How to Choose a Childcare Cleaning Company
A practical guide for Melbourne childcare approved providers and centre directors — the 7 questions to ask before signing a cleaning contract, what WWCC and insurance requirements apply, what documentation a compliant contractor must provide, red flags that indicate a contractor is not childcare-specialist, and how to evaluate value versus price.
Key Points — Why This Decision Matters for Compliance
Choosing a childcare cleaning company is not the same decision as choosing a commercial cleaner for an office. A childcare cleaning contractor is part of your NQS Quality Area 2 compliance infrastructure — the documentation they produce, the products they use, and the procedures they follow all directly contribute to or undermine your facility's ACECQA quality assessment evidence. Choosing a general commercial cleaner who does not specialise in childcare, does not use GECA-certified products, and does not produce ACECQA-formatted logs creates a compliance risk that the approved provider then has to manage independently.
The good news is that the questions you need to ask a prospective childcare cleaning company are specific and verifiable. A contractor who cannot answer these questions confidently — or who does not know what GECA certification, Section 77, or NQS Quality Area 2 mean — is not a specialist childcare cleaner, whatever they claim. Use the seven questions below as your evaluation framework before signing any cleaning contract.
The 7 Questions to Ask Every Prospective Childcare Cleaning Company
Do all your cleaning staff hold current Victorian Working With Children Checks?
Under the Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic), all staff who enter a childcare facility — including after-hours when children are not present — must hold a current Victorian WWCC. A cleaning company that cannot confirm WWCC coverage for all staff assigned to childcare facilities is exposing the approved provider to a legal compliance risk. Ask for the policy in writing, request to see WWCC evidence for the specific staff who will service your facility, and retain a record of WWCC check dates.
Good answer: "Yes — all staff assigned to childcare hold current Victorian WWCCs. We can provide evidence before commencement and keep you updated on renewal dates." Red flag: "We do police checks" — a police check is not a WWCC. Or: "Most of our staff do."Do you use GECA-certified products? Can you provide the certification references?
NQS Quality Area 2 requires GECA-certified cleaning products throughout the facility. A contractor who cannot name their specific GECA-certified products — or who claims their products are "eco-friendly" or "child-safe" without specific GECA certification references — is not using the standard required for childcare. Ask for the product register with GECA certificate numbers before signing the contract.
Good answer: "Yes — we use [specific GECA-certified products]. Here is our product register with GECA certification references for each area." Red flag: "We use environmentally friendly products" with no GECA reference numbers.Do you use TGA-listed disinfectants for nappy areas and bathrooms?
Section 77 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations requires TGA-listed disinfection in the nappy change area after every change. The daily bathroom cleaning programme also requires TGA-listed disinfectants. A contractor unfamiliar with this requirement — or who uses a general-purpose GECA cleaner as a disinfectant without a TGA registration — is not meeting the legal standard.
Good answer: "Yes — we use [TGA product name, registration number] for nappy areas and bathrooms. It's registered against bacteria and viruses. TGA number is included in our product register." Red flag: "What's Section 77?" Or: "We use a disinfectant cleaner" without a TGA number.Do you provide a signed compliance log after every visit?
The signed cleaning log is the primary ACECQA Quality Area 2 evidence document. It must record areas cleaned, products used, time, and the responsible person's name and signature. A contractor who provides only an invoice — or a generic log that records "all areas cleaned" without product details — is not providing ACECQA-quality documentation. Ask to see a sample log before signing.
Good answer: "Yes — here is a sample of our standard compliance log. It's formatted for ACECQA Quality Area 2 submission and includes product references." Red flag: No log provided. Or: A log that records only date and "cleaned" with no product detail.Can you provide a written cleaning procedure document for our facility?
ACECQA assessors look for a written cleaning procedure that specifies tasks, frequencies, products, and responsible persons. A specialist childcare cleaning contractor should be able to provide a facility-specific cleaning procedure document that you can incorporate into your cleaning policy framework. This document is not the same as a service agreement — it is the operational description of what the contractor performs and how.
Good answer: "Yes — we provide a written cleaning procedure for every facility we service. It covers tasks, NHMRC frequencies, products, and protocols aligned with NQS QA2." Red flag: "We just give you our standard contract" with no facility-specific procedure.Do you perform term break deep cleans with full documentation?
Term break deep cleans are NQS Quality Area 3 evidence — they demonstrate systematic physical environment maintenance. The deep clean record should cover carpet hot water extraction, full high-surface cleaning, outdoor pressure washing, and equipment inspection. A contractor who offers only routine after-hours cleaning without term break capability will leave a Quality Area 3 evidence gap in your ACECQA documentation.
Good answer: "Yes — we perform full term break deep cleans with a documented package including carpet extraction records, outdoor area records, and a complete deep clean sign-off." Red flag: "We can organise that separately" with no evidence of a structured deep clean programme.What is your public liability insurance coverage?
A childcare cleaning contractor should carry a minimum of $10 million public liability insurance, with $20 million considered the standard for facilities with significant child occupancy. Request a current certificate of currency before the contractor commences service. Confirm that the policy covers the specific activities being performed — cleaning with chemicals in child-occupied environments — rather than general commercial cleaning only.
Good answer: "$20 million public liability — here is our current certificate of currency." Red flag: "We have insurance" with no certificate or a coverage amount below $10 million.Action Steps — Evaluating and Selecting a Contractor
Use This Checklist Before Signing Any Cleaning Contract
- WWCC evidence provided for all staff assigned to your facility — not just a policy statement
- GECA product register provided with certification reference numbers for each product category
- TGA-listed disinfectant confirmed with registration number — pathogen claims verified
- Sample cleaning log reviewed — confirms product detail, areas, time, and signature
- Written facility-specific cleaning procedure document available
- Term break deep clean programme confirmed with example documentation
- Certificate of currency for public liability ($20M) provided and current
- No travel surcharge applies to your suburb — confirmed in writing
- Contractor familiar with NQS Quality Area 2 and NHMRC Staying Healthy requirements
Price vs Value — What a Compliance Gap Actually Costs
A cheaper cleaning quote that does not include ACECQA-formatted logs, GECA-certified products, or WWCC-verified staff creates hidden costs that the approved provider must absorb — including the administrative burden of maintaining their own compliance documentation, the risk of a Quality Area 2 deficiency in an ACECQA assessment, and the potential legal exposure from staff without WWCCs entering the facility. When evaluating cleaning quotes, calculate the full cost of compliance, not just the cleaning visit fee.
A specialist childcare cleaning company that includes signed logs, product registers, WWCC verification, and procedure documentation as part of the service eliminates a significant administrative burden from the approved provider. The documentation the contractor provides can be filed directly as ACECQA evidence without additional processing. For facilities that receive ACECQA quality assessment visits, this integrated documentation service has tangible value in assessment outcome risk reduction. See our services page and request a free quote to see how Golden Star's compliance-integrated approach compares to your current arrangement.
How Golden Star Answers These 7 Questions
All staff hold current Victorian WWCCs · GECA-certified products throughout with full product register · TGA-listed disinfectants for nappy areas and bathrooms (Section 77) · Signed ACECQA-formatted compliance log after every visit · Written facility-specific cleaning procedure · Full term break deep clean with documentation package · $20M public liability insurance · No travel surcharge across 25 Melbourne suburbs.
Red Flags — When to Walk Away from a Cleaning Quote
Beyond the seven questions above, there are specific red flags in the quoting and onboarding process that indicate a contractor is not a specialist childcare cleaning company. These include: quoting based solely on floor area without asking about the number of rooms, facility type, nappy area configuration, or outdoor areas — this indicates the contractor does not understand childcare-specific scope; being unable to explain the difference between sanitising and disinfecting, or between GECA and TGA certification; proposing a start date without requesting WWCC evidence for the assigned staff; providing a quote that is significantly lower than the market rate without explanation — compliance-grade childcare cleaning with GECA products and documentation is more expensive than standard commercial cleaning, and a quote that does not reflect this likely excludes critical compliance elements.
The cleaning contract itself should also be reviewed carefully. A compliant childcare cleaning contract will specify: the GECA-certified products to be used by area; the TGA-listed disinfectant and its TGA registration number; the cleaning frequency schedule aligned with NHMRC minimums; the documentation to be provided (signed log, product register, procedure document); the WWCC requirement for all staff; the insurance coverage amount with a certificate of currency clause; and a specific term break deep clean provision. A contract that describes only "commercial cleaning services" without these specific elements is a general commercial cleaning contract that will not deliver the compliance documentation your facility needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Golden Star — Melbourne's Childcare Cleaning Specialist
WWCC staff · GECA products · TGA disinfectants · Signed ACECQA logs · $20M insured · No travel surcharge · 25 suburbs. View all services · blog.