FAQ

In a childcare or daycare setting, daily cleaning means every room used by children must be cleaned and documented after every session — before the building is occupied again. It is not sufficient to clean once a week or to skip days where the centre operates at lower enrolment. NHMRC Childcare Cleaning Guidelines specify the minimum scope of daily cleaning by facility area:

• Playrooms and activity areas: floor vacuuming and mopping, high-touch surface disinfection
• Nappy change areas: full disinfection of change tables, sinks, floors, and bins after every nappy change and at end of day
• Bathrooms and toilets: full disinfection of all fixtures, floors, and door handles
• Kitchen: surface cleaning and disinfection after every food preparation session
• Sleep rooms: floor cleaning and high-touch surface disinfection

Each of these tasks must be documented in a signed cleaning log for NQS compliance purposes.

Term break deep cleans should be completed during the break period — ideally within the first two days of closure, giving time for any follow-up work before children return. Deep cleans cover all areas that cannot be adequately addressed during routine daily cleaning, including:

• Floor-to-ceiling cleaning of all rooms including walls, skirtings, window sills, and air vents
• Full toy sanitisation across all age groups
• Sleep room thorough clean including all mattresses, cots, and sleep equipment
• Kitchen appliance deep clean including behind and underneath equipment
• Outdoor area pressure washing and equipment disinfection
• Gutter and drain inspection and clearing where applicable

Documentation from each term break deep clean should be retained and presented to ACECQA assessors as evidence of systematic, periodic deep cleaning under NQS Quality Area 2 and 3.

NHMRC Childcare Cleaning Guidelines recommend that frequently mouthed toys — particularly in under-2 and toddler rooms — be sanitised daily or after each use by a child showing signs of illness. Hard plastic toys in shared play areas should be sanitised weekly. Soft toys should be laundered at least weekly. Wooden toys should be wiped down with a GECA-certified, food-safe sanitising solution weekly and fully dried before return to play areas.

During an illness outbreak, all toys in the affected rooms must be fully sanitised before children return, regardless of their last cleaning date. Golden Star's toy sanitisation service uses enzyme-based, child-safe cleaning solutions that eliminate bacteria and viruses without damaging materials or leaving toxic residue.

Safe childcare cleaning products must meet all of the following criteria: GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) certified, TGA-listed for disinfectants used in nappy change areas and bathrooms, non-toxic, VOC (volatile organic compound) free, and plant-based where possible. Fragrance-free formulations are strongly recommended for sleep rooms and allergy-sensitive environments.

Products must not leave residue that could be ingested by infants crawling on floors or mouthing surfaces. A full product safety data register should be maintained and made available to ACECQA assessors on request. Golden Star provides a complete product register as part of every service agreement.

The following products must not be used in childcare or daycare facilities where children aged 0–12 are present:

• Bleach-based sprays and solutions (sodium hypochlorite at cleaning concentrations)
• Ammonia-based cleaners and glass cleaners
• Petrochemical disinfectants and degreasers
• Products containing VOCs — these off-gas harmful fumes in enclosed spaces
• Strongly fragranced products — fragrance compounds are common allergens and irritants for children
• Industrial-grade floor strippers and polishes not formulated for child-contact surfaces

These products can cause respiratory irritation, skin sensitisation, and chemical burns in young children, and their use in a childcare facility constitutes a breach of NQS Quality Area 2 obligations. Golden Star brings none of these products onto client sites.

GECA stands for Good Environmental Choice Australia — Australia's independent ecolabelling programme that certifies products and services meeting strict environmental and human health standards. GECA-certified cleaning products have been independently assessed to confirm they contain no harmful chemicals, are biodegradable, have reduced environmental impact across their lifecycle, and are safe for use in sensitive environments including those occupied by children.

GECA certification is the most widely recognised product safety standard for childcare environments in Australia. ACECQA assessors and NQS auditors recognise GECA certification as evidence of appropriate product selection under Quality Area 2. All products used by Golden Star across Melbourne childcare cleaning services carry current GECA certification.

NQS Quality Area 2 — Children's Health and Safety — is one of the seven Quality Areas assessed by ACECQA under Australia's National Quality Framework. It covers all aspects of how a childcare or daycare centre protects the physical health and safety of the children in its care, including hygiene practices, illness management, and the physical safety of the environment.

Under Quality Area 2, assessors specifically examine cleaning records, product registers, infection control policies, nappy change procedures, and food safety practices. A centre that cannot demonstrate documented, systematic cleaning that meets NHMRC Childcare Cleaning Guidelines will receive a lower rating in Quality Area 2 — potentially affecting its overall NQS rating and ability to market itself to prospective families.

ACECQA assessors typically request the following cleaning-related documentation during an NQS assessment or quality assessment visit:

• Signed daily cleaning logs for the preceding 3–12 months, showing date, time, areas cleaned, products used, and staff name
• The centre's written cleaning programme or schedule
• Product safety data sheets for all cleaning and disinfection products used on-site
• Evidence of GECA certification or TGA listing for products used in high-risk areas
• Nappy change area cleaning and disinfection protocols aligned with National Regulations Section 77
• Term break deep clean records for each break period in the year under review
• Outbreak response records for any illness events during the assessment period

Golden Star Childcare Cleaning provides all of this documentation as standard — delivered after every clean and retained on file for 12+ months.

National Regulations Section 77 (Regulation 77 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations) requires that the approved provider of a childcare or daycare service must ensure the service premises are maintained in a clean and hygienic condition at all times, and that any soiled or unsafe items are removed from children's access immediately.

Section 77 applies specifically to all areas of the service premises — including nappy change areas, bathrooms, kitchens, sleep rooms, and outdoor spaces. It places a positive legal obligation on approved providers to maintain documented cleaning practices. A failure to comply with Section 77 can result in regulatory notices, compliance directions, and in serious cases, suspension of an approved provider's licence under the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (Vic).

Yes. Under the Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic), any person who works in a childcare or daycare facility — including cleaning staff — in a role that involves contact or proximity to children must hold a current Victorian Working With Children Check (WWCC). This applies even if the cleaning occurs outside of operational hours when children are not present, because the WWCC obligation attaches to the role and the facility type, not just to the moment of direct child contact.

Allowing an unvetted cleaner to enter a childcare facility is a breach of the National Law and may constitute a regulatory offence. All Golden Star Childcare Cleaning staff hold current WWCCs and national police clearances verified before first deployment to any client facility. Copies of credentials are available on request.

Any professional childcare cleaning company operating in Melbourne should carry a minimum of $10M public liability insurance, though $20M is the industry standard for facilities working with regulated childcare providers. Public liability insurance protects against claims arising from property damage or personal injury caused during cleaning operations.

In addition to public liability, a compliant cleaning provider should carry workers' compensation insurance covering all staff, and professional indemnity insurance where applicable. Golden Star Childcare Cleaning carries $20M public liability insurance and is fully WorkSafe Victoria compliant. Proof of insurance is available on request for your centre's supplier register.

Yes. Golden Star assigns a consistent team to each client facility and maintains that assignment as the default for every scheduled visit. Consistent team assignment is important in a regulated childcare environment for several reasons: the team becomes familiar with the facility layout, cleaning priorities, and any centre-specific requirements; centre directors know who is in the building; and the regulatory risk of introducing unvetted personnel is eliminated.

In the event of unavoidable staff changes due to illness or leave, any substitute team member assigned to your facility will hold a current WWCC and police clearance and will be fully briefed on your centre's cleaning programme before attending.

Childcare cleaning costs in Melbourne depend on your facility's floor area, number of rooms, operational hours, cleaning frequency, and compliance documentation requirements. Because every centre is different, we do not publish a standard rate card — a blanket hourly or per-square-metre rate applied without a site assessment will almost always result in either underdelivered service or a price that does not reflect the actual scope of work.

Golden Star provides written, fixed-price quotes following a free on-site assessment. The written quote includes a detailed childcare cleaning programme specifying scope, frequency, products, and compliance documentation — not just a price. See our pricing page for more detail, or call 0484 042 336 to arrange your assessment.

No. Golden Star Childcare Cleaning does not require lock-in contracts. Service agreements are structured around your centre's operational needs and cleaning schedule, with flexible notice periods. We rely on consistent service quality, reliable compliance documentation, and responsive communication to retain clients — not contractual lock-in. If at any point you are not satisfied with the service, you are free to provide notice and transition to another provider.

Yes. Signed cleaning logs, NQS Quality Area 2 and 3 compliance records, and ACECQA-formatted documentation are included as standard in every Golden Star service agreement — not charged as an optional add-on. This is a deliberate policy because compliance documentation is a legal requirement under the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (Vic), not a discretionary feature. Any cleaning provider that charges extra for compliance documentation is charging extra for something that is legally required.

Golden Star Childcare Cleaning services all regulated early childhood education facility types across metropolitan Melbourne, including:

• Childcare centres — centre-based long day care facilities of all sizes
• Daycare centres — sessional and full-day daycare services
• Long day care services — extended-hours facilities with split-shift cleaning requirements
• Family day care homes — residential settings operating as regulated family day care services
• OSHC services — before and after school care facilities operating from school sites or community halls

Each facility type has different compliance requirements, cleaning scopes, and scheduling constraints. Our cleaning programme is tailored specifically to each facility type rather than applying a generic commercial cleaning approach. See our full childcare cleaning services for details.

Technically yes, but a general commercial cleaning company cannot meet the regulatory requirements that apply to a childcare facility. The differences are significant:

• General commercial cleaners are not required to hold Working With Children Checks — in a childcare facility, this is a legal requirement
• Commercial cleaning products are typically not GECA-certified or child-safe — many contain VOCs and harsh chemicals prohibited in childcare environments
• General commercial cleaners do not produce NQS compliance documentation — ACECQA assessors will find no cleaning evidence during an assessment
• Commercial cleaners are not trained in NHMRC Childcare Cleaning Guidelines, nappy change area disinfection protocols, or outbreak response procedures

Approved providers who use a general commercial cleaner for their childcare facility are exposed to regulatory risk under National Regulations Section 77 and NQS Quality Area 2 and 3.

Golden Star Childcare Cleaning services 25 metropolitan Melbourne suburbs across all regions — inner city, north, east, south, south-east, and west. Our service area includes (but is not limited to): CBD, Southbank, Carlton, Fitzroy, Richmond, South Yarra, Brunswick, Essendon, Preston, Reservoir, Bundoora, Coburg, Hawthorn, Box Hill, Doncaster, Glen Waverley, Balwyn, St Kilda, Brighton, Moorabbin, Dandenong, Berwick, Narre Warren, Footscray, Sunshine, Werribee, Point Cook, and Hoppers Crossing.

No travel surcharges apply within the metropolitan service area. Contact us to confirm availability in your suburb.

When a gastroenteritis outbreak is confirmed or suspected at a childcare or daycare centre, the following steps should be taken immediately:

• Remove and isolate any affected children, following your centre's illness exclusion policy
• Notify the relevant health authority — in Victoria, contact the Department of Health for notifiable disease reporting obligations
• Contact your specialist childcare cleaning provider for an emergency outbreak deep clean — Golden Star targets 4-hour response
• Do not allow other children to use affected areas until the deep clean is complete and the space is cleared as safe
• Implement enhanced hand hygiene protocols across the whole facility during the outbreak period

AHPPC (Australian Health Protection Principal Committee) outbreak response protocols specify the disinfectants, application methods, and documentation required for a compliant gastroenteritis outbreak clean. Golden Star follows AHPPC protocols on all emergency response cleans and provides a written outbreak response report for health authority submission and insurer documentation.

Golden Star Childcare Cleaning targets a 4-hour on-site response time for illness outbreak emergency deep cleans across all Melbourne metropolitan suburbs we service. Our outbreak response teams carry AHPPC-compliant TGA-listed disinfectants and full cleaning equipment at all times, allowing rapid mobilisation without the delays of a standard booking process.

For outbreak response, call our direct line on 0484 042 336 — do not submit an online form as these are checked during business hours only. Our outbreak response line is monitored 7 days including public holidays.

Following every outbreak deep clean, Golden Star provides a written outbreak response report documenting: the date and time of the clean, the areas treated, the TGA-listed disinfectants applied and their concentrations, the AHPPC protocol followed, the staff who performed the clean and their WWCC numbers, and a sign-off confirming the facility was returned to a safe and hygienic condition.

This report is formatted for submission to the Department of Health (Vic), your insurer, and ACECQA assessors. It provides documented evidence that your centre responded to the illness event in compliance with all relevant health authority guidelines and NQS Quality Area 2 obligations.