MyVillage Shares COVID-19 Cleaning and Disinfecting Tips for Your Home

MyVillage, a Colorado-based company started by two moms, is on a mission to create a new gold standard of child care that works for all families, including the many families who are now left scrambling to figure out a new child care solution since COVID-19. MyVillage is a fast-growing network of home-based child care programs across Colorado. And, in response to COVID-19, MyVillage programs are taking on additional safety and cleaning precautions to prevent the spread of germs and be able to continue to provide families with reliable, safe child care among small groups of children.

So, like MyVillage, what are a few cleaning and sanitation tips you can also do at home to keep your family healthy? MyVillage Early Childhood Education Specialists have shared some tips below:

Home cleaning: 

• When cleaning your home, wear a pair of gloves to ensure you are not touching any of the surfaces with your hands
• Clean surfaces with soap and water first, then move to an EPA-registered disinfectant (continue below for a few product recommendations)
• Practice more routine cleaning on high touch surfaces such as light switches, doorknobs, tables, sinks, faucets, shared toys, and remote controls
• Once cleaning is finished, remove gloves from inside out and thoroughly wash your hands
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Given many children don’t yet understand the concept of time, many MyVillage educators teach children specific hand-washing songs that have a singing duration of 20 seconds. Find hand-washing songs for children here. 

New purchases (includes gently used toys/gear brought into the home from Good Buy Gear):

• Wear gloves when cleaning any item, especially one you are bringing into your home from elsewhere
• Feel free to leave your item outside for 24 hours before you begin the cleaning process
• If you wish to begin using the product immediately, use disinfecting wipes or spray to thoroughly clean the item from top to bottom
• Once complete, remove the gloves from the inside out and wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

Safe product recommendations: 

• EPA-registered household disinfectant, such as Clorox Brand disinfecting wipes 
• Clorox Brand Clean-Up Cleaner + Bleach
• A full product list of only the surface disinfectants that the CDC recommends against the virus that causes COVID-19 can be found here 
• Homemade solution: Mixed water and bleach (ensure the product is not past its expiration date), ⅓ cup bleach to a gallon of water. Only make as much as you need, as diluted bleach solutions will be effective for disinfection only up to 24 hours 
• Alcohol solutions with at least 70% of alcohol can also be used for cleaning

You can also turn to the CDC to find recommendations for extra steps for cleaning and disinfecting your home when someone is ill with COVID-19.

Why MyVillage? Feel inspired to learn more about how you can put these healthy habits into action as a MyVillage educator making a difference in your community? Now, more than ever, working families are seeking out affordable, reliable child care options in their neighborhoods that offer safe care to a small number of children.

Click here to learn more about partnering with MyVillage to start a home-based child care program in your area or to find a program near you.