Germs and colds tend to be on the forefront of our minds as soon as all the holiday cheer has ended. We spend the duration of the winter months trying to avoid places with high concentrations of people to make sure that we, and our kids, don’t come in contact with any illness. For some, that might include Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville. But, rest assured that the staff here at the Museum is extremely dedicated to cleaning and keeping Discovery Place Kids a healthy place to bring the family all year round.

So, how do we keep a Museum filled with children clean, and what tips can you take away to use at home?

Our day always starts with cleaning!

Each day we focus heavily on one area of the Museum. Our staff will spend the first hour of the day disinfecting every single toy, exhibit, windowsill and structure in the area. We use disinfectant wipes and a vinegar-and-water solution to clean hard objects like the fruit in the grocery store.

Smaller hard objects, like LEGOS and the water table toys, are taken to one of our two dishwashers to be cleaned and sanitized. Soft items, like the animals in the Pet Vet and the costumes behind the Town Hall Main Stage, are first placed in the washing machine and then put in the dryer on a special sanitizing cycle.

Throughout the day staff is continually cleaning and sanitizing.

We pay close attention to high traffic areas and spots with items that might end up in little mouths, especially I CAN Grow. Twice a day all mats (by the fire pole, in the fitness area and by the mirror in I CAN Grow) are mopped down with a disinfectant. For times when we need to clean up bigger messes, we use a diluted bleach mixture.

For visitors, we have two sinks in I CAN CREATE with soap to wash hands as well as bathrooms on both floors. We have a sanitizing wipe station set up in the I CAN GROW area and in the Comfort Corner.

We end our day the same way we started it – cleaning.

Our staff goes through the entire Museum and sprays every single item with a disinfectant after all our guests have left. A designated cleaning crew then comes to the Museum every night.

As most parents already know, it is no easy task to keep kid-friendly areas germ free, but the frequency of cleaning makes a big difference. At your own home, you can use similar techniques to keep germs at bay. Give everything a general cleaning then focus on one or two different high-traffic areas every day for a deeper cleaning.

As for Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville, if you ever have any questions, or see something that you feel needs to be cleaned, let one of our staff members know. We are dedicated to keeping our visitors healthy and germ-free!