Toy Cleaning & Sanitation Procedure

TOY CLEANING & SANITATION PROCEDURE

Guidelines
Cleaning agents (soap, detergent) are not disinfectants, and disinfectants
are not cleaning agents. Disinfectants will not work effectively if the surface
has not been cleaned. Disinfectants are meant to sanitize toys and kill
germs that spread illness and disease.
Toys need to be cleaned and sanitized using the following procedures:
Cleaning
At the least, all toys will be cleaned Weekly. Toys that appear or are known
to be dirty will be cleaned or made not accessible to children until they can
be cleaned and sanitized. Toys that have been observed in a child’s mouth
or used by a child who is ill, needs to be removed until they can be cleaned
and sanitized.
Cleaning is defined as putting the toys in soapy water and wiping with a rag
or scrubbed to remove dirt. Clean toys can then be rinsed, then put in a
sanitizing solution and allowed to air dry or they can be run through a
sanitation dish washer and allowed to air dry.

Sanitation
At the least, toys will be sanitized every week following the portfolio cleaning schedule. This can be done by wiping a cloth of disinfectant solution (EP 66 or ES64* or 1000 PPM solution of bleach/water) over the toys, or by spraying a disinfectant solution on the toys and allowing them to air dry.

When there are known illnesses in the centre, during a pandemic or during flu season, it is appropriate to spray disinfectant on the toys and equipment after every use. *If a professional brand solution is used, the label directions must be followed (such as whether wiping off residue is necessary). MSDS Sheets are posted on the staff board in every program.

Additional Information:

• Sanitizing toys is not to be done while the children are present.
• It is appropriate to use parent or community volunteers to help follow the cleaning/sanitizing schedule.
• Other staff can be used to assist with the cleaning schedule when approved by your supervisor.