Very few people are as panicked as new parents. We get it. One moment you’re a person in a relationship and you have responsibilities and obligations, sure, however, nothing in the world could have prepared you for the life-changing nature of having a child. It’s beautiful, wonderful, and so fulfilling - but it can also be quite challenging.
After all, now you have this living, breathing baby that is totally reliant on you. You might feel like you need a checklist for everything, such as a nursery cleaning checklist, to even remember it all!
The stress is understandable and no one can blame you for being on edge. Fortunately, there’s a lot of help out there, and BISSELL is here to offer whatever assistance we can to parents in need of information. As a cleaning company, we know how important keeping a tidy home is, but this is doubly so when you’ve got an infant. Knowing how to clean a nursery is integral to maintaining their health, so here’s a nursery cleaning checklist to ensure that you have a game plan that will allow for the most thorough and efficient clean.
How To Clean A Nursery
2. Top and Tail
4. Vacuuming
1. Utensils on Hand
One of the best strategies to keep your baby’s nursery clean is to have your best nursery cleaning products and utensils on hand. This means keeping a little cleaning kit or sanitation station in your baby’s nursery, of course ensuring that it is baby-proof. Here’s a list of what cleaning products are handy for a nursery:
- Waste Bin
- Recyclable Bin
- Rubbish bags
- Extendable duster
- Microfibre cloths
- Dry paper towels
- Disinfectant spray
- Vacuum cleaner
It’s important to note that there’s a difference between cleaning and disinfecting, and this is important for dealing with the range of bacteria that can be fostered in a nursery. The difference is that cleaning clears clutter and mess that, while contributing to cleanliness, does not necessarily kill bacteria. Disinfecting is the specific practice of using antibacterial solutions and utensils to kill harmful microbes and bacteria, keeping them to a minimum. Now that we’ve got our handy sanitation station sorted out, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of our nursery cleaning checklist.
2. Top And Tail
When it comes to cleaning we have a basic methodology which allows for the most effective cleaning of your nursery. The basic way to go about things is to start from the top and make your way down. The reason for this is quite simple. While you’re cleaning the upper parts of your room, you will inevitably dislodge and displace dust and debris from these locations. This dust and debris will fall to the floor, meaning that as you make your way down, you’re less likely to miss anything.
With that in mind, the best place to start is by dusting or vacuuming the ceiling, including any light fixtures that there may be. We would recommend an extendable duster or one of our range of vacuum cleaners for the job. When you finish the ceiling itself, run the duster or vacuum along the corners of the ceiling, then run the duster over each wall and corner.
3. Tackle The Little Things
After the ceiling and walls are done it’s time to tackle the little things: toys, books, art, equipment, and the cot. It’s important to keep the items that your child plays or interacts with regularly clean, as these are likely to be something that comes into contact with the child’s mouth, eyes, or ears. Infants are curious by nature, and their primary method of investigation is to stuff things in their mouths.
Toys should be cleaned with a child-friendly, non-toxic disinfectant, and then dried. The cot should have the mattress removed and aired. Once it’s aired significantly, depending on how long it’s been since it was last done, the mattress may benefit from a deep clean. Once completed, put some fresh sheets on, while the frame of the cot itself is likewise disinfected and either dried by hand or air. The same needs to be done on any surface your child may touch, including changing tables.
Remember, clean from top to bottom. This means any dust will fall onto the lower levels that you will be cleaning later, ensuring that you manage to clean any and all grit that may be in your nursery.
4. Vacuuming
The last thing on the nursery cleaning checklist is possibly the simplest job in cleaning up a nursery, vacuuming. Having worked from top to bottom, now the floor is where all the dust and debris from the previous stages have landed. All that’s left is to get out your trusty vacuum cleaner and suck it up! Once the vacuuming is done, that’s it!
Job done! Congratulations, you’ve officially cleaned your nursery! Now, just a few notes on maintenance.
Keeping a nursery clean is extremely important to your baby’s health. Dust is a carrier for heaps of illness and disease-causing bacteria, but there’s no point in seeing how to keep dust out of the nursery because you just can’t. Dust exists everywhere, all the time, in minute quantities almost imperceptible to the human eye. This environmental dust is fine, but it’s when the dust starts to become visible that it becomes a significant issue, and detrimental to the baby's health. Not to mention other sources of illness like bugs and such. To this end, here is a nursery cleaning checklist of what to do daily, weekly, and monthly.
BISSELL's Nursery Cleaning Checklist
Daily
- Change bed sheets
- Clean mattress
- Dust or vacuum any furniture
- Empty and replace the nappy bin every day
- Ventilate the room for twenty minutes in the morning and twenty in the evening
- Tidy up clutter
- Clean and wipe the changing table after every use
Weekly
- Perform a deep dusting of the room
- Clean the cot and vacuum the mattress
- Wash hard floors with a mop and vacuum carpets
- Clean changing tables, and check and refill essential items.
Monthly
- Clean light fittings and fans
- Wipe doors and walls
- Clean windows and blinds
- Wash curtains
Finishing Up
Congratulations! You’ve got a good list of supplies, a checklist, and a solid method outline for cleaning up your infant’s nursery. All new parents are nervous, but many people are actually doing a much better job than they think they are.
We’re sure you’re no exception, but everyone needs some help sometimes, and we hope this nursery cleanup guide gives you the help you need.
Contact us or shop BISSELL’s full selection of innovative household cleaners available online today!
Wanting to clean other sections of your home? View our ultimate guide to home cleaning here.