Cleaning Products for Childcare Facilities in Australia

What Cleaning Products Should Each Zone Use?

Different zones in a childcare facility carry different contamination risks and require different product formulations. Using a single all-purpose disinfectant across every zone in a childcare centre is a common compliance gap - it either overexposes low-risk surfaces to unnecessary chemical treatment or under-treats high-risk zones that require hospital-grade products.



The table below maps each facility zone to the appropriate product type under NHMRC and ACECQA guidance.

What Products Does NHMRC Recommend for Toy Cleaning in Childcare?

The NHMRC Staying Healthy guide specifies a 0.1% sodium hypochlorite solution as the standard sanitising agent for hard toys and play equipment in early childhood settings - this is a significantly lower concentration than household bleach (which typically runs at 2-5% sodium hypochlorite). The 0.1% concentration achieves the required pathogen kill against enteroviruses, rhinovirus, and bacterial contaminants without leaving a residue level harmful to children.

Toys that children mouth require particular attention to contact time and rinsing: the sanitiser must remain on the surface for the period specified on the product label before being thoroughly rinsed with clean water and allowed to air dry completely. Mouthed toys that are not rinsed after sanitisation expose children to chemical ingestion. An alternative to sodium hypochlorite for mouthed toys is a TGA-registered hypochlorous acid-based disinfectant (such as Nanocyn), which breaks down to a saltwater solution after use and does not require rinsing - making it more suitable for toys in active rotation.

For detailed guidance on toy-specific cleaning frequency and protocols, Everyday Clean's resource on how often daycare should clean toys outlines the NHMRC-aligned schedule used in compliant facilities.

What Products Are Required for Nappy Change Stations?

Nappy change stations represent the highest cross-contamination risk zone in any childcare facility. Faecal-oral transmission routes for norovirus, rotavirus, hand, foot and mouth disease, and campylobacter are all associated with inadequate nappy change hygiene. The required product protocol after every nappy change is:

• Clean the station surface with pH-neutral detergent on a disposable cloth or single-use paper wipe.
• Disinfect with a TGA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant at the correct dilution, applied at the required contact time (minimum 30 seconds, up to 4 minutes depending on the product's ARTG-assessed kill time).
• Use a colour-coded cloth system to ensure the cloth used on the nappy change station is never used on food preparation surfaces or classroom areas. NHMRC recommends blue for general areas, red for bathrooms and change stations.



Products like Biosan II RTU (hospital-grade, TGA-approved) and Agar Tango (hospital-grade, 5L concentrate) are used by professional childcare cleaning operators in Australia for change station disinfection because they carry ARTG registration for the specific pathogens relevant to nappy change contamination profiles.

What Chemicals Should Childcare Facilities Never Use?

Several cleaning product categories that are widely used in commercial and domestic settings carry specific risks in childcare environments and should be excluded from product procurement entirely.

• Synthetic fragrances. Fragranced cleaning products are among the most common sources of indoor air quality degradation in childcare facilities. "Fragrance" on an ingredient label represents a proprietary blend that can legally contain hundreds of chemical compounds - many of them VOCs, phthalates, or benzene derivatives not individually disclosed. Children breathing in a freshly cleaned room with heavily fragranced products are exposed to VOC concentrations that exceed what is safe for developing respiratory and neurological systems. Products should be unscented or use only GECA-approved natural fragrance at concentrations within the GECA threshold.

• Ammonia and ammonia-based glass cleaners. Ammonia is a respiratory irritant at concentrations far lower than adults would find noticeable. For children with pre-existing asthma or undeveloped airway sensitivity, ammonia vapour in recently cleaned rooms poses a measurable health risk. It should be removed from childcare product inventories entirely.

• Bleach at full domestic concentration. While 0.1% sodium hypochlorite is NHMRC-specified for toy sanitisation, standard household bleach (2-5% sodium hypochlorite) must never be used undiluted on surfaces children contact directly. At full concentration, bleach is a strong oxidiser that irritates skin, eyes, and respiratory mucosa, and leaves a reactive residue on surfaces. The preparation of correctly diluted bleach solutions should be done by trained staff in a ventilated area, with the solution discarded after use rather than stored - sodium hypochlorite degrades rapidly and a stored diluted solution will lose efficacy within 24 hours.

• Products without Safety Data Sheets on file. The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Safe Work Australia's hazardous chemicals guidance require that a current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is maintained and accessible for every chemical product stored or used at a workplace, including childcare facilities. Products that do not have an SDS, or whose SDS is not available to staff, must not be used. This is not merely a compliance requirement - the SDS contains first aid procedures, spill response, and PPE requirements that staff need to respond safely to chemical incidents.

For a curated list of ACECQA-aligned, child-safe product formulations, Everyday Clean's resource on child-safe disinfectants provides a practical reference for facility managers and directors.

How Should Cleaning Products Be Stored in a Childcare Facility?

Correct storage of cleaning products in a childcare facility is a distinct compliance obligation under both ACECQA's National Quality Framework and Safe Work Australia's requirements for hazardous chemical management. The following storage requirements are non-negotiable:

• All cleaning chemicals must be stored in a locked, ventilated cabinet that is inaccessible to children. The lock must be functional and engaged when the cabinet is not actively in use by staff.
• Products must be stored in their original labelled containers. Decanted products transferred to unlabelled bottles are both a safety hazard and a WHS compliance failure.
• Cleaning chemicals must never be stored in proximity to food, in children's bathrooms, or in areas where children have unsupervised access.
• A first in, first out (FIFO) inventory rotation should be applied to prevent products exceeding shelf life. Disinfectants past their use-by date do not maintain TGA-assessed efficacy and must be discarded according to SDS disposal guidance.
• Staff must be trained in product contact time requirements - the duration the product must remain wet on a surface to achieve its kill claim. Wiping immediately after spraying satisfies a cleaning function but does not achieve disinfection, regardless of what the product label states.

For childcare facilities seeking a reference scheduling resource for these protocols, Everyday Clean's daily cleaning checklist for childcare centres covers product assignment by zone and staff task allocation.

Should Childcare Facilities Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products?

The evidence supporting a transition to GECA-certified, low-VOC, and fragrance-free cleaning products in childcare facilities has moved well beyond preference into documented health outcome data. A longitudinal study from the University of Melbourne found that children attending facilities using conventional cleaning products had higher rates of skin sensitivity and respiratory issues compared to children in facilities using low-toxic alternatives. Non-toxic, TGA-registered formulations now provide equivalent pathogen control without the associated chemical exposure risks.

The practical benefits for childcare operators include reduced risk of staff chemical injury (non-toxic products typically require no PPE for routine use), lower VOC concentrations in indoor air (measurable benefit to children's respiratory health), and ACECQA alignment with Quality Area 3, Element 3.2.3, which requires that the service demonstrate environmentally responsible practice.

GECA-certified products are not universally available across every cleaning category, and they do not replace TGA-registered disinfectants where disinfection is clinically required. The recommended procurement approach is: GECA-certified all-purpose cleaners, floor cleaners, bathroom cleaners, and hand soaps for core cleaning categories; TGA-registered disinfectants with ARTG numbers for zones where specific kill claims are required (nappy change stations, bathrooms, outbreak response scenarios).



Everyday Clean's guide on green cleaning for childcare facilities outlines how the transition to low-tox products is structured without creating gaps in infection control compliance.

FAQs About Cleaning Products for Childcare Facilities

The questions below reflect the most common concerns raised by childcare directors, educators, and compliance managers navigating product selection under Australia's National Quality Framework and NHMRC hygiene guidelines.

Do all cleaning products used in childcare need to be TGA-registered?

TGA registration is required specifically for products that make a pathogen kill claim - that is, products marketed as disinfectants, sanitisers, or hospital-grade cleaners. A general pH-neutral all-purpose cleaner that does not claim to kill specific bacteria or viruses is not classified as a therapeutic good and does not require TGA registration, though it should still meet GECA criteria and be free from restricted chemical classes. The practical approach for childcare facilities is: use GECA-certified or low-tox all-purpose cleaners for general surface cleaning, and reserve TGA-registered disinfectants with ARTG numbers for zones where the NHMRC specifies disinfection - nappy change stations, bathrooms, food contact surfaces, and any area contaminated with blood, vomit, or faecal matter.

Can childcare facilities use bleach to clean toys?

Bleach in the form of sodium hypochlorite is specified by NHMRC's Staying Healthy guide as an effective sanitiser for hard, non-mouthed toys at a concentration of 0.1% (not standard household bleach concentration). At this dilution, it achieves the required pathogen reduction for enteroviruses and norovirus. However, for toys that children mouth, rinse-free alternatives such as TGA-registered hypochlorous acid-based products are increasingly preferred because they eliminate the risk of children ingesting bleach residue. Bleach must never be applied undiluted to toys or child-contact surfaces, must be prepared fresh rather than stored, and must never be mixed with ammonia-based or acidic cleaners - the combination produces chloramine or chlorine gas, which is a serious respiratory hazard.

What is the correct cleaning product for nappy change areas in childcare?

Nappy change stations must be cleaned with pH-neutral detergent after every change to remove organic contamination, followed immediately by a TGA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant applied with the correct contact time. Products appropriate for this application include Biosan II RTU, Agar Tango concentrate, and Nanocyn, all of which carry current ARTG registrations and kill claims against the faecal-oral pathogens most relevant to nappy change contamination. A colour-coded cloth system (red cloths designated exclusively for bathroom and change station zones) prevents cross-contamination between high-risk and low-risk areas. Staff applying disinfectants in change station areas should wear gloves and ensure the area is vacated by children during the contact time.

Are fragrance-free products actually better for children in childcare?

Fragrance-free products are clinically preferable in childcare environments. "Fragrance" as listed on a product label, represents a proprietary chemical blend that manufacturers are not required to disclose in full. Common fragrance components - phthalates, benzene derivatives, terpenes, and synthetic musks - are classified as VOCs that degrade indoor air quality and are associated with respiratory sensitisation, asthma exacerbation, and endocrine disruption in children. Research from the University of Melbourne found measurable differences in respiratory health outcomes between children in fragrance-heavy facilities versus low-tox environments. Facilities procuring fragrance-free or GECA-certified unscented products reduce the cumulative chemical exposure burden across the facility's indoor air environment - a benefit particularly significant in rooms with limited ventilation and high occupant density.

What should childcare facilities do during an infectious disease outbreak?

During an outbreak of a gastrointestinal or respiratory illness - norovirus, rotavirus, hand, foot and mouth disease, or influenza - the cleaning protocol escalates beyond routine procedures. All surfaces in affected rooms must be cleaned with detergent first to remove organic matter, then disinfected with a TGA-registered product with a verified kill claim against the specific pathogen involved. Cleaning frequency increases to after every suspected exposure event, not just at the end of the day. Soft toys and fabric items should be removed from use until machine-washed and dried. Staff must use gloves and, where aerosol risk exists, face masks. Contaminated materials (soiled cloths, disposable wipes, used PPE) should be double-bagged and disposed of as per WHS waste management guidance. ACECQA requires that outbreak events and the response measures taken are documented - including the specific products used, their ARTG numbers, and the contact times applied.

Why Professional Childcare Cleaning Ensures Compliance That In-House Protocols Miss

In-house cleaning by childcare educators addresses visible surface contamination during operational hours but does not deliver the systematic, zone-specific, product-matched cleaning protocols required for full ACECQA compliance. Educators do not deep-clean nappy change station seams, disinfect door handle backing plates, treat carpet edges with low-allergen sanitiser, or document product ARTG numbers and contact times for compliance audit purposes.

Everyday Clean's childcare cleaning services in Sydney are built specifically for early learning environments - using TGA-registered disinfectants in high-risk zones, GECA-certified or low-tox all-purpose cleaners in child-contact areas, colour-coded microfibre cloth systems across zones, and documented cleaning records available for ACECQA assessment. All staff are police-checked, trained in NHMRC Staying Healthy protocols, and equipped with the correct product formulations for every zone in the facility.