Get Your Child’s School or Day Care Center to Clean Green

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Get Your Child’s School or Day Care Center to Clean Green

Janelle Sorensen

Friday, October 16, 2009

You've made the switch to safer cleaners at home, but what about when your child is off at daycare or school? The chemicals in institutional cleaning products can cause a wide range of major health problems for children, including respiratory irritation and increased risk of cancer.

Luckily, safer cleaning products are now widely available and cost effective. As a result, child care centers and schools across the country are switching to green cleaners to improve health, increase staff performance, lessen adverse environmental impacts, reduce potential liabilities, and save money. (Yes, switching to green cleaning does have all of these benefits - talk about win, win, win.)

How do you get your childcare provider or school to make the switch?

1. Get informed. Use the resources listed below to get up to speed on the benefits of going green and the tools available to help schools and child care centers make the switch. It's much easier for them to address the "problem" if you have solutions in hand.

2. Inform others. Once you understand the problem and solution, talk to other parents, teachers, the school nurse, anyone who'll lend you a sympathetic ear. You want to have an influential group of people to help support your effort as you move forward.

3. Talk to someone with the authority to do something. That may be your school's superintendent, a school board member or the manager of your child care center, or they may direct you straight to whomever is in charge of maintaining the facility.

4. Approach every person you talk to as an ally, not an enemy. Remember the fundamentals of How to Win Friends and Influence People - like not criticizing people, showing appreciation for their work, smiling. Trust me, you will get much farther much faster if you employ kindness, gratitude, and diplomacy. You want to be seen as an invaluable asset, not as an incessant nag.

5. Give people the benefit of the doubt that they are doing their job to the best of their ability. School and child care professionals are typically overworked, underpaid, with a lot to do and inadequate funding to get it done. Make yourself available. Keep asking "what can I do to help?"

Here are some resources to get you started:

Do you have an experience to share?

Posted by Arizona baby care on 09/26/2011 at 02:14 PM

Im glad I found this blog. I have become really good friends with the teachers at my childres day care center and we were discussing some of the cleaning products that they use. Fortunately they have switched to using natural green products but do ocassionally use bleach if necessary. The kids get to play outside so they do get their fresh air. I agree pine sol and other harsh chemicals should be avoided when children are around.

Posted by Baby Bed Guards on 03/14/2011 at 08:53 AM

This is so important. Studies in the past have shown that the air quality indoors particularly in the home can be worse than the air quality in New York City. This is because it is enclosed and is in no small part down to the fact that we use chemical cleaners which hang in the air.

There are plenty of natural non-manmade chemical cleaning solutions now available which do as good a job as the chemicals. There is just no excuse for using manmade chemicals to clean any more.

Posted by Angela on 12/29/2010 at 12:05 PM

As a daycare provider in Minnesota I would love the opportunity to go green. I try to use as little Clorox as possible because I am all for the natural products. Its too bad laws are not more concerned about our health but then again that is what is making this country so much money!!!
Go Green!!! :-)
www.daycareheadquarters.com
Angela

Posted by Masrule on 10/08/2010 at 09:08 AM

Thanks for the information about children care!

Posted by Richard on 07/04/2010 at 02:21 PM

Point 4 in this article is probably the most important! If you don’t treat other with joy and respect… you will get absolutely no where. But when you do smile, when you do appreciate others, when you do thank them for their hard work… they are so much more willing to hear you out or listen to your suggestions. Must more effective communication… especially when you are trying to be persuasive.

Posted by Tina Buccilli on 05/19/2010 at 06:56 PM

I use this product called sanidate from www.green-sanitizer.com. The product is used to sanitizer school buses. It is 100% green, uses peroxide and not bleech. Best part is, it doesn’t need to be wiped down or rinsed. Just spray…great for toys. Technology is from the ag industry. Worth checking out.
-Tina

Posted by Nounou on 01/21/2010 at 03:58 PM

Thanks Janelle for sharing, that’s interesting.

Posted by Jimy on 01/16/2010 at 03:04 AM

Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed and informative article. It has given me a lot of inspiration and I look forward to more like this in the future.

Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 12/08/2009 at 01:12 PM

Jennifer - Your daughter should not come home smelling like bleach!! I strongly urge you to contact the facility manager and ask about their cleaning practices. Even in legal codes that recommend using diluted bleach, the only appropriate use is when children are not present. The mixture is supposed to be used and left to volatilize before introducing the exposed surface to a child. If you are still concerned, contact your local health department and complain. They can send in professionals to ensure that the facility is using bleach “safely.” Also, keep watching our blog as we try to find safer practices and legal loop holes to help facilities transition away from bleach. Good luck!

Posted by Jennifer Sauer on 12/05/2009 at 12:01 PM

My daughter comes home smelling like bleach. I live in Georgia and I’m sure there is little there to protect her, but what info. is out there. I think they are putting her down on surfaces that are still wet with bleach!

Posted by Phil and Ted Stroller on 11/15/2009 at 03:54 PM

An interesting point you make here. Being from the UK I do not think that schools are currently taking this into consideration but that said, and being a father of two under 5’s one of which has just started primary school, I am going to pick this up with the head teacher. The dangers of these types of chemicals are fairly well known however, you cannot assume your school does not use them so it is definitely better to check out. Thanks.

Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 11/06/2009 at 11:36 AM

Of course, Lynn! As soon as I review the state code and have some recommendations, I’ll let you know!

Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 11/06/2009 at 09:39 AM

Hi Andrea - I haven’t seen the MD code, yet. Feel free to pass it along to janelle (at) healthychild.org

Posted by Lynn from OrganicMania on 11/05/2009 at 12:37 PM

Wow, Janelle, I don’t know which town the prior poster is from, but I’m in Maryland too and would love to sync up!

Posted by Andrea on 11/04/2009 at 01:04 PM

Hi Janelle,

I’m in MD and have approached my son’s preschool and my daughter’s daycare about using non-toxic products. They have concerns about meeting the state mandates. Have you had a chance to review the Maryland code yet? I’d like your opinion.

I have a copy and can foward it to you if you’d like. Just let me know where I should send it.

Thanks for your time.

Posted by Physical Therapy on 10/29/2009 at 04:47 AM

Thanks for posting this article Janelle, you are pretty much right there. Daycare centers really become a center for lot many infections. My nephew just got infected from the daycare center and we all are having tough time handling him. This kind of article will surely help several people like me who can bring forth this issue in the daycare centers in , to put in your words the fundamentals of Dale Carnegie, “like not criticizing people, showing appreciation for their work, smiling.”

Posted by Beth on 10/17/2009 at 08:18 AM

What a great idea! Unfortunately, I know that my son’s preschool would never switch over. For one, they wouldn’t pay the higher price for green cleaners. Two, most of the parents wouldn’t care (and even use pesticides in their own yards, despite having young children around—they see our organic gardeners as just one other thing those of us obsessed with health do, “cute” and unnecessary). Three, the school administration wouldn’t believe that such cleaners would actually do the job (and I believe the administrator would be defensive and offended, and think that I am unrealistically unconcerned about swine flu if I were to suggest a bleach-based spray cleaner not be used).

I can check with my daughter’s school (or at least her class); given that they recycle and are starting a composting project, they might be more open.

Posted by Melaleuca on 08/26/2009 at 02:06 PM

It’s good that people are becoming more aware of the environmental and health hazards that chemical based cleaning products bring. There are actually safer cleaning products which are derived or made with botanical ingredients that are much safer and are as effective as those with chemical ingredients.

Posted by Graco baby strollers on 07/05/2009 at 11:45 PM

Children’s little lungs and respiratory systems are particularly sensitive to toxins and irritants in cleaners, carpeting, furniture and other elements. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to indoor air quality when children are in the mix. You need to be able to rest assured that your daycare center uses non-toxic cleaners and is careful about outdoor and other pollutants that might come in from landscaping, street care…

Posted by Janelle on 04/02/2009 at 07:00 PM

Tiffany - I encourage you to look into the law yourself because often there is language stating they should only use bleach when the children are not present. Also, just as I mentioned the loop holes and different interpretations of codes (usually the bleach mix is only a recommendation, but since it’s the only one given people think it’s the only option) look into other settings that may be using safer alternatives. The Oregon Environmental Council coordinates an Eco- Child Care program and I would bet there are child care facilities near you using alternatives to bleach. Visit http://www.oeconline.org/our-work/kidshealth/ehcc

Good luck and let us know how things progress!

Posted by Tiffany on 03/28/2009 at 09:17 PM

I’m so glad I stumbled upon this post as I’m working with another mom to start a ‘green’ committee at our children’s preschool. When I approached the topic of cleaning products with the Director, I was told that the state ( Oregon ) mandates that bleach be used. I can smell it when I walk in at night to pick up my daughter and I CRINGE! At the minimum, I’m going to ask if they can wait to use it until the kids are all gone.

Posted by Janelle on 01/22/2009 at 10:31 AM

That’s great news, Cindy! What’s the product and what state do you live in?

Posted by Cindy InIndy on 01/21/2009 at 07:29 PM

Janelle, I felt forced to use bleach, due to the language of the code for my state licensed day care. Then almost two years ago, a state agency approved of a botanical disinfectant and sanitizer. I am so excited and would love to talk with you about the product!

Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 10/30/2008 at 10:58 AM

Absolutely! Also, I’ve heard from many moms concerned about the apparent mandate to use bleach in day cares. It’s a terribly tricky issue and even when there are loop holes, some care givers are leery to try anything else for fear of losing their license. Some inspectors will understand the nuances of the law and some will not. It’s very sticky.

If you’d like, you can email me the Maryland policy and I can read it over to see if there is indeed a loop hole.

Thanks for the comment and for continuing to push this conversation!

Posted by lynn from organicmania.com on 10/30/2008 at 08:48 AM

Hi Janelle,

I appreciate this post as this has really been on my mind a lot lately. Unfortunately this issue is really quite complex as in certain states, there are mandates to use products like Clorox. This is in the case in Maryland day cares, for example. However, in places like CA and OR you can use green cleaners in your daycare.

I’d like to explore this issue more with you. Perhaps a topic for your upcoming monthly call?

Lynn

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