Without strong cleaning procedures, day care centers quickly transform into havens for dirt and germs. So, when it comes time to choose a day care center cleaning service, you’ll want to choose carefully. You’ll need a team that can handle the unique cleaning needs of child care facilities. At the same time, you’ll want a company that delivers a kid-friendly clean.
At JAN-PRO®, we’re one of America’s leading providers of day care and preschool cleaning services. We know how confusing it can be to choose a day care center cleaning service. If you’re in this position, here are five central questions to help you choose the right vendor.
5 Questions When Choosing a Day Care Center Cleaning Service
1. Will they sanitize and/or disinfect your center effectively? Sanitization/disinfection will be a priority for any qualified day care center cleaning service.
Preschoolers frequently come into contact with germy surfaces, and they spread germs like nobody’s business. Worse yet, they have less robust immune systems than older kids and adults, further increasing their risk of infection.
To reduce the risk of infection in your day care center, you’ll want to talk with cleaning vendors about their approach to sanitization/disinfection. Which sanitizers and disinfectants do they use? How do they apply these products to different surfaces? Are their any areas they won’t be able to disinfect? And will these products be safe for your day care center?
2. Will they use safe and kid-friendly cleaning products? As a day care owner/operator, you’re tasked with maintaining a safe and healthy space for growing kids. To do so, you’ll need to be mindful about the cleaning products used in your facility.
Many cleaning products contain ingredients which can be harmful to children’s short-term health and long-term development if misused. Some of the most common culprits include chlorine bleach, ammonium, quaternary compounds, triclosan, and phthalates.
Before hiring a day care center cleaning service, you’ll want to discuss whether they use products that include these ingredients. If so, ask how they’ll make sure that these products are used safely. Or you can seek out a green cleaning service that uses non-toxic and kid-friendly products.
3. Will they keep the air free of dust and pollution? Most people think that a day care cleaning service is there just to keep surfaces clean and germ-free. But cleaners should also be keeping the air in your day care clean, limiting airborne pollutants like dust, allergens, mold spores, and airborne bacteria.
This can be accomplished through a mix of strategies. Microfiber textiles and HEPA filter vacuums can be used to trap dust and allergens. To limit mold and bacteria, cleaners may need to neutralize these pollutants at the source.
4. Will they be able to handle day care messes and accidents? Day care centers see their fair share of spills, messes, and accidents. In many cases, you’re left with unsightly stains or unpleasant odors. And in the worst cases, improper cleaning could leave your day care with expensive-to-fix problems, like mold growth or water damage.
A great day care cleaning service will be prepared for the worst that your day care has to offer. New artwork on your walls? Juice stains in your carpet? Bathroom accidents outside of your bathrooms? A great cleaning team will have the tools, products, and processes to clean up the mess. In the very worst cases, they’ll even neutralize unpleasant odors (instead of simply masking them).
5. Will they keep your facility safe and secure? When you hire a day care center cleaning service, tidiness and hygiene aren’t the only concerns. There’s also the matter of site security. Cleaners typically work after hours, which means they’ll have access to your day care center when you’re not there. If cleaners don’t take the proper security protocols, your facility could be at risk.
Before choosing a day care cleaning service, talk with vendors about how they approach site security. What protocols do they use for accessing and securing your site? Are their cleaners easy to identify by their uniforms? What kinds of screening procedures do they use for hiring cleaners?
Their answers will give you a strong sense of how they approach the safety and security of your day care. That’s a vital subject not just for you, but also for parents and children.
Discover a better day care center cleaning service with your local JAN-PRO! Call 866-355-1064 to learn more and request a FREE estimate!