Cleaning Kids Toilets in a Childcare Centre

There are two types of kids in a childcare centre: those who have mastered how to use the toilet and those who have not. Most of the time, there are more of the latter than the former. As such, there will inevitably be plenty of messes to clean up afterwards.

You also need to contend with children’s fascination and curiosity about even the simplest things. From flushing the toilet repeatedly to unrolling toilet paper “just to see what happens,” childcare centres never run out of cleaning and tidying-up dilemmas.

The problem, of course, is that these dilemmas can quickly turn into serious health issues. As such, it’s best to keep childcare centre toilets immaculately clean. Consider working with a professional cleaning company, if you haven’t yet, to ensure that everything is properly cleaned and disinfected.

The ideal schedule for cleaning up kids toilets is once a day, at the end of the day. However, if they are visibly dirty, then they should be cleaned more often. This applies particularly to the toilet bowls and sinks.

Below are more tips and things to keep in mind to effectively clean and disinfect toilets in childcare centres:

Clean From Top to Bottom

One of the best practices in cleaning is to go from top to bottom. This way, everything that falls or spills will gather on the floor and you’ll only do one—at most, two—passes. It’s a particularly efficient way of cleaning, which is important when you have to clean the toilets in the middle of day and you need things ready as quickly as possible for the children.

Use Hypochlorite for Disinfection

To make sure that harmful germs can’t spread and cause disease, make sure to use the right disinfectants after cleaning. For the best results, use products that contain hypochlorite. It’s not only accessible but also offers outstanding disinfection. In fact, it’s used in a variety of settings that require high levels of cleanliness—including hospitals.

What’s even better about hypochlorite is that you can use it on most bathroom surfaces, including ceramic tiles, granite, chrome, and glass. Just make sure that you’re using the right amount so that you don’t cause any damage or irritation.

Speaking of irritation, it’s a good idea to consider using natural products if allergies are a concern. They are often formulated to be hypoallergenic and are perfect for cleaning low-risk surfaces. However, make sure that the cleaning products have the right ingredients to ensure quality results. For high-risk surfaces, it’s still best to follow-up with disinfection using hypochlorite.

Use Colour-Coded Cleaning Materials

Aside from the toilet bowls and urinals, there are many more objects and surfaces to clean inside a childcare centre bathroom. These include the sinks, faucets, as well as soap dispensers and tissue boxes. They may not get as dirty, but they definitely still need to be cleaned and disinfected accordingly.

Remember to use separate cleaning materials for the toilets, particularly the cleaning cloths used to wipe them. This will prevent cross-contamination of surfaces, especially the sinks and counters. Colour coding is a simple yet effective way to make the distinction (e.g., green for the toilets, blue for the sinks).

You should also use separate cloths for drying, again to prevent cross-contamination. However, do note that some cleaning products recommend air-drying for optimum results. For other surfaces, dry them immediately to prevent slips and other accidents.

Refill Consumables When Necessary

After cleaning and disinfecting, don’t forget to refill the consumables when necessary. Liquid soap dispensers often need topping up by the end of the day, as well as paper towel and toilet paper holders.

Hand sanitisers can come in handy for quick clean-ups. However, it’s still best to have soap and paper towels ready in the bathroom to encourage proper handwashing. Place hand sanitisers in other common areas instead, such as beside classroom doors and reception counters. Of course, don’t forget to sanitise the containers themselves.

Don’t Forget the Switches and Handles

Last but certainly not least, make sure to also disinfect high-touch surfaces and objects such as light switches, door handles, faucets, flush levers, and the like. Children often touch these objects, which can become infection carriers if they aren’t cleaned up properly.

The above-mentioned hypochlorite is more than enough to get rid of the most common disease-causing germs from surfaces. You can disinfect such objects and surfaces multiple times a day using a clean cloth dampened with the hypochlorite solution.

In Conclusion

It can be a challenge to keep childcare centres clean, considering the different temperaments of children. It can be doubly difficult to maintain cleanliness in the toilets and bathrooms, because these areas are prone to getting dirtied in the first place.

Still, with the help of some smart tips, you can keep things safe and hygienic for the kids. Aside from your own cleaning efforts, you can also count on professional cleaners to make sure that everything is up to standard.

Cleaning Kids' Toilets in a Childcare Centre