Products We Use — Safe for Children & the Environment
A complete reference to the cleaning products and supplies Golden Star uses across Melbourne childcare and daycare facilities. Every product category, the certification standard it meets, the facility areas it is used in, and why it was chosen for a regulated childcare environment. Product register available on request for every client facility.
Product Certification Standards We Require
Every cleaning product used by Golden Star in a childcare facility must meet at least one — and often two or more — of the following certification standards. These standards are not marketing preferences; they are the specific certifications that NQS Quality Area 2, National Regulations, and ACECQA assessment requirements reference. A centre whose product register cannot cite GECA certification and TGA registration for the appropriate products has a Quality Area 2 documentation gap.
GECA Certified
Good Environmental Choice Australia. Independent assessment confirming no harmful chemicals, no harmful VOC levels, biodegradable formulation. Aligned with NQS QA2 product requirements. Required for all general cleaning products in child-occupied areas.
TGA Listed
Therapeutic Goods Administration listing. Required for any product used as a disinfectant in nappy change areas and bathrooms under National Regulations Section 77. Confirms efficacy against specified pathogens at the registered concentration and contact time.
VOC-Free or Low-VOC
Volatile organic compound content confirmed as zero or below harmful threshold. Required for all products used in enclosed childcare rooms — particularly sleep rooms and poorly ventilated spaces. VOC-free is a specific GECA certification criterion and an NQS QA2 expectation for child-present environments.
AS/NZS 4146
Australian/New Zealand Standard for food-safe sanitisers used on food contact surfaces. Required for products applied to kitchen benchtops, cutting boards, high chair trays, and utensil storage areas in childcare centres. Confirms food-safe efficacy and formulation.
Childcare Cleaning Products by Facility Area — Our Product Register
The following table reflects the product category and certification requirements applied in each major facility area. Every Golden Star client receives a current, facility-specific product register with GECA certification references and TGA registration numbers for each product in the programme.
| Facility Area | Product Category | Certifications | Key Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playrooms & activity areas — floors | Neutral pH floor cleaner | GECAVOC-free | Neutral pH — compatible with vinyl and safety flooring. No alkaline strippers above pH 9.5 |
| High-touch surfaces — all rooms | GECA surface sanitiser | GECAVOC-free | Spray-and-wipe; no rinse required; effective on hard non-porous surfaces; child-safe residue profile |
| Toys — hard plastic, under-2 | Enzyme-based sanitiser | GECAFragrance-free | Enzyme-based — no toxic residue after drying; safe for mouthed items; no TGA listing required for general toy sanitisation |
| Nappy change area | TGA-listed disinfectant | TGA ListedGECA | TGA-listed for norovirus, rotavirus, E. coli efficacy. Section 77 compliant. Contact time per registration. Non-toxic at child-contact concentrations |
| Bathrooms & toilets | TGA-listed disinfectant | TGA ListedGECA | Pathogen efficacy per TGA registration. Same product category as nappy area — applied daily minimum and following any illness event |
| Kitchen — food contact surfaces | Food-safe sanitiser | AS/NZS 4146GECA | AS/NZS 4146 compliant — effective against Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, Campylobacter. Safe for food contact surfaces without rinsing at correct concentration |
| Sleep rooms — all surfaces | Fragrance-free, VOC-free sanitiser | GECAVOC-freeFragrance-free | Zero fragrance compounds — no aromatic VOC off-gassing in rooms where children breathe at floor/mattress level for extended periods |
| Carpet — HEPA vacuum | HEPA-filter vacuum (equipment, not product) | GECA | 0.3 micron HEPA filtration — captures allergens including Dermatophagoides allergen particles rather than recirculating them. Standard vacuums not used in childcare |
| Carpet — deep clean | Residue-free extraction solution | GECALow-fragrance | No surfactant residue in carpet pile after drying — no chemical contact risk for children. Used with hot water extraction equipment at term break minimum |
| Outdoor — pressure washing | Biodegradable detergent | GECA | Biodegradable — safe for stormwater run-off and adjacent garden areas. Water-only used where surface conditions allow; detergent added for heavy algae and oil staining only |
| Windows — interior | Ammonia-free glass cleaner | GECAVOC-free | Ammonia-free — no respiratory irritant fumes in enclosed childcare rooms. Streak-free finish for NQS QA3 natural light compliance |
| Biohazard incidents | TGA-listed pathogen-specific disinfectant | TGA Listed | Matched to specific pathogen — norovirus/rotavirus efficacy for gastro events, bloodborne pathogen efficacy for blood incidents, RSV/influenza efficacy for respiratory events |
Product Register — Available for Every Client Facility
Every Golden Star client receives a current product register listing every product used in their facility with its GECA certification reference, TGA registration number where applicable, area of use, dilution rate, and SDS reference. The register is formatted for NQS Quality Area 2 ACECQA assessment submission and is updated whenever products change. Request your product register by calling 0484 042 336 or contacting your Golden Star service coordinator.
Childcare Cleaning Supplies — What Your Centre Needs On Site
Golden Star supplies all cleaning products as part of the cleaning service — centres do not need to stock the full cleaning programme. However, National Regulations and NQS Quality Area 2 require that certain supplies are maintained on site at all times for use by educators and staff between professional cleaning visits. Below is what every regulated childcare facility in Melbourne should keep on site.
Biohazard / Vomit Kit
Disposable nitrile gloves, disposable apron, surgical-grade mask, scoop tool, double-bagged disposal bags. Required for immediate response to vomit, faecal, and blood incidents between cleaning visits.
Required on-siteNappy Change Disinfectant
TGA-listed disinfectant for nappy change area use after every nappy change. National Regulations Section 77 requires immediate disinfection after each change — the centre cannot wait for the next cleaning service.
Required on-site — Section 77Hand Hygiene Supplies
Liquid soap and paper towels at all handwashing stations. Hand sanitiser at entry points and in rooms without immediate sink access. NHMRC handwashing guidelines require adequate hand hygiene supplies at all times.
Required on-siteBin Liners
Bin liners for all room bins. Nappy disposal area liners. Biohazard waste bags (double-bagging) for incident disposal. Centres need a stock of liners to maintain bin hygiene between cleaning visits.
Required on-siteSafety Data Sheets (SDS)
A printed or accessible digital SDS for every cleaning product stored on site — including the TGA-listed disinfectant and the biohazard kit products. WorkSafe Victoria requires SDS to be accessible to all staff who may be exposed to the product.
Required on-site — WorkSafeBetween-Clean Surface Wipes
GECA-certified surface sanitiser wipes or spray for educator use between professional cleans — wiping down high chairs after meals, wiping noses and face contact surfaces, and spot-treating any contamination that occurs during the day.
Recommended on-siteProducts That Must Not Be Kept or Used in Childcare Facilities
Bleach-based cleaning products, ammonia-based glass cleaners, petrochemical floor degreasers, and any product without GECA certification must not be used in child-occupied areas. These products create chemical residue on surfaces children contact, off-gas harmful fumes in enclosed spaces, and do not meet the NQS Quality Area 2 product standard. Standard supermarket cleaning products — even those marketed as "natural" or "antibacterial" — should not be assumed to meet GECA certification requirements. For more detail, see our eco-friendly cleaning page.
Sourcing Childcare Cleaning Supplies in Melbourne
All Golden Star cleaning products are sourced from Australian commercial cleaning product suppliers that stock GECA-certified, TGA-listed formulations for regulated healthcare and childcare environments. Products are selected based on current certification status, confirmed VOC-free formulation, surface compatibility, and specific efficacy evidence for the pathogens relevant to childcare settings. We do not use consumer-grade cleaning products from supermarkets or hardware stores in any childcare facility.
Approved providers who wish to source their own between-clean supplies (nappy area disinfectant, surface sanitiser wipes, hand hygiene products) should look for products with current GECA certification and, for disinfectants, current TGA listing. Your Golden Star service coordinator can advise on appropriate product types for specific areas if needed. All Golden Star cleaning supplies are brought to site by the cleaning team — centres do not need to purchase or store the professional cleaning programme.
For detailed information about our products and process, see our cleaning process page and eco-friendly cleaning page, or view our full childcare cleaning services. All Golden Star staff hold current Victorian Working With Children Checks under the Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic), and chemical handling complies with WorkSafe Victoria OHS Regulations.
The Product Register and ACECQA — Why Documentation Matters
ACECQA assessors examining a centre under NQS Quality Area 2 may request to see the facility's product register during a quality assessment visit. A product register that can only state "GECA-certified products are used" without citing specific GECA certification reference numbers and TGA registration numbers for the individual products in use is less compelling than a register with precise certification evidence for each product category. The NHMRC Staying Healthy guidelines require that products meet specified standards — and the standard of evidence ACECQA expects is a register that demonstrates this compliance product by product, area by area. Golden Star's product registers are structured to provide exactly this level of documentation, formatted for the specific requirements of a Quality Area 2 assessment evidence package.
Childcare Cleaning Products — Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about cleaning products, supplies, and product standards for childcare and daycare centres in Melbourne.
Get a Full Product Register with Your Childcare Cleaning Quote
Every Golden Star quote includes a facility-specific product register with GECA and TGA references for every product used — ready for ACECQA assessment. View all childcare cleaning services or visit our about page.