and I hate the smell even if it's pretty diluted. So this year I am going with vinegar as my daily go-to to wipe down the table and chairs and booster seats. I use Lysol wipes for the change pad and the bathroom daily. And on weekends I take out the bleach in a spray bottle and spray everything down, and and fill a tub with water and bleach and throw our most used toys in there to disinfect. Bedding gets washed every weekend. Each child has his/ her own face cloth that gets replaced daily. I vaccum daily but I have a dog. I worked so hard to keep everything clean last year, to no avail...I hope this year is a better year!

I have to say I likely don't clean as much as I should. That being said my house is clean! I always sweep the floor where we eat daily, wash it on Friday afternoons. I try and vacume once a week. I usually put bleach in my dish water once a week to sanitize all the kids dishes. As for cleaning the toys, well I really don't. That would take me a whole week I have so many. I usually just spray as much as I can with Lysol one a week. I always get the kids to wash their hands before and after we eat, go to the bathroom, play outside etc. I don't let the little ones put stuff in their mouths as much as I can. I usually wash bedding 2x a month or if there is an illness going through (the kids never share bedding). I do a thorough cleaning of the bathroom once a week but will clean it more often if it requires it. For that I use Lysol wipes.

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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys

When I worked in daycare centres we had to disinfect toys daily on a toy rotation. We had a notebook that we would write in so we knew what had been cleaned the day before. I can't remember what we used but it was a mixture of cleaning solution with water.

I am private so have no laws/regulations to follow in regard to cleaning. I clean the toys once a week unless there has been illness. I use clorox/lysol wipes and also sometimes fill the tub or sink with a bleach/water mixture and throw the toys in there. I sweep after each meal and wipe down the table and chairs. The potty gets cleaned after each use. I have one change pad and clean it after each change. (I like the idea of each child having their own but don't have the room for that. Amanda do you use the small fold up kinds? I think I might do that and keep it in their individual drawers).

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Yes, I use the fold up ones that have the white plastic on one side. They don't take up much space at all.

Ladies I wanted to share these video's with you.... I find this works very well for me and is a wonderful money saver :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27-QkmadwJU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ciahsfuzXM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw07pRdNrs

If you do not like the vinegar smell... Add essential oils

Also Dish soap is an awesome cleaning agent~!!

Oh I love this channel :)

I totally forgot to include my most important " sanitizer" as part of my cleaning routine and those are E-CLOTHS! Google it, they disinfect and remove bacteria naturally without chemicals, you just use water! I use them in conjunction with vinegar to wipe everything down. There are other brands that do the same thing, one is called Enjo but it's much pricier. Check it out ladies!

Has anyone tried melaleuca products? There is one I bought (sol-u-guard botanical), is supposed to be safe for kids and pets, and if left on for 10 minutes, is supposed to kill 99% of household germs and bacteria.

I haven't used it beyond spraying and wiping off (because honestly, the things that are easy to wipe, I wipe with my norwex cloths - tables and chairs and such). I'd love to be able to spray down my train table and little people structures without having to wipe them. I know I need to just try it on my own to see if it leaves a residue, but just curious if anyone else has tried it!

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Originally Posted by 2cuteboys

Has anyone tried melaleuca products? There is one I bought (sol-u-guard botanical), is supposed to be safe for kids and pets, and if left on for 10 minutes, is supposed to kill 99% of household germs and bacteria.

I haven't used it beyond spraying and wiping off (because honestly, the things that are easy to wipe, I wipe with my norwex cloths - tables and chairs and such). I'd love to be able to spray down my train table and little people structures without having to wipe them. I know I need to just try it on my own to see if it leaves a residue, but just curious if anyone else has tried it!

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I looked at the product specs on the website and nowhere does it mention for the product you mentioned that it is or is not safe for pets and kids. Also on the ingredient list it mentions "detergents" I am very sceptical when a company who claims to be all natural has a general description on a label. Detergent could be any number of things and are highly irritating too so I don't think that this product is necessarily as good as it claims to be.

Also dodge I would not add essential oils to a cleaner used on items that children potentially mouth unless you have done extensive research on their safety. Some essential oils are toxic if ingested and many people have a reaction if making skin contact even after dilution. One rule f thumb is that if following a mix for cleaner that will be used around children, only add 50% of the recommended amount.

Yes I was aware, and only use vinegar, but thanks.

Geez that sounded a lot harsher than intended...LOL anyways I do not use oils in anything that can be mouthed

It was in the description I read and also says on the bottle "safe for use around kids, pets and food."

Though I do like to use only vinegar and my norwex cloths (just water with them), my agency requires that an actual disinfectant is used on occasion. This is the lesser of several evils to me (though I've seen some tips on here that I might be trying!), so that's what I've decided to try next.

Another cleaning product that I've used in the past (found it at a natural health store last time- have to look for it again because I love it!) is Orange TKO. It's a safe non-toxic cleaner made from orange peels. http://www.tkoorange.com/index.html It's safe around children and pets AND has bee approved for use in food establishments in Canada.

Cleaning and sanitizing aren't the same thing. I think we do too much of the sanitizing and that kills the good germs too.

I run an organic daycare and do not use any chemicals AT ALL. I use Norwex Microfiber cloths that remove 99% of anything (And I mean ANYTHING) on a surface. (I also sell the product on the side, but I am not using this as a promo). I personally don't like having chemicals around the house that are potentially dangerous for children. Vinegar is a great alternative mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil. lots of options out there that clean and kill bacteria and you don't need chemicals even "green" products have many hidden ingredients. (you may pm me if you do want further info on Norwex though).

You guys are much better about sanitizing than I am. Floors get washed/vacuumed once a week. High chairs get wiped down at the end of every day. Toys get washed as needed (but after reading this, I'm going to get myself more organized about doing this).

I use natural homemade cleaners. Vinegar/water on surfaces, steam clean/vacuum/sweep floors. With dirty toys, I put them in dishwasher or spray with vinegar/lysol wipe if needs.

Daily cleaning. And do not use remedies which contain hard chemicals

Has anyone ever used roomba 665? After I view comparisono between this one and all the similar models it seems to me that in my case it could become a perfect choice but I am still not sure because maybe I just missed some worthy options.