Cleaning Sanitizing and Disinfecting in Child Care...Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting in Child Care It is inevitable that germs will spread to surfaces and objects after being
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
Keepingthechildcareenvironmentcleanisoneofthebestwaystohelpensurethatchildrenstayhealthy.Dirtytoys,bedding,linens,eatingutensils,andsurfacescancarryandspreadgerms.
Regulardisinfectingshouldbeapartoftheroutineinachildcaresetting.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
Itisinevitablethatgermswillspreadtosurfacesandobjectsafterbeingsoiledwithbloodorbodilyfluidssuchasstool,urine,vomit,mucus,saliva,humanmilk,etc.Topreventthespreadofgermsandcreateasanitaryandhygienicenvironmentforchildren,youneedtoregularlycleananddisinfectthosesurfacesandobjects.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
AreCleaningandDisinfectingtheSame?Cleaninganddisinfectingarenotthesame.
Youneedtodobothtokeepgermsfromspreading.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
Cleaninggetsridofthedirtyoucansee.Routinecleaningwithsoapandwateristhemostusefulmethodforremovinggermsfromsurfacesinthechildcaresetting.Goodcleaning(scrubbingwithsoapandwater)physicallyreducesthenumberofgermsfromthesurface,justashandwashingreducesthenumberofgermsfromthehands.However,someitemsandsurfacesshouldreceiveanadditionalstep,disinfection,tokillgermsaftercleaningwithsoapandrinsingwithclearwater.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
Disinfectingorsanitizingmeanscleaningwithableachsolution(orotherapproveddisinfectant)tokillandgetridofmostofthegermsyoucannotseebutwhichremainonsurfacesaftercleaning.
Thedisinfectionprocessuseschemicalsthatarestrongerthansoapandwater,andwilldestroyandreducethenumberofgerms.Itusuallyrequiressoakingorwettingtheitemforseveralminutestogivethechemicaltimetokilltheremaininggerms.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
Itemsthatcanbewashedinadishwasher orhotcycleofawashingmachinedonothavetobedisinfectedbecausethesemachinesusewaterthatishotenoughforalongenoughperiodoftimetokillmostgerms.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
Surfacesconsideredmostlikelytobecontaminatedarethosewithwhichchildrenaremostlikelytohaveclosecontact.Theseincludetoysthatchildrenputintheirmouths,cribrails,foodpreparationareas,andsurfaceslikelytobecomeverycontaminatedwithgerms,suchasdiaper-changingareas.Sinksandspongesaretheworst.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
WhatDisinfectantsShouldBeUsed?Adisinfectantisachemicalusedtodestroyharmfulgerms.Oneofthemostcommonlyusedchemicalsfordisinfectioninchildcaresettingsisahomemadesolutionofhouseholdbleachandwater.Bleachischeapandeasytoget.Thesolutionofbleachandwateriseasytomix,nontoxic,safeifhandledproperly,andkillsmostgerms.
OthercommercialproductsthatmeettheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency’s(EPA’s)standardsforhospitalsmaybeusedforthepurposeofdisinfection.
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Cleaning,Sanitizing,andDisinfectinginChildCare
Rememberthatdisinfectingisincludedinmoststates'childcarelicensingregulations.
Differentstateshavedifferentrulesaboutdisinfectingsolutions,watertemperatures,andtheuseof
dishwashers.
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BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectants
Notallcleaningchemicalsaresafeandappropriateforuseinagroupchildcaresetting.
Herearesomecautionstobeawareof.
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BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectantsProductsthatmeettheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency’s(EPA)standardsfor“hospitalgrade”germicides(solutionsthatkillgerms)oftenarepromotedforuseinchildcare.
Butmanyoftheseproductsaredangerousandpotentiallyeventoxictochildren.
Itisimportanttoreadproductlabelscarefully.
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BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectantsDonotusecleaningproductsthatcarryaDANGERoraCORROSIVElabelwarninginyourchildcareprogram.
Becautiousaboutcommercialorindustrialproductsthatadvertisethemselvesas“disinfectants,”having“germicidalaction,”orbeingableto“killgerms.”Oftentheseproductscarryawarninglabelonthefrontofthecontainerbecausetheyaretoxic.
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BeCautiousaboutUsingCommercialDisinfectantsBeforeusinganythingotherthanableachandwatersolutionfordisinfecting,checkwithyourchildcarenurseconsultantorlicensingagencytomakesureit'sacceptableforuseinchildcare.
IfyoudodecidetouseanEPA-approvedindustrialproductasasanitizer,carefullyreadthelabelandalwaysfollowthemanufacturer’sinstructionsexactly.
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DisinfectChildCareSurfaceswithaBleachandWaterSolution
Preventingthespreadofgermsisachallengeinchildcareprograms.Asolutionofhouseholdbleachandwaterisaninexpensiveandeasywaytodisinfectsurfacesandsanitizeobjectsinchildcareprograms.Butchildcareprovidersneedtobecarefultousebleachcorrectlytoensurethatchildrenaresafeandsurfacesareproperlydisinfectedorsanitized.
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SanitizingversusDisinfectingBleachmanufacturersincludetwokindsofinstructionsforbleachuse:sanitizinganddisinfecting.
Althoughthesetermsaresometimesusedinterchangeably,theymeandifferentthings.Beforeyoumixupableachsolution,besureyouareusingthecorrectinstructions.Sanitizingsolutionsuselessbleachthandisinfectingsolutions.Themanufacturer'sinstructionswilltellyoutheappropriateamounttouse.
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SanitizingversusDisinfecting
Sanitizingreducesgermstolevelsconsideredsafe,butdoesnoteliminatethem.
Sanitizingissafeforfoodcontactsurfaces(suchassilverwareandhighchairtrays)andfortoysandpacifiersthatchildrenmayplaceintheirmouths.
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SanitizingversusDisinfecting
Disinfectingeliminatesorinactivatesgerms.Disinfectingrequiresastrongerconcentrationofbleachtokillthegerms.Surfacesthatshouldbedisinfectedincludediaperchangingtables,pottychairs,toilets,countertops,sinks,floors,drinkingfountains,cabinethandles,anddoorknobs.
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UsingBleach-WaterSafelyinChildCareBleach-watersolutionispoisonousandcanbedangeroustochildren.Keepchildrensafefromaccidentalpoisoningwiththesesimpletips:• Cleanobjectsandsurfaceswhenchildrenarenotaround,orplacethemoutof
children'sreachwhiletheydry.• Donotallowchildrentohandlebleach-watersolution.• Keepchildrenawayfromdisinfectedsurfacesuntilthebleach-watersolutiondries.• Storebleachandothertoxicchemicalsintheiroriginalcontainersinalockedcabinet
orcloset.• Storebleach-watersolutioninalockedcabinetoutofchildren'sreach.• Besuretolabelspraybottlessoadultswillknowwhat'sinthem.
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