Child care centers across the region provide a safe space for kids to play with toys and puzzles, read books, make art, eat snacks, run around with their pals, and nap. Preventing the spread of germs and keeping children healthy is a key challenge for child care providers, who are legally required to sanitize and disinfect surfaces and materials in their facilities. Bleach is widely used for sanitation because it’s inexpensive and effective, but solutions that are too strong can put child care staff and children at risk of toxic exposure.
Chlorine bleach: Understand the risks
When used correctly, bleach is highly effective at killing common bacteria and viruses on contact and does not need to be rinsed since it breaks down into harmless components. However, bleach is corrosive, can cause severe irritation or damage to eyes and skin, and can be especially harmful to people with asthma or other respiratory problems. When mixed with cleaning products like ammonia, bleach reacts with other chemicals and creates dangerously toxic fumes.
The easiest mistake to make with bleach is using too much. Sanitizing requires just a third of the bleach that disinfecting does, so it’s important to understand how to properly mix bleach solutions for each, and which type of solution to use in specific areas within childcare facilities. If a child care center smells like bleach, it may be using too much.
Free bleach safety kits for child care providers
Metro provides free bleach safety kits to help child care providers use only the amount of bleach needed to keep facilities clean and comply with the law while also minimizing children’s risk of toxic exposure. Each kit includes an online instructional video, calibrated pumps that measure the bleach for each solution, bleach safety labels and a bleach safety poster.
Sanitizing and disinfecting at child care facilities: It’s the law
In the United States, child care licensing laws require that only products registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency be used for sanitizing and disinfecting. Here in Oregon, child care providers must also follow U.S. Food and Drug Administration sanitizer guidelines for commercial food establishments and test for concentration strength. This additional FDA regulation limits the ability of child care providers to use less toxic products.
Metro’s free kit empowers child care providers to practice bleach safety and avoid more toxic disinfectants, and helps to ensure that their staff and the children they care for are safe from the hazard of chemical exposure.