Cleaning Sanitizing and Disinfecting in Child Care...Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting in Child...

Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare

Keepingthechildcareenvironmentcleanisoneofthebestwaystohelpensurethatchildrenstayhealthy.Dirtytoys,bedding,linens,eatingutensils,andsurfacescancarryandspreadgerms.

Regulardisinfectingshouldbeapartoftheroutineinachildcaresetting.

Healthy Practices: Nutrition and Fitness 1


Itisinevitablethatgermswillspreadtosurfacesandobjectsafterbeingsoiledwithbloodorbodilyfluidssuchasstool,urine,vomit,mucus,saliva,humanmilk,etc.Topreventthespreadofgermsandcreateasanitaryandhygienicenvironmentforchildren,youneedtoregularlycleananddisinfectthosesurfacesandobjects.



AreCleaningandDisinfectingtheSame?Cleaninganddisinfectingarenotthesame.

Youneedtodobothtokeepgermsfromspreading.



Cleaninggetsridofthedirtyoucansee.Routinecleaningwithsoapandwateristhemostusefulmethodforremovinggermsfromsurfacesinthechildcaresetting.Goodcleaning(scrubbingwithsoapandwater)physicallyreducesthenumberofgermsfromthesurface,justashandwashingreducesthenumberofgermsfromthehands.However,someitemsandsurfacesshouldreceiveanadditionalstep,disinfection,tokillgermsaftercleaningwithsoapandrinsingwithclearwater.



Disinfectingorsanitizingmeanscleaningwithableachsolution(orotherapproveddisinfectant)tokillandgetridofmostofthegermsyoucannotseebutwhichremainonsurfacesaftercleaning.

Thedisinfectionprocessuseschemicalsthatarestrongerthansoapandwater,andwilldestroyandreducethenumberofgerms.Itusuallyrequiressoakingorwettingtheitemforseveralminutestogivethechemicaltimetokilltheremaininggerms.



Itemsthatcanbewashedinadishwasher orhotcycleofawashingmachinedonothavetobedisinfectedbecausethesemachinesusewaterthatishotenoughforalongenoughperiodoftimetokillmostgerms.



Surfacesconsideredmostlikelytobecontaminatedarethosewithwhichchildrenaremostlikelytohaveclosecontact.Theseincludetoysthatchildrenputintheirmouths,cribrails,foodpreparationareas,andsurfaceslikelytobecomeverycontaminatedwithgerms,suchasdiaper-changingareas.Sinksandspongesaretheworst.



WhatDisinfectantsShouldBeUsed?Adisinfectantisachemicalusedtodestroyharmfulgerms.Oneofthemostcommonlyusedchemicalsfordisinfectioninchildcaresettingsisahomemadesolutionofhouseholdbleachandwater.Bleachischeapandeasytoget.Thesolutionofbleachandwateriseasytomix,nontoxic,safeifhandledproperly,andkillsmostgerms.

OthercommercialproductsthatmeettheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency’s(EPA’s)standardsforhospitalsmaybeusedforthepurposeofdisinfection.



Rememberthatdisinfectingisincludedinmoststates'childcarelicensingregulations.

Differentstateshavedifferentrulesaboutdisinfectingsolutions,watertemperatures,andtheuseof

dishwashers.


BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectants

Notallcleaningchemicalsaresafeandappropriateforuseinagroupchildcaresetting.

Herearesomecautionstobeawareof.


BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectantsProductsthatmeettheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency’s(EPA)standardsfor“hospitalgrade”germicides(solutionsthatkillgerms)oftenarepromotedforuseinchildcare.

Butmanyoftheseproductsaredangerousandpotentiallyeventoxictochildren.

Itisimportanttoreadproductlabelscarefully.


BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectantsDonotusecleaningproductsthatcarryaDANGERoraCORROSIVElabelwarninginyourchildcareprogram.

Becautiousaboutcommercialorindustrialproductsthatadvertisethemselvesas“disinfectants,”having“germicidalaction,”orbeingableto“killgerms.”Oftentheseproductscarryawarninglabelonthefrontofthecontainerbecausetheyaretoxic.


BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectantsBeforeusinganythingotherthanableachandwatersolutionfordisinfecting,checkwithyourchildcarenurseconsultantorlicensingagencytomakesureit'sacceptableforuseinchildcare.

IfyoudodecidetouseanEPA-approvedindustrialproductasasanitizer,carefullyreadthelabelandalwaysfollowthemanufacturer’sinstructionsexactly.


DisinfectChildCareSurfaceswithaBleachandWaterSolution

Preventingthespreadofgermsisachallengeinchildcareprograms.Asolutionofhouseholdbleachandwaterisaninexpensiveandeasywaytodisinfectsurfacesandsanitizeobjectsinchildcareprograms.Butchildcareprovidersneedtobecarefultousebleachcorrectlytoensurethatchildrenaresafeandsurfacesareproperlydisinfectedorsanitized.


SanitizingversusDisinfectingBleachmanufacturersincludetwokindsofinstructionsforbleachuse:sanitizinganddisinfecting.

Althoughthesetermsaresometimesusedinterchangeably,theymeandifferentthings.Beforeyoumixupableachsolution,besureyouareusingthecorrectinstructions.Sanitizingsolutionsuselessbleachthandisinfectingsolutions.Themanufacturer'sinstructionswilltellyoutheappropriateamounttouse.


SanitizingversusDisinfecting

Sanitizingreducesgermstolevelsconsideredsafe,butdoesnoteliminatethem.

Sanitizingissafeforfoodcontactsurfaces(suchassilverwareandhighchairtrays)andfortoysandpacifiersthatchildrenmayplaceintheirmouths.


SanitizingversusDisinfecting

Disinfectingeliminatesorinactivatesgerms.Disinfectingrequiresastrongerconcentrationofbleachtokillthegerms.Surfacesthatshouldbedisinfectedincludediaperchangingtables,pottychairs,toilets,countertops,sinks,floors,drinkingfountains,cabinethandles,anddoorknobs.


UsingBleach-WaterSafelyinChildCareBleach-watersolutionispoisonousandcanbedangeroustochildren.Keepchildrensafefromaccidentalpoisoningwiththesesimpletips:• Cleanobjectsandsurfaceswhenchildrenarenotaround,orplacethemoutof

children'sreachwhiletheydry.• Donotallowchildrentohandlebleach-watersolution.• Keepchildrenawayfromdisinfectedsurfacesuntilthebleach-watersolutiondries.• Storebleachandothertoxicchemicalsintheiroriginalcontainersinalockedcabinet

orcloset.• Storebleach-watersolutioninalockedcabinetoutofchildren'sreach.• Besuretolabelspraybottlessoadultswillknowwhat'sinthem.


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