Professional Cleaners Have to Do Better

Why Professional Cleaners Have to Do Better

The term professional cleaner is often used loosely. But being a professional commercial cleaner does not automatically qualify someone to be a professional hospital cleaner — they are two completely different things. And childcare cleaning is no different.

Would you feel confident going in for an operation knowing the hospital was cleaned by a general commercial cleaner, not a specialised, trained hospital cleaner? Of course not. The same principle applies to childcare centres.

Commercial Cleaning Is Not Childcare Cleaning

The cleaning requirements for childcare centres have far more in common with hospital and medical cleaning than they do with office or commercial cleaning. Children are vulnerable, environments are high-touch, and compliance is non-negotiable.

To say it bluntly: commercial cleaners are not professional childcare cleaners.

Childcare Cleaning Has More in Common with Hospitals

Like hospitals, childcare centres require:

• Compliance-aligned cleaning protocols

• Documentation and verification systems

• Illness tracking and outbreak response

• Specialised training for staff and cleaners

This is why childcare cleaning standards in Australia must be treated as a specialised field, not just another branch of commercial cleaning.

Educators Deserve Better Support in Area 2 of the NQF

Educators are expected to maintain compliance across seven Quality Areas under the National Quality Framework (NQF). They engage so-called “professional” childcare cleaning services with the expectation of support in meeting Area 2: Children’s Health and Safety.

Yet too often, what they receive is little more than a basic cleaning service. That’s a big expense with little value in return. Educators deserve better.

What Defines a Professional Childcare Cleaner

To be a true professional childcare cleaner means:

• Delivering services aligned with the National Quality Framework

• Having compliance checks and documentation in place

• Being committed to achieving better outcomes in Area 2: Children’s Health and Safety

• Supporting educators by reducing, not increasing, their workload

• Providing transparent systems that promote accountability and collaboration

Professional childcare cleaning is not about ticking boxes or wiping surfaces. It’s about embedding cleaning into the compliance framework, supporting staff, and protecting children’s wellbeing.

Compliance, Documentation, and Accountability in Cleaning

At BLB Cleaning, our Cleaning Management Workbook is designed to:

• Record and report all cleaning activity in one place

• Provide annual cleaning schedules and routine task lists

• Include illness trackers and outbreak response logs

• Promote collaboration between educators and cleaners

• Improve accountability with transparent sign-offs

This is what compliance-aligned cleaning looks like in practice.

Reducing Educator Workload Through Smarter Cleaning Systems

Educators already carry the responsibility of meeting standards across seven Quality Areas. A professional childcare cleaning service should reduce their workload, not add to it.

Our 12-Month Complete Cleaning Plan with fixed-price and pre-pay options saves time, reduces stress, and ensures transparency. One annual invoice replaces multiple monthly or fortnightly invoices, freeing up admin time and preventing budget blowouts.

BLB Cleaning’s Commitment to Childcare-Exclusive Services

We believe childcare cleaning deserves the same respect and rigour as hospital cleaning. That’s why BLB Cleaning is committed to:

• Serving childcare centres exclusively

• Aligning every service with NQF Area 2 compliance

• Offering on-site childcare, cleaning training to fill the gap in sector guidelines

• Scaling carefully in the Penrith area to maintain quality and accountability

Conclusion

Commercial cleaning is not childcare cleaning. Just as hospitals demand specialised cleaning expertise, so too do childcare centres. If educators are held to the highest standards across seven Quality Areas, then the cleaning services they rely on must rise to the same level.

It’s time for professional cleaners to do better.

👉 Contact BLB Cleaning today to learn how our compliance-aligned childcare cleaning services, Cleaning Management Workbook, and onsite training can support your centre in achieving better outcomes under NQF Area 2.

🧾Commercial Cleaning vs Professional Childcare Cleaning