Green Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: A Curriculum for Early ...
Cleaning Sanitizing and Disinfecting in Child Care...Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting in Child...
Transcript of Cleaning Sanitizing and Disinfecting in Child Care...Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting in Child...
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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