Cleaning, Sanitizing & Disinfecting: the full procedure

Set a routine for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting toys, surfaces, the diaper area, and food areas, with a posted schedule and products used strictly per label.

• Applies to: All staff.
• Frequency: Per the posted schedule (food surfaces before/after meals; diaper area after each change).
• Scope: Covers the operational cleaning routine and posted schedule. All required products, dilutions, and frequencies defer to the CDC, Caring for Our Children, state licensing, and each product’s label.

What you need

• Posted cleaning / sanitizing / disinfecting schedule
• EPA-registered sanitizer & disinfectant (per label)
• Soap & water
• Gloves
• Color-coded cloths / wipes

The procedure, step by step

1. Post the schedule — Keep a written cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting schedule posted in each area showing what, how, and how often.
2. Clean first, always — Clean with soap, water, and scrubbing to remove dirt and germs before any sanitizing or disinfecting step.
3. Sanitize mouth-contact & food surfaces — Sanitize food-contact surfaces, tables, highchairs, eating utensils, and toys that touch children’s mouths — before and after meals, and after mouthing.
4. Disinfect high-risk areas — Disinfect bathrooms and the diaper-changing surface, disinfecting the changing area between every diaper change.
5. Handle mouthed/soiled toys — Set aside toys that were mouthed or contaminated, then clean, rinse, sanitize, and air-dry (or run through a dishwasher) before reuse.
6. Use products per label — Use EPA-registered sanitizers/disinfectants exactly per label — correct dilution, contact time, and surface — deferring to CDC and product instructions.
7. Store chemicals safely — Keep all cleaning chemicals labeled, locked, and out of children’s reach, away from food.
8. Log & verify — Initial the schedule as tasks are completed so coverage is verifiable for licensing.

Quality check before you finish

• Cleaning schedule posted and current in each area.
• Surfaces cleaned before sanitizing or disinfecting.
• Food-contact surfaces sanitized before and after meals.
• Diaper-changing surface disinfected between every change.
• Mouthed/soiled toys removed and cleaned before reuse.
• Products used at label dilution and contact time.
• Cleaning chemicals locked and out of reach; tasks initialed on the schedule.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Daycare Center business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• CDC — Clean & Disinfect Early Care & Education Settings (cdc.gov)
• Caring for Our Children / NRC — Std 3.3.0.1 (childcareta.acf.hhs.gov)
• NAEYC — Cleaning, Sanitizing & Disinfection Frequency Table (naeyc.org)