How Often Should a Childcare Centre Be Cleaned? Frequency Guide by Area & Centre Type

What the guidelines say about cleaning frequency

There is no regulation that specifies “clean the bathroom twice a day”. Instead, the Education and Care Services National Regulations require services to implement adequate hygiene practices (regulation 77) and keep premises clean and in good repair (regulation 103). The practical benchmark comes from the NHMRC’s Staying healthy guidelines (6th edition, 2024), which state that routine environmental cleaning should be done daily and when surfaces are visibly dirty, and that specific cleaning is needed after any spill of body fluids.

Authorised officers assessing against the National Quality Standard look for evidence that hygiene practices are implemented consistently — signed logs, clear procedures and a visibly clean environment. Our guide to NQS cleaning requirements explains what that looks like in practice.

Cleaning frequency by area

Recommended professional cleaning schedule by centre type

Daily routine cleaning does not have to mean a professional cleaner every day — but someone has to do it properly every day. Here is what we typically recommend after a walk-through:

Factors that should increase cleaning frequency

• Babies and toddlers. Nursery rooms with mouthing, nappies and crawling need more frequent toy and floor cleaning than preschool rooms.
• Winter illness season. From roughly May to September, respiratory and gastro illness peaks in Victoria. Add a midday high-touch wipe-down.
• Outbreaks. During a gastro outbreak, clean and disinfect all areas at least twice daily with a chlorine-based product — see cleaning after an outbreak.
• Cooked meals on site. Centres that cook are Class 1 food premises in Victoria and need cleaning that supports a food safety program.
• Carpeted rooms. Carpet holds dust, crumbs and allergens — daily vacuuming and termly extraction are the minimum.
• Shared venues. Community halls and school spaces used by other groups need cleaning before your session as well as after.

Who cleans what: educators vs professional cleaners

Educators should own the after-use tasks that protect children in the moment — nappy surfaces, meal tables, potties and spills. Everything that needs time, equipment and an empty room is best done by a cleaning team after close:

How frequency affects cost

More visits cost more per week but less per visit. A medium centre cleaned 5 nights a week usually pays less per clean than one cleaned twice a week, because each visit maintains rather than recovers the space. As a guide, Melbourne centres typically pay $120–$150 + GST (small), $160–$220 + GST (medium) or $230–$320 + GST (large) per visit, with a typical 3-hour visit around $180 + GST.

Full breakdown with monthly examples: childcare cleaning cost in Melbourne. Or book a free walk-through on our childcare cleaning page and we will recommend a schedule for your rooms.