Childcare centers are incredible for offering working parents the reprieve that they need to work and earn a living, and they’re also a great place for children to meet other kids, learn, and develop their social skills—but all that definitely comes at the price of an untidy space once they’ve left at the end of the day.
And apart from the many messes that children can cause and make, regular sanitizing and disinfecting of any and all surfaces is also important for the safety of the children. It might seem like an overbearing responsibility after a long day of supervising the kids, but here are some ways to make your cleaning easier.
How to Clean Tables
With how active children’s little hands are, the spread of germs and bacteria can be very quick, especially on surfaces that they touch a lot like tables, which is why it's important to regularly clean these.
Step 1: Make Your Cleaning Solution
After wiping the table with a dry cloth or paper towel to remove any debris, combine some dish soap with some warm water in a large bowl. For stubborn stains and buildup, you can combine 2 parts water and 1 part vinegar before adding a few drops of dish soap.
Step 2: Clean the Table
Dip a cloth into the solution until it's damp and wipe this over the entire surface, giving more focus on stained areas that need more rubbing.
When the entire surface is covered, get a new cloth and dampen it with some clean water before wiping the entire table clean, making sure that you get any leftover residue.
Step 3: Disinfect
For an extra cleaning step, get a commercial disinfectant solution and spray the entire surface as instructed, but make sure that it’s safe for children.
How to Clean Toys
Regularly cleaning the toys in a childcare center is very important with how often children play with them. Not only does placing these toys inside mouths transfer bacteria onto the toys, but there could already be existing germs and bacteria on the toys that could pose potential risks to the kids.
To clean the toys in your childcare center, you’ll need some mild dish soap, some hot water, a soft-bristled brush, a soft cloth, some baking soda, a toothbrush, a large bowl and some bleach.
Step 1: Make Your Cleaning Solution
To do this, just get your large bowl and fill it with some hot water and a squirt of dish soap to create some soapy water.
Step 2: Clean the Toys
The method of cleaning will vary depending on the kind of toy you're dealing with. However, regardless of what kind of toy you’re dealing with, it’s important to never saturate the toy in any form of cleaner or cleaning solution as this might cause permanent damage.
How to Clean Plastic Toys with Battery Terminals
After removing the batteries, dip your soft cloth into the soapy water and wipe the toy thoroughly, making sure to avoid the battery terminal.
Afterwards, combine equal parts of baking soda and water and use a cotton bud to apply this cleaning paste to the battery terminals. Leave the paste on for a few minutes before returning with your toothbrush and removing all the traces of the paste from your toy.
When finished, make sure that the toy has completely dried before putting the batteries back in place.
How to Clean Plastic Toys Without Batteries
Get the toy and submerge it in the soapy water for around 10 minutes before getting your soft-bristled brush to gently brush over the entire toy, paying extra attention to any dirt or debris. Once done, rinse the toy with cold and clean water.
How to Clean Fabric Toys
When cleaning fabric toys, you should stay away from any disinfectant products. Instead, just throw these in the washing machine and run a cycle with hot water before placing it in a dryer on a hot cycle.
How to Clean Cushions and Pillows
Cushions and pillows in a childcare center can make the place feel warmer and more welcoming, but they also go through a lot when kept in the company of children. It’s just as important to clean these items as it is to clean everything else because children tend to gravitate towards the softness of these pillows and hold them a lot.
Washing Machine
Before doing anything, you should always check the cleaning code of the fabric to learn what you can and can’t use. When there are no issues to be found, throw the cushion or pillow into the washing machine and run a gentle cycle with some scent-free detergent. Run a second spin cycle to remove any excess moisture before leaving it to air dry completely.
Deodorizing
When you have a freshly cleaned pillow but still smell something nasty clinging onto it, all you need to do is sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the entire surface and leaving this for a few hours or even overnight. When the smell is gone, just get a handheld vacuum to remove all the baking soda.
Spot Treatment
The moment you see a stain on your pillow, but don’t worry. All you need to do is absorb any excess moisture with a cloth or paper towel before getting a clean cloth and dipping this into some soapy water. With the cloth only damp and not soaking, use this to press against any stained spots, making sure that you don’t aggressively rub at it.
Once the stain is sufficiently saturated and has been removed, get a clean cloth dampened with water and dab this over the area to remove any soapy residue before leaving the pillow to dry completely.
If cleaning at the end of a long day sounds like the last thing you want to do, don’t worry because Luce Office is here to take the cleaning off your hands. Our well-trained cleaners can make keeping a clean workspace seem easy and effortless so that you can focus on your work.
Call us today and schedule a cleaning appointment!
