Bleach Around Children

[AmandasFCC]

An alternative to bleach to use on food surfaces is quaternary ammonium or iodine. These do not protect against Norovirus though, which bleach does, and that's why bleach is preferred.

Never MIX bleach and ammonia because it causes deadly fumes.


Hope that helps

[Unregistered]

The real scoop

Bleach/water has been the traditional mixture used for years. There are substitutes for bleach, which truthfully is a very good disinfectant, but not the safest thing to use around people! A recent study published in September 09 shows that children just being exposed to swimming pool chlorine greatly increases their odds of developing asthma and allergies later in life. Swimming pools are kept at 1-3 ppm chlorine, and disinfection solutions of bleach water are 500 -800 ppm. So you do the math! Day Care inspectors feel more comfortable requiring bleach because they don't have to look up the commercial solution that reportedly is a disinfectant. However - all sanitizers and disinfectants have to be approved by the EPA. If the label has an EPA registration number and is labeled disinfectant, it is tested and approved. Every word on the label has to be approved by the EPA. So it is not rocket science to look for a registration number, the word disinfectant, and the time required to remain on the surface for proper kill of organisms! The ideal product would be a sanitizer (food contact approved) as well as a disinfectant. There is a product called a2b which is a different type of chlorine that works like the chlorine in bleach, except it is food contact approved, will not fade clothes, and does not smell. It has been approved by the state licensing agencies as an alternate in NC, SC, and VA. You can get your state's requirements at (http://nrckids.org/STATES/states.htm) Press your day care inspectors to get bleach out!

[Unregistered]

What Happens When Bleach Isn't Mixed Right?

when it wasn't mixed right... sat there for 2 hours while the kids where sleeping and then 4 chairs didnt get wiped off and ur kid is sat in a puddle of it and because you work there you get written up for bit**ng about it?

[Former Teacher]

In TX, we have to use the bleach solution for alot of things. There is a so called 4 step process with the bleach, soap and water, clear water and then air dry. They change the system all the time so who knows what it is now.

However while I was at my former center we had to use this 4 step process on the changing tables. Well when you have to change 5 plus diapers at a time you are not going to wait for the darn thing to air dry. Plus if we did we would have the parents complain about the bleach getting on the kids clothes, not to mention on our clothes as well.

So while we would keep a bottle of the solution where state can see it, we would have a can Lysol there. We would just use that. It worked just as well.

Of course should state be there, we would do the 4 steps. However number 1 rule when state is there: NEVER CHANGE A DIAPER. They watch you like hawks

[HandsOnLearning]

its the law here

its the law here to use a certain bleach/water solution

we also use peroxide to disinfect at night in the restrooms, this kills crypto!!
We buy peroxide in bulk and wash toilets and changing areas each night with themm during the day we use the bleach water solution after each toilet use and diaper change

[Unregistered]

Bleach Danger

The use of bleach in daycare is very dangerous because it is very caustic to the sinus mucosa. Every time that I pick up my grandchildren from the daycare that they attend, the smell of bleach is overwhelming my grandson's eye's are red and blinking.
They do not wait until the children are gone for the day. The clothing should be the least of our worries. We need to worry about their lungs and health. The bleach may be killing germs but it is also harming the children.
Another alarming point about the use of bleach is that when it is mixed with ammonia it forms a very harmful and sometimes lethal gas. Well, doesn't urine contain ammonia? What happens to the little children when urine is wiped up using the bleach mixture?
There is no way to regulate the proper mixing proportions in every daycare in the country. If it is going to be required to use shouldn't it be in a premixed form?
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do about this? I am very worried about the long term effects that it will have on my grandchildren.

[gbcc]

I am not allowed to use anything other than bleach in my state. We do have the option to buy the hospital grade solution but bleech is $1 per bottle and the hospital grade is $25 per bottle. so, the choice there is obvious. I hate bleech, the smell and the stains. I have never liked it but if I am caught using pinesol or lysol instead I could be shut down.

[jen]

As a licensed provider, it is required that we spray the changing pad with a bleach/water solution after each diaper change. If the changing pad wasn't completely dry, it would be easy to accidentally damage clothing. You should see my clothes, pretty much everything has a bleach mark here or there.

If it is to the point of bothering his eyes, they may have the solution mixed too strongly. As always, if you have any questions you should approach the director/provider.

[Unregistered-misol]

Bleach alternative

Bleach/water has been the traditional mixture used for years. There are substitutes for bleach, which truthfully is a very good disinfectant, but not the safest thing to use around people! A recent study published in September 09 shows that children just being exposed to swimming pool chlorine greatly increases their odds of developing asthma and allergies later in life. Swimming pools are kept at 1-3 ppm chlorine, and disinfection solutions of bleach water are 500 -800 ppm. So you do the math! Day Care inspectors feel more comfortable requiring bleach because they don't have to look up the commercial solution that reportedly is a disinfectant. However - all sanitizers and disinfectants have to be approved by the EPA. If the label has an EPA registration number and is labeled disinfectant, it is tested and approved. Every word on the label has to be approved by the EPA. So it is not rocket science to look for a registration number, the word disinfectant, and the time required to remain on the surface for proper kill of organisms! The ideal product would be a sanitizer (food contact approved) as well as a disinfectant. There is a product called a2b which is a different type of chlorine that works like the chlorine in bleach, except it is food contact approved, will not fade clothes, and does not smell. It has been approved by the state licensing agencies as an alternate in NC, SC, and VA. You can get your state's requirements at (http://nrckids.org/STATES/states.htm) Press your day care inspectors to get bleach out!

Anyone know where to buy the a2b product mentioned in this post?

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

Yes unfortunately, we are required by law to bleach surfaces. This includes tables that they eat at. We have to bleach these tables each time before we can serve their meals/snacks on them. After we spray the water & bleach solution, we are not allowed to wipe it off; It must air dry. Before it is dry one 2 yr old in particular has rubbed against it, or climbed on top before it has a chance to throughly dry. Though we watch as closely as possible to prevent this, it does happen sometimes, as the other children require care as well. Same thing for the changing pad. After we change one child's diaper, we have to spray it with the water/bleach solution before changing the next child. With 5-7 children in diapers, there is not enough time to wait for it to completely dry before changing the next one. We have had one parent complain to us about her 2 yr old's clothes getting bleached, so all we can do in his case is place him in his playpen while we're waiting for the table to dry, which to me, doesn't seem fair to this child, but that's what his parents agreed for us to do (as for the changing pad, his parents supply his own little pad to place on top of the one we have so his clothes won't get bleached). The best thing I could recommend is always send your child to daycare in old clothes, as by law we HAVE to use this bleach/water solution, so bleach stains are going to happen, as irritating as it is. Most of my clothes also have bleach stains on them (despite my best efforts to avoid it), so I understand how frustrating it can be.

[Unregistered]

same problem here

I had the same problem. I picked up my daughter from daycare. She had bleach stains on one of the pant legs. I told the teacher all she said was sorry about that. Than I talked to the director she said that she will take of it. But I never got a call back from her. So, I went down to talk to her myself and found out that the bleach spray bottle was not spraying so the teacher opened the bottle and poured it, and than wiped it. But the left over spilled on the chair. And when my daugther sat down her pants was bleached. And today the teacher who was guity she gave my daughter giftcard for walmart. And I also know that she got a first warning for the director. Because she was in tears when is told me want happened. And was very sorry about it and offered to replace the pants. I told her what if the bleach got on her skin. Than? But I guess she learnt a lesson not to do that again. But I feel guity taking the giftcard. But does that solves the problem. Is my child safe?

My 2 year old son attends a daycare in Lilburn, GA. Until today, I have been fairly pleased with the facility and he seems to love it. When I went to pick him up this evening, I noticed that there were several bleach marks on the back of his navy blue pants. As annoyed as I am about the pants, I am very upset that he was exposed to bleach.

Isn't there something in daycare standards or guidelines that states that chemicals should not be used around the children? In my opinion, all cleaning should be done when the children are out of the classroom as not to expose them to harmful chemicals. I am just glad that it was only his pants that were ruined and that he didn't ingest any. He sticks his hands in his mouth all of the time and could have very easily gotten very sick if he had done so after touching the bleached area. I pointed the marks on his pants to the evening teacher, who's name I do not know, and she stated that she had not noticed the marks and had no idea when it had been done.

Could someone tell me who the proper channel would be to notify? Other than bringing it up to the daycare director, I do not know what else to do. Beside, I do not think that it would do any good to report it to the director. I would appreciate any help that anyone could provide me with.

[Unregistered]

Where to Buy a2b product question

Google it. The company listed is Athena GTX in Iowa.

[Unregistered]

a2b

Anyone know where to buy the a2b product mentioned in this post?

a2b is a trichloromelamine based product that is awesome! A product called Chloro-Glass is easier to use and more stable as it is sold in individual packages that make about 2 gallons and don't deteriorate over time as the a2b tubs do. You can get it online at www.liquidtekllc.com It's a little pricey but worth it.

[misol]

Thanks. I will look into this.

[Unregistered]

Incorrect Info

a2b is a trichloromelamine based product that is awesome! A product called Chloro-Glass is easier to use and more stable as it is sold in individual packages that make about 2 gallons and don't deteriorate over time as the a2b tubs do. You can get it online at www.liquidtekllc.com It's a little pricey but worth it.

The information on a2b is incorrect as stated by this response from liquidtekllc. Either take this response off or include the correct information previously submitted.