Childcare Bathroom Cleaning Checklist: Toilets, Potties & Basins
Quick answer
Clean childcare bathrooms daily and disinfect toilets and any soiled surfaces: toilets (seat, under the rim, flush button, base), basins, taps, mirrors, partitions and floors, finishing with a restock of soap and paper towel. Potty chairs are emptied, cleaned and disinfected after every use. Weekly, scrub grout, floor edges and behind fixtures, and clean exhaust fans.
Bathrooms used by toddlers learning to toilet are among the highest-risk areas in any centre — faecal–oral spread is how gastro moves between children. They also take a beating: splashes, accidents, wet floors and little hands on every surface.
This checklist covers what to clean after use, daily and weekly. It works for child bathrooms, staff toilets and accessible toilets. For nappy rooms, see the nappy change area checklist.
In this guide
Colour coding in the bathroom
Use red cloths, mop pads and gloves for toilets, urinals and the floor around them, and yellow for basins, taps, mirrors and other bathroom surfaces. Red equipment never leaves the bathroom. Colour coding is an industry convention rather than a law, but it is the simplest way to stop toilet germs reaching play rooms and kitchens.
After each use
Potty chairs
- Empty the potty into the toilet; flush
- Clean with detergent and warm water in a sink used only for this purpose (never a hand basin or kitchen sink)
- Disinfect, rinse if the label requires it, and air-dry upside down
- Hand hygiene for educator and child
Accidents and spills
- Gloves on; remove the spill with paper towel
- Clean with detergent, then disinfect
- Bag soiled clothing for families; never rinse soiled clothes in a hand basin
Daily bathroom cleaning
- 1
Restock and bins
Empty bins, clean lids, replace liners. Check soap, paper towel and toilet paper.
- 2
Mirrors and glass
Clean mirrors and partition glass, including fingerprints at child height.
- 3
Basins and taps
Yellow cloth: clean basins, taps, splashbacks, soap dispensers and paper towel holders.
- 4
Touch points
Door handles, push plates, light switches, partition locks, step stools.
- 5
Toilets
Red cloth: clean the flush button and cistern, then the seat both sides, the rim and under the rim, and finally the pedestal and base. Disinfect.
- 6
Floors
Mop from the back of the room towards the door with a red pad; pay attention to the base of toilets and floor wastes.
Want this cleaning done for your centre?
WWCC-verified, police-checked teams cleaning after hours across Melbourne. A typical 3-hour visit is around $180 + GST, with one fixed price per visit after a free walk-through.
Weekly and monthly tasks
| Frequency | Task |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Scrub grout lines and floor edges; clean partitions, behind toilets and exposed pipes |
| Weekly | Clean exhaust fan covers and vents |
| Weekly | Descale taps and basins; flush floor wastes with hot water |
| Monthly | Wash walls to adult height; clean light fittings |
| Termly | Machine scrub floors and restore grout; check for silicone mould and reseal |
Common childcare bathroom problems
Urine odour
Usually from grout and floor edges around toilets, not the toilet itself. Scrub grout weekly and keep floor wastes flushed.
Slippery floors
Detergent residue makes floors slippery. Use the correct dilution and dry-mop before children arrive.
Mould on silicone
Improve ventilation, keep fans clean and replace stained silicone in the holiday deep clean.
Soap not used
Child-height dispensers and paper towel encourage handwashing. Report broken dispensers immediately.
Our childcare cleaners follow this bathroom routine every visit with dedicated red and yellow equipment for each centre.
Frequently asked questions
How often should childcare toilets be cleaned?
At least daily, with disinfection, plus immediately after any accident or spill. Busy centres often add a midday check and wipe of touch points.
How do you clean potty chairs in childcare?
Empty into the toilet, clean with detergent in a dedicated sink, disinfect, then air-dry. Do it after every use and never in a hand basin or kitchen sink.
What disinfectant should be used in childcare bathrooms?
A TGA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant or freshly diluted bleach at the label concentration, applied after cleaning. During gastro outbreaks use a chlorine-based product.
This guide is part of
Childcare Cleaning Checklist: Daily, Weekly, Monthly & Termly (2026 Guide)Related deep dives
Want this cleaning done for your centre?
WWCC-verified, police-checked teams cleaning after hours across Melbourne. A typical 3-hour visit is around $180 + GST, with one fixed price per visit after a free walk-through.
Sources and further reading
- NHMRC — Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (6th ed.)
- NHMRC — Staying healthy, Part 3: A healthy environment (cleaning, disinfection, body-fluid spills)
- ACECQA — National Quality Standard (Quality Areas 2 and 3)
This guide is general information for early childhood services. Always follow your service's policies, product labels and safety data sheets, and current advice from your regulatory authority and local health department. Prices are guide estimates only; your fixed price is confirmed after a free walk-through.
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