Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting in Child Care

Spray bottle with red handle

Keeping the child care environment clean is one of the best ways to help ensure that children stay healthy. Dirty toys, bedding, linens, eating utensils, and surfaces can carry and spread germs. Regular disinfecting should be a part of the routine in a child care setting.

Getting things clean and reducing the spread of germs requires two different steps:

  1. Washing the item, using soap and water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.
  2. Disinfecting the item. Cleaning removes dirt but

Disinfect Child Care Surfaces with a Bleach and Water Solution

Preventing the spread of germs is a challenge in child care programs. A solution of household bleach and water is an inexpensive and easy way to disinfect surfaces and sanitize objects in child care programs. But child care providers need to be careful to use bleach correctly to ensure that children are safe and surfaces are properly disinfected or sanitized. 

New Bleach Concentrations Mean New Use Recommendations

In early 2013, manufacturers of household bleach changed the concentration of bleach sold …