Daycare cleaning can be most challenging during the winter months. Regardless of the season there are steps you can take to ensure your daycare facility is safe from germs and other harmful contaminants.
Keeping any building clean during the winter months makes for challenging cleaning. But when it comes to daycare centres, wintertime can pose an even greater test for daycare cleaning services particularly when it comes to minimizing the impact of harmful germs.
As the days grow shorter and the weather gets colder and cold and flu season reaches its peak, it becomes just that much harder to keep a daycare or centre clean. Preventing the spread of germs is certainly a going concern all year long, but is significantly increased as winter sets in, as does coping with the additional cleaning challenges of snow, slush, mud, and salt tracked in from outdoors.
At Decca Janitorial we understand the challenges daycares face maintaining healthy, clean facilities during the winter. We also know that, with the assistance of a qualified and reliable cleaning service, there are a host of ways you can help safeguard your facility against dirt, slush, and germs at this time of year.
Encouraging Healthy Personal Hygiene Habits
While the prevention of germs is always a priority for daycare throughout the year, during cold and flu season the concern is understandably amplified.
Throughout the winter season, incidences of influenza and the cold become far more common with young children particularly vulnerable. When younger children become sick they are at greater risk of serious complications. They are also more inclined to get sick more frequently than adults or older children.
There are a number of ways, however, that daycare centres can ensure that the kids in their care are kept healthy and safe no matter the season.
Handwashing: this is an important habit that is encouraged for everyone, really, but in a daycare setting, where toddlers and preschoolers are still learning proper hygiene, it’s doubly critical. Children should be taught the practice of washing their hands frequently throughout the day, particularly at transitions – from play to eating, or playtime to nap, for instance. After visiting the bathroom, too, of course.
Covering mouths: Encouraging proper etiquette while sneezing or coughing is essential to prevent the spread of germs; a handwash to follow each incident ensures healthy germ management and the promotion of good hygiene habits. Coughing and sneezing into the elbow is a good, and easy, rule of thumb.
Stay-at-home policy: many daycare centers institute stay-at-home policies for sick children. To help parents make decisions, families are provided a list of potential symptoms that require the child be kept home.
Thorough Daycare Cleaning During Cold & Flu Season
With young children very much in the exploration phase of development, they aren’t squeamish or shy about touching germy surfaces or putting germy objects in their mouths.
Given this fact, it is recommended that daycare cleaning services are adjusted to accommodate the increased health and hygiene risks posed by cold and flu season.
Runny noses, messy sneezes, and kids coughing constantly – and the kids all handling the same toys, germs are passed from one to the other in rapid succession.
A way to incorporate a regular toy cleaning schedule is to include the kids! A regular toy wash is a great way for children to have fun while taking on some of the responsibility of cleaning the toys they play with. It’s also a great way to pass time when the weather is particularly cold and everyone is stuck indoors.
Cleaning toys and surfaces effectively, to reduce the spread of germs, is a two-step process:
Wash the item, using soap and water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.
Washing the item. Cleaning removes dirt but does not kill all germs. To be sure germs are gone, you must disinfect them as well. The most common ways of disinfecting are as follows:
- You can disinfect with a bleach and water solution. A solution of regular household bleach and water is an inexpensive and easy way to disinfect surfaces and objects in child care programs. The amount of bleach and water to use depends on the concentration of the bleach you choose.
- You can use a dishwasher. Durable plastic toys can be washed in the dishwasher. High water pressure and temperatures do a great job of removing germs.
- You can use a washing machine. Washcloth toys, linens, and bedding in the washing machine. Add one-half cup of chlorine bleach to the wash cycle when washing colorfast material; for non-colorfast material, add one-half cup of non-chlorinated bleach.
If toys, play equipment, tabletops, and other areas aren’t already being disinfected by staff on a daily basis, it’s important to request that your cleaning service provider increases the frequency with which this is done during winter months.
Remember that disinfecting is included in most childcare licensing regulations.
Snow, Slush and Salt
Minimizing germs is always a priority when it comes to keeping daycare centres clean. But, if your region receives any snowfall during the winter months, you’ll need to adjust your daycare cleaning schedule and methods to manage the snow, slush, salt, and other common winter contaminants that will inevitably be tracked indoors.
Snow and slush melt and evaporate, leaving behind any salt, grit, or grime that was originally mixed in with the slush. This leaves floors and surfaces not only dirty, but actually effects the air quality inside the building. As the particles are disturbed, they become airborne, impacting air quality, and possibly making it uncomfortable for children and staff with respiratory issues.
To help mitigate the impact of winter conditions on your facility begin with establishing a dedicated mud or cloakroom and enforce rules for how to store winter clothing.
A regular cleaning schedule will keep your daycare facility clean throughout the winter. It will also help ensure that healthy surfaces and air quality is maintained.
Consider letting Decca Janitorial Service ensure your daycare facility is cleaned right!
Call Now For Your Free Estimate:
1-905-792-9978, 1-416-490-7773 or 1-877-580-3980
