A childcare cleaning checklist should have surfaces, floors, bathrooms and nappy change areas cleaned every day with detergent and water, and the change table cleaned after every nappy change. Disinfectant goes on only after cleaning, mainly for body fluid spills and outbreaks. That follows NHMRC’s Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (6th edition, launched August 2024), which says routine environmental cleaning should be done daily and whenever surfaces are visibly dirty.
The tables below turn that guidance into daily, weekly and periodic tasks. You can copy them into your service’s cleaning schedule as a template. The guide also covers what ACECQA assessors may ask to see, and how to split the work between educators and a contract cleaner.
The core principle is simple. Detergent and water do most of the work. Cleaning physically removes dirt, body fluids and most germs. Disinfectant works only on a surface that has already been cleaned.
If you’d like a fuller explanation of these terms, see our guide to the difference between cleaning and sanitising.
What this means for your checklist: most daily lines say “clean (detergent and water)”. The word “disinfect” appears only where the guidance calls for it.
These tasks are a starting template. Adjust them to your room layout, ages and enrolments, and to any advice from your local public health unit.
| Area / item | Task | When | Who usually does it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nappy change table | Clean with detergent and water, rinse and dry. If body fluids touched it, wipe with disinfectant and dry | After every nappy change | Educator |
| Tables and eating surfaces | Clean with detergent and water | Before and after each meal; end of day | Educator |
| Frequently touched surfaces (door handles, light switches, taps, gate latches, bench tops) | Clean with detergent and water | At least daily, and when visibly dirty | Cleaner / educator |
| Toilets, hand basins, bathroom floors | Clean | At least daily, and when soiled | Cleaner |
| Floors (hard) | Sweep or vacuum, then mop | Daily, plus spot-clean spills straight away | Cleaner |
| Carpets and rugs | Vacuum | Daily | Cleaner |
| Toys that children mouth | Remove after use; wash with detergent and water, rinse and dry | After use | Educator |
| Kitchen and food preparation areas | Clean benches, sinks and equipment | Daily, and per your food safety program | Cook / cleaner |
| Bins (hands-free, lidded) | Empty, and clean if soiled | Daily | Cleaner |
| Body fluid spills | Clean straight away with gloves; clean with detergent and water, then disinfect hard surfaces | As they happen | Educator (trained) |
| Hand hygiene supplies | Restock soap, paper towel and gloves | Daily | Cleaner / educator |
| Cleaning cloths and mop heads | Rinse and store separately; launder or replace | Daily | Cleaner |
NHMRC’s “Changing a nappy without spreading germs” poster sets out what to do after every nappy change:
Put a copy of the poster up at each change station. Assessors and parents both notice whether the steps are followed.
| Area / item | Task | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hard toys and play equipment (not mouthed) | Wash in detergent and water, rinse, dry | Rotate so each room’s toys are covered every week. Follow the manufacturer’s care advice |
| Soft toys, dress-ups, cushion covers | Launder | Retire items that can’t be washed |
| Cots, sleep mats and bedding | Clean mats and cot frames; launder linen | Follow your sleep and rest policy for linen; many services need a tighter frequency than weekly. Keep each child’s bedding separate |
| Shelving, cubbies, window sills, skirting | Dust and damp-wipe | Top to bottom, clean to dirty |
| Kitchen appliances (fridge, microwave, oven fronts) | Clean inside and out | Check fridge temperatures and discard expired food |
| Staff room and office | Clean surfaces, kitchenette, floors | Often missed when cleaning focuses on child areas |
| Outdoor play equipment and furniture | Inspect, clean visible dirt and droppings | Report damage for repair |
| Cleaning equipment | Wash buckets, check colour-coding, replace worn mop heads | Keep bathroom cloths away from kitchen cloths |
| Frequency | Task |
|---|---|
| Monthly | High dusting (vents, light fittings, tops of cupboards); clean walls and doors in high-traffic areas; clean bins inside and out; check supply levels and Safety Data Sheets |
| Each term / quarterly | Deep clean carpets and soft furnishings; wash curtains and blinds; clean internal glass and windows; clean sandpit covers and check sandpit condition |
| Annually or as scheduled | Hard floor strip and reseal (per floor manufacturer); external windows; air-conditioning filter and duct service by the HVAC contractor; review the whole cleaning schedule and cleaning contract |
Early Learning Victoria’s policy is a useful model here. It sets daily, weekly, quarterly and annual cleaning requirements, and the nominated supervisor reviews the cleaning contract every year.
NSW Health’s Gastroenteritis Information Pack for Childcare Centres (November 2018) asks services to step up cleaning during an outbreak. The key changes are:
Contact your local public health unit if you suspect an outbreak. Follow its advice if it differs from the general steps above.
Under National Quality Standard Element 3.1.2 (Upkeep), premises, furniture and equipment must be safe, clean and well maintained. This links to Regulation 103 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations. ACECQA’s guidance says assessors may:
So the checklist is only half the job. You also need to keep the records. Signed daily sheets, a toy-cleaning roster and your contract cleaner’s scope of works all count as evidence.
Most centres share cleaning between educators and a cleaning contractor:
Write the split into your cleaning schedule so nothing falls between the two. When you compare childcare cleaning companies, ask each one to price against your schedule rather than a generic scope. Ask how it trains staff on detergent-first cleaning and body fluid spills, and how it reports completed work.
If your service shares a campus with a school or runs outside school hours care, our guide to choosing a school cleaning contractor covers screening and contract terms for those sites.
Staying Healthy says routine environmental cleaning should be done daily and whenever surfaces are visibly dirty. Some items need more: change tables after every nappy change, and eating surfaces before and after meals. During a gastro outbreak, NSW Health advises cleaning high-touch points and bathrooms at least twice daily.
Not for routine cleaning, which uses detergent and water. Disinfectant is for body fluid spills, change tables touched by body fluids, and outbreak cleaning. It should always go on a surface that has already been cleaned.
Mostly a neutral detergent, plus a disinfectant (often a bleach solution) for body fluids and outbreaks. Follow the label and Safety Data Sheet for each product, and keep everything locked away out of children’s reach. Many centres also choose eco-friendly cleaning solutions that carry an ecolabel they can check, to keep chemical use around children as low as is practical.
Wash hard toys in detergent and water, then rinse and dry them. Remove mouthed toys after use and clean them before another child uses them, and launder soft toys. During a gastro outbreak, NSW Health advises washing all toys daily and taking soft toys, wooden toys and play dough out of communal use.
It depends on the scope rather than a set rate. The main factors are floor area, the number of rooms, bathrooms and nappy change areas, how many nights a week cleaners attend, and which periodic tasks (carpets, windows, floor sealing) are included. Ask contractors to quote against your written schedule so the prices can be compared.
If you want a contractor to take on the after-hours side of this checklist, B&K Services cleans childcare centres in Sydney, Wollongong and the Illawarra and Nowra and the Shoalhaven. Bring your cleaning schedule to a free site walk-through. We agree in writing which tasks are ours, how often and when, before service begins, so the split between educators and cleaners is clear from the first night. See how we work, request a free quote or call 1300 136 954.