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A childcare centre never really sits still. Kids play on the floor, share toys, eat their meals and use the bathroom, while educators, parents and visitors come and go all day long. Keeping that space clean is a big part of running a service that feels safe and welcoming.
That’s why so many centre owners and directors start looking at professional childcare cleaning services. If you run or manage an early learning centre, daycare, preschool or kindergarten in Australia, and especially in Melbourne, this guide is for you.
We’ll walk through what childcare cleaning actually covers, how often it should happen, what the Australian rules say and how to pick a cleaning provider you can trust. You’ll also see how Cresco Group’s childcare cleaning service works.
Why Are Professional Childcare Cleaning Services Important?
Young children touch just about everything. The NHMRC’s Staying healthy guide points out that kids often put objects in their mouths and don’t always cover their coughs or sneezes. It also explains that infections are common in children, and that kids in education and care come into contact with far more people than they would at home.
Cleaning is only one piece of the puzzle, though. NHMRC guidance puts a lot of weight on hand hygiene, on keeping sick children, staff and visitors away from the service, and on immunisation. Good cleaning backs those steps up. It doesn’t replace them.
Let’s be honest here. No cleaning routine wipes out every germ or stops every bug from going around. What a good routine does is keep your shared spaces clean, tidy and looked after, day in and day out.
So what does a professional team actually bring? The biggest thing is consistency. The same jobs get done to the same standard, even in those hectic weeks when you’re short on staff. Your educators also get their time back, so they can focus on the children and the learning program instead of the mop bucket.
Parents notice, too. A centre that feels fresh and well kept gives families confidence. And when there’s a written checklist, everyone on your team knows exactly what to expect.
What Does Childcare Centre Cleaning Include?
No two centres are the same. A small preschool won’t need the same plan as a large long day care centre. Still, most childcare centre cleaning services cover these core areas:
- Classrooms and learning spaces: floors, tables, chairs, shelves and bins.
- Playrooms and activity areas: mats, play surfaces and storage areas.
- Toilets and bathrooms: toilets, basins, taps, floors and dispensers.
- Nappy change areas: surrounding surfaces, floors and bins.
- Kitchens and food preparation areas: benches, sinks and floors.
- Dining areas: tables, chairs and floors.
- Floors and carpets: vacuuming, mopping and carpet care.
- Frequently touched surfaces: door handles, light switches, handrails and taps.
- Shared equipment and furniture: storage units, tables and chairs.
The exact scope will depend on your layout, the ages of the children you care for, your opening hours and the routines you already have. Some jobs, like washing toys, might stay with your educators. Others are a better fit for a professional team. Whatever you decide, put the split in writing so nothing slips through the cracks.
Important Areas That Require Regular Cleaning in Childcare Centres
Some parts of your centre need more attention than others. Here’s where most childcare facility cleaning plans focus their effort.
High-touch surfaces
Think about how many hands touch your door handles, light switches, taps, handrails and bench edges every single day. NHMRC advice, shared through ACECQA, says routine environmental cleaning should happen daily and any time a surface is visibly dirty.
Toilets, bathrooms and nappy change areas
When it comes to childcare hygiene and sanitation, these spaces matter most. They need careful, consistent cleaning. Many centres use colour-coded cloths and mops so the gear used in toilet areas never ends up anywhere else.
Kitchens and eating areas
Food areas need steady care. Your staff are still responsible for handling food safely. The cleaning team’s job is to keep the benches, sinks, dining tables and floors clean around that work.
Floors and carpets
Babies crawl on them. Toddlers sit and play on them. That’s why regular vacuuming and mopping matter so much, and your carpets will thank you for a deep clean every so often.
Play areas and shared equipment
Toys, mats and furniture get used from opening to close. Your service policy and the NHMRC guide should tell you how often each item gets washed. As a rule, toys that end up in little mouths need washing more often than everything else.
What Do Australian Childcare Rules Say About Cleanliness?
Education and care services across Australia, Victoria included, operate under the National Quality Framework. That framework includes the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations and the National Quality Standard. It helps to pull apart what you must do from what’s simply recommended.
What the regulations and standards require
- Regulation 77 (Health, hygiene and safe food practices): The approved provider must make sure nominated supervisors, staff and volunteers follow adequate health and hygiene practices, along with safe practices for handling, preparing and storing food.
- Regulation 103 (Premises, furniture and equipment to be safe, clean and in good repair): The approved provider must make sure the premises, furniture and equipment are safe, clean and in good repair.
- Regulation 106 (Laundry and hygiene facilities): The service must have suitable laundry and hygiene facilities, or other arrangements, for dealing with soiled clothing, nappies and linen.
- Quality Area 2, Children’s Health and Safety: Element 2.1.2 expects effective illness and injury management and hygiene practices to be promoted and put into practice.
- Quality Area 3, Physical Environment: Element 3.1.2 expects premises, furniture and equipment to be safe, clean and well maintained.
Other related rules, like Regulation 109 (toilet and hygiene facilities) and Regulation 112 (nappy change facilities), also shape how these spaces are set up and looked after.
What is recommended practice
You’ll notice the regulations use words like “adequate” and “clean”. They don’t hand you a cleaning timetable or a list of products. For the practical detail, most services turn to best-practice guidance such as the NHMRC’s Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services. The 6th edition came out in August 2024.
For routine cleaning of hard surfaces, NHMRC recommends detergent and water, followed by rinsing and drying. Its guidance also provides cleaning frequencies and procedures for different areas and materials. Body-fluid spills require additional cleaning and disinfection. Follow product instructions, including dilution and contact time, and any public health advice during outbreaks.
Important: Hiring a cleaning company won’t make your centre compliant on its own. The approved provider is still responsible for meeting the regulations. A good cleaner supports your routines, but it can’t stand in for your policies, your staff practices or your own checks. For the latest wording, head to the ACECQA website or talk to your state regulator.
Childcare Cleaning vs General Commercial Cleaning
A cleaner who does a brilliant job in an office won’t automatically be a good fit for a childcare centre. Commercial childcare cleaning asks for a different kind of care.
For starters, children live at floor level. They crawl, sit and play on floors and low surfaces all day. Toys, tables and equipment regularly end up in their mouths, so the products a cleaner uses and how well they rinse really count. Toilets and nappy change areas sit under the same roof as food and play spaces, which means keeping them separate is a big deal.
Then there’s the daily rhythm. Cleaning has to work around your opening hours, sleep times and outdoor play. Anyone working in a childcare setting should be properly screened. And many centres want checklists that show exactly what was done and when.
Childcare also comes with its own language and rules. A provider that already works in early learning centres will usually get up to speed much faster.
How Often Should a Childcare Centre Be Cleaned?
There’s no single schedule that works for every centre. Your plan should reflect your size, your activities, how many children you care for and your own risk assessments. That said, most routines have four layers.
Daily cleaning covers classrooms, bathrooms, nappy change areas, staff rooms, kitchens, high-touch surfaces and floors. NHMRC advice is that routine cleaning happens every day.
As-needed cleaning deals with spills, toileting accidents and surfaces that are visibly dirty. Your educators will usually handle these on the spot during the day.
Periodic deep cleaning takes care of carpets, windows, walls and furniture. If your centre closes for a period, that can be a handy time to do it.
Extra cleaning during illness comes into play if something starts spreading through your centre. Check the NHMRC guidance and get in touch with your public health unit.
Whatever your routine looks like, write it down. Spell out who does each job, how often and how it gets checked. That way your team, your cleaner and any visiting officer can all see the same picture.
What Should You Look for in a Childcare Cleaning Company?
Picking a childcare cleaning company comes down to trust. Here’s what to ask when you’re comparing providers.
Start with experience. How long have they been cleaning childcare centres and preschools? Can they give you references? Next, find out how their cleaners are checked and trained. Police checks and working with children clearances are both worth asking about.
Ask what products they use around children. A good provider should be happy to show you the labels and safety data sheets. You’ll also want a written checklist built around your centre, not a generic one they hand to every client.
Make sure their schedule can fit your hours, including after-hours or weekend cleaning if you need it. Ask how they check their own work and how you can raise a concern if something isn’t right.
Finally, ask for proof of public liability insurance and workers’ compensation. It’s also worth asking whether they hold any licences that apply, such as a labour hire licence.
Choosing Professional Childcare Cleaning Services in Melbourne
Melbourne has no shortage of cleaning providers. A few practical steps will help you compare them fairly.
Ask for a site visit first. A provider who actually walks through your centre can give you a much more accurate quote than one who’s guessing. Look for local experience, too, since a provider already working with Melbourne childcare centres will understand how local services run.
Agree on the practical stuff early. When will the cleaners arrive? How will they get into the building, and who do they report to? Then get the scope in writing, listing the rooms, the tasks and how often each one happens, along with what your educators will handle themselves.
It’s also worth asking about extras. Some centres like having the same team take care of deep cleans, window cleaning or restocking supplies. And once everything’s up and running, set a date to review how it’s going so you can tweak the plan if you need to.
If your site also has tutoring or education spaces, look for a provider that can cover both. Cresco Group also offers tutoring and educational institutes cleaning.
Why Choose Cresco Group for Childcare Cleaning?
Cresco Group is a Melbourne-based commercial cleaning and property management company. According to its website, it has more than 11 years of experience working with Melbourne’s childcare centres and preschools. You can read more about Cresco Group and its values.
Its childcare cleaning service includes daily cleaning of classrooms, bathrooms, nappy-changing areas, staff rooms and kitchen spaces, with play area sanitisation built in. On top of that, it schedules deep cleans for carpets, windows, walls and furniture.
Every centre gets a custom cleaning plan, with a schedule and checklist built around how you operate. If you need more, Cresco also offers steam cleaning, window cleaning, floor scrubbing, painting and detailed cleaning. There’s an essentials supply service as well, covering things like toilet tissue and cleaning supplies, all on one invoice.
Cresco Group also lists these safety and trust points on its website:
- Public liability insurance up to $20 million
- Workers’ compensation and supervision
- Police checks and working with children clearance
- Labour hire licence holder
- Trained and background-checked cleaners
- Eco-friendly cleaning products
Want to hear from other clients? Check out the testimonials page.
Ready to chat? Call 1300 902 198 or visit the contact page to talk through your centre’s cleaning needs. You can also request a tailored cleaning quote online.
Frequently Asked Questions About Childcare Cleaning Services
What do childcare cleaning services include?
They usually cover classrooms, play areas, toilets, nappy change areas, kitchens, dining areas, floors and high-touch surfaces. Many providers also offer deep cleaning for carpets, windows, walls and furniture. The exact scope depends on your centre.
How often should a childcare centre be professionally cleaned?
Most centres book professional cleaning for every day they’re open, because NHMRC advice is that routine cleaning happens daily and whenever surfaces are visibly dirty. Deep cleans happen less often. The right plan comes down to your size, your activities and your risk assessment.
Does hiring a cleaning company make my centre compliant?
No. The approved provider is still responsible for meeting the National Regulations. A cleaning company supports your hygiene routines, but it doesn’t replace your policies, staff practices or checks.
When do childcare cleaners usually work?
Plenty of providers clean outside opening hours so they don’t disrupt children and educators. Cresco Group says it offers daily maintenance, after-hours cleaning and weekend service, with times agreed to suit your centre.
What should I ask a childcare cleaning company before hiring?
Ask about their experience with childcare centres, how they screen staff, their insurance, the products they use, their checklists and how they check quality. Then get the scope and schedule in writing.
Do daycare, preschool and kindergarten cleaning needs differ?
The names are different, but the cleaning priorities are pretty similar: shared play spaces, bathrooms, food areas and floors. Layouts and opening hours do vary, so a good provider will tailor the plan to your site. Cresco Group’s website lists childcare centres and preschools, and has a separate page for educational institutes. Get in touch with the team to talk about your site.
Do you provide childcare cleaning in Melbourne?
Yes. Cresco Group provides childcare cleaning for Melbourne centres. Call 1300 902 198 or use the contact page to confirm your location and what you need.
Final Thoughts on Childcare Cleaning Services
A clean childcare centre is good for everyone in it: the kids, your educators and the families who trust you each day. The best childcare cleaning services follow a clear plan, use suitable products and fit around the way your day runs. They support your hygiene routines, but they’ll never take over your own responsibilities under the National Regulations.
If you’re comparing childcare cleaning companies in Melbourne, start with a site visit and a written scope. To talk about your centre, contact Cresco Group on 1300 902 198 and ask for a tailored quote.
