Products We Use
These are the products we use for cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting in childcare settings across Melbourne, where each one goes, and why most of the work needs nothing stronger than detergent and warm water. It is written for directors and educators who want to know exactly what is being used in rooms their children spend all day in. It sits alongside the story behind our team and how we work.
- Neutral detergentEvery surface
- Floor cleanerEvery floor
- Food-grade sanitiserKitchen only
- DisinfectantHigh-risk only
- Chlorine productGastro only
- RegisterEvery product named
- Safety data sheetsFor every product
- Fragrance-freeWherever one exists
- WWCC checkedThe people using them
What do we use for cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting in childcare settings?
Five kinds of product, each kept to its own job: a neutral detergent for almost every surface, a low-residue floor cleaner, a food-grade sanitiser for the kitchen, a hospital-grade disinfectant for high-risk areas, and a chlorine-based product for gastro outbreaks only. Nothing else comes on site.
| Product type | Where it is used | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Neutral detergent | Tables, shelves, toys, touch points, walls | Removes grime and most germs, leaves nothing on a child's hands |
| Low-residue floor cleaner | Vinyl, lino, timber and tiled floors | Dries without a sticky film where babies crawl |
| Food-grade sanitiser | Kitchen benches, high chair trays, bottle prep | Approved for surfaces that touch food |
| Hospital-grade disinfectant | Nappy change, toilets, potties, body fluid spills | Kills germs a detergent alone may leave behind |
| Chlorine-based disinfectant | Gastro outbreaks, at the strength the health department sets | Works on norovirus, which shrugs off many others |
The register we give you names the actual product for each line, with its safety data sheet and, for disinfectants, its listing on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. We do not print brand names on this page because they can change with supply, and your register is always the current, accurate version.
When do we use disinfectant, and which kind?
Only on surfaces that carry real risk: nappy change areas, toilets and potties, and anywhere vomit, faeces or blood has been. The disinfectant is always applied after a detergent clean, left for its full contact time, and chosen from products listed with the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
- Rule 1Clean first
Disinfectant does little on a dirty surface, so detergent always goes on first.
- Rule 2Wait for it
The label's contact time is kept, and recorded on the log.
- Rule 3Listed products
We choose disinfectants listed on the ARTG, so their claims have been assessed.
Not every disinfectant sold in Australia has to be on the register; the TGA explains which ones do. We choose listed products deliberately, because a listing means the product's claims have been looked at, and it gives you a number to check against rather than a marketing label.
Why do we keep rooms fragrance-free?
Because scent is not cleanliness, and strong fragrances can bother children with asthma or sensitive skin. A room cleaned with neutral detergent smells of very little, which is how a clean room should smell. We choose unscented products wherever one exists and never use air fresheners.
Fragranced products are often used to cover up a smell rather than remove its cause. In childcare that cause is usually a floor waste, a nappy bin or a damp carpet, and the fix is cleaning the source, not masking it. If a room smells when educators arrive, we want to know, because it means something was missed.
If a child in your service has a particular sensitivity, tell us and we will check every product on the register against it, and swap anything that could cause a problem.
- Air fresheners and scented sprays
- Aerosols used while children are present
- Unlabelled or decanted mystery bottles
- Products without a safety data sheet
- Mixing bleach with any other product
Good Environmental Choice Australia certifies products, not companies. Where a product on your register carries the label, the register says so; we do not claim the certification for ourselves.
We dampen dusting rather than dry-dusting, avoid any spray while the room is occupied, and ventilate after mopping, so nothing lingers in the air for the morning.
Do we sell childcare cleaning supplies?
No. We are a cleaning service, not a supplier, so we do not sell products to centres. What we can do is tell you which product types we would keep on hand for your educators' daytime cleaning, so the products they use match the ones on our register.
Keeping the daytime and evening products consistent helps more than people expect. Educators know what each bottle is for, the chemical register stays short, and there is no risk of a daytime product reacting with something we use at night. It also means one set of safety data sheets covers the whole day.
How do you get our full product register?
Ask for it with your quote, or at any time if you are already a client. You receive the product names, where each is used, the safety data sheets and the ARTG listings for disinfectants, ready to add to your own chemical register.
When a product changes, you get the updated register and safety data sheet before the new product is used in your building.
- 1Request itWith a quote or at any time.
- 2Check itAgainst any sensitivities in your service.
- 3File itWith your chemical register and cleaning folder.
What do educators ask about our products?
The two product questions educators ask us most, usually during the first walk-through.
01Do you use bleach?
02Can we see SDS?
Know every product in your building.
Names, safety data sheets and listings, on request.