Why are nurseries so filthy?

[olyaro]

Over the past year, I’ve visited many local nurseries — not fewer than eight — all of which had excellent reviews and even Ofsted Outstanding ratings. However, the one thing they all had in common was how shockingly unclean they were. Each time I visited, I felt uncomfortable even touching anything. The floors and surfaces didn’t look properly cleaned, there was often an unpleasant smell, and dirty clothes were piled up in corners.

What surprised me most is that in every nursery, parents and visitors are allowed to walk in with outdoor shoes, which clearly contributes to the dirt and unhygienic environment.
I’ve given this some thought, and I believe the problem stems from two main things:

1. The lack of a no-shoes policy indoors
2. The absence of a dedicated cleaner during the day

For comparison, my sister's daughter attends a nursery in another country — it’s spotless.(it's much cheaper than random nursery in the UK) There, a cleaner is employed throughout the day and the environment is kept clean and fresh.

It makes me wonder: Why isn’t there a rule or minimum hygiene requirement in UK nurseries that includes a dedicated cleaner on duty? Of course, I understand this would increase costs, but I believe proper hygiene should be non-negotiable where young children are concerned. I doubt these nurseries are ever deep-cleaned properly, and it’s no surprise that children constantly get sick. Poor hygiene seems to be a major contributor.
As a side note, I myself went to a nursery that was immaculately clean, and I’ve always had good immunity and rarely get sick. So I find it hard to believe that exposing children to unsanitary environments somehow "strengthens their immunity." In my view, it just makes them ill.

My children's nursery looked clean when I toured it. I didn't notice anything dirty, at least. Nappy area did whiff a bit but I think it must be hard not to with multiple dirty nappies building up all day, and the actual room was clean.
The baby room up to 23 months was shoes off indoors for children, staff and visitors. But older than that in toddler room was free flow in and out, so I can't see how shoes off would work. Stopping every child to change shoes every time would surely inhibit their play.
Go and look at some good Ofsted instead of outstanding, and you might find more time spent on the basics instead of the paperwork documentation needed for an outstanding rating...

Any I've been in have a shoes off rule in the baby room (under 2) and shoes on in any others as they're generally walking around by that age. A bit of dirt won't harm them, children are constantly playing in far more dirt at the park or in gardens.

people who suggest the children should change into slippers:
Slippers and loose or ill fitting shoes are not good for developing children’s feet.
If you don’t believe me just google it.

I must admit when I went for my twins stay and play sessions at the nursery school they start in September I felt the same. The rooms are filthy. The toys are so dirty I didn’t even want my kids playing either them. I was itching to give the place a clean! But the school is rated outstanding so I guess cleanliness isn’t something ofsted care too much about.

When I looked round nurseries there was always something I didn’t like. I didn’t feel the children were well looked after. I was much happier with childminder when the children were little and nursery when older.

@HappyNewTaxYear
Absolutely!
Primary schools I've worked in have all been filthy. I hated even having to touch the door handles!

We are expected to make sure they are clean to go home by management. As a parent myself I wouldn't want the extra laundry.

My kids nursery is spotless and they have a full time cleaner on site. The kitchens, changing areas, everything is clean. We do pay through the nose for it and it is part of a big chain, so it is also run like a business and they are shit hot on everything. Can’t fault it. But I know this is an exception to the rule. Most are small, independents who have rented an old house which hasn’t been purpose built or designed as a nursery. And I’m not sure I have confidence in them.

Yeah. I hated this. I also hated seeing kids noses and faces unwiped. Low standards I’m afraid

I wouldn’t worry about it, cleanliness is overrated. It’s not good for our immune systems.

Exactly this 🤣

I did once visit a nursery which took babies, and which had a strong smell of poo, and never went back.

I own a nursery and we have a cleaner come in at the end of the day. I deep
clean every few weeks or more if needed.
Beds are washed weekly and bedding weekly or more often if dirty or when it was hot (sweaty children).
Toilets and tables are cleaned throughout the day and toys as necessary or every half term.
soft toys are washed every half term minimum along with other material items.
kitchen is cleaned throughout the day as needed and the water dispenser washed daily.
I love children but they do have revolting habits, wiping paint everywhere/yoghurt under tables etc so it is an impossible task to keep a nursery spotless.
A shoes off policy is a great idea but as children free flow they could come in and out 20 plus times especially if potty training, times this by 25 children. I would need to employ somebody to just take off and put on shoes.
It comes down to managers and owners at the end of the day and their expectations of staff. My staff know what they need to do and I am lucky that tbeh all sign up to my way of working.
I own and manage my nursery and work with the children 4 days a week. Please don’t judge us all to be the same, (as people also do with costs). As with everything there are good and bad!
There are many good, clean nursery’s with owners who care, unfortunately the other type seem to get all the press.

DD’s nursery was very clean - I’m shocked that others aren’t! It was a newly built purpose-built building though, so perhaps it hadn’t had time to get too grubby. The nursery manager was a little bit neurotic though 😆

I pretty much couldn’t give a toss. DD’s nursery is free flow to the garden, it’s mucky as fuck. Beautifully set up educational resources with mud, sand, glitter, shaving foam, water, more mud. Fuck it. Kids are washable. DD regularly comes home mucky or with some paint splotches.
Actual dirty kids, nah, they’re taught to wash their hands before meals and after the loo. DD struggles with constipation and overflow and they have been so, so on the ball with her needs in such a child focused way.

This is so interesting. I have often wondered if this is the underlying cause of so many illnesses. I have two friends whose children go to a different nursery, and their kids are constantly sick, often with really nasty things. It's been going ok for years. Everyone else I know has the occasional cold, maybe occasionally something else but nothing like what takes place with these other kids.

Get them trained young and follow the tradition of Japanese children who start off by cleaning their nurseries. Right through to the end of their secondary education.

This cleaning tradition is called Souji.

🇯🇵🧹🙋👍

When i was at school we had plimsoll’s. Our shoes stayed in the cloak room.

I grew up in Canada. We had indoor shoes for inside elementary school which is from kindergarten (nursery) to grade 8 ( 13yrs) and shoes to wear outside. Canadians do not wear shoes in the home. Guests remove at door. Winter snow boots especially would not be permitted inside school. High school you don’t need to change shoes anymore as it’s all tiled floor.

Both my children when to different nurseries but within the same group and they were spotless. Shoes off in the baby room but on elsewhere.

I went to look round my first DC’s and just from the smell and temperature in the reception and corridors I knew she was going to go there. There could have been spa treatment rooms on the other side of those doors!

I think people overlook a lot because they are desperate for childcare and there's a lack of prevision. Many years ago, I visited a nursery with 10 month old DC. This was a private nursery in a very sought after area of a major city. Huge waiting list, good reviews, good inspection reports and a recommendation from a colleague whose DC attended. Horrible. The baby room was a small basement space with no windows. It was painted black, white and red as a "sensory" space for babies but felt more like a dungeon. The floor was torn and uneven and soft furnishings and pillows were grey with filth. I was quite surprised anyone would accept that. I ended up not sending DC to nursery at all until she was old enough to attend the local school nursery which was basic but very clean. They had separate shoes for indoors and wellies for the garden.

My mum used to work in a nursery as the “Domestic Supervisor”. If memory serves, she worked from 9-3, Mon - Fri.

Essentially, she was the daytime cleaner who was responsible for keeping the nursery clean (toilets, kitchen, play areas etc). She also did all the laundry. And made sure that all was ready for the evening cleaner who came in after all the children and staff went home. This was 30 odd years ago, state funded nursery in inner London.

I remember it clearly as she often talked about how much she loved that job.

I worked as a nursery cleaner many years ago, I'd clean morning/lunchtime/after the nursery shut and every single time I got there it would be disgusting. There would always be two poos randomly stashed somewhere usually in a bookcase or the cloakroom. The nursery was the best in the area and had a massive waiting list. No amount of cleaning would ever get it clean which after persuading them to up the cleaning team by another two people still didn't make a difference. The grime and smells just seem to stick to every single thing.

Our nursery have a practical compromise, which is that the preschool children have separate indoor and outdoor shoes in winter, when the garden is wet and mucky, and don't bother in summer. They always clean the tables and get the children to wash their hands before eating. The normal staff clean the rooms at the end of the day (and I've seen them disinfecting the toys in the rooms where children put them in their mouths), and they have cleaners come in at the end of the week.

"I think people overlook a lot because they are desperate for childcare and there's a lack of prevision."
Until the bad nurseries are able to fail they'll carry on. Some of them do have to close down but usually because they can't find staff who are willing to work for them.