What do you use to disinfect tables, booster seats, and high chairs? I've been using disinfectant wipes, but the waste (and the cost) is starting to get to me. Is there a food-safe spray that you use with washable cloths? I know I could be using bleach and water, but I'm not sure how safe that is for the high chair trays, where the babies are eating straight off of it most of the time ...

I'm not licensed, so I can use just about anything. Any ideas?

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I use disinfectant wipes too, I also use the Clorox anywhere spray once in a while. I always have a spray bottle that I have a couple shots of dish detergent in it, and I use that to spray the high chairs and table and other things with. I also frequently spray Lysol on the toys, tables and chairs, enclosed play area, packinplays, about everything.

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We are required to make up a bleach solution EVERY day and the state does check it out when they show up. Wipes are not approved. (I make up my own though out of half of a roll of paper towel and an old wipes container and add solution as needed.) I wash the items with soapy water then mist with solution and let dry. Toys that can go in the dishwasher, and usually I walk around with a spray bottle of solution and mist knobs, large toys, phone, etc... at the end of the day and let air dry

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I use Clorox Anywhere hard surface sanitizer. It is not expensive, doesn't bleach clothes or leave that bleach smell and is one of the few products besides bleach hat is approved for the Environmental Rating Scales.

Here's a link to what I use:

http://www.clorox.com/products/overv...?prod_id=ahsds

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I use this as well. It works great!!

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It's bleach water. Clorox Anywhere- Bought it once and researched the ingredient. You are paying for a very mild bleach solution in a lovely spray bottle. It is not approved by our state licensing inspector because it isn't mixed daily. I asked. If your not licensed it really doesn't matter what you use. Regular dish detergent will disinfect, They said on CNN today that you shouldn't use anti-bacterial products with the chemical Triclosan in it. One concern is that the chemical Triclosan has been linked to altering hormone regulation in animals. The FDA also says some of anti-bacterial products are no more effective than plain old soap and water

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Yes, it is bleach solution, you're exactly right. And that is why it is acceptable to use. Licensing here doesn't regulate it, but I disinfect anyway. I conduct environmental rating scale assessments for our R&R and HeadStart and have extensive eduation and experiene with it and it is one of the few products, other than bleach solution, that are accepted in the quality indicators. It is also approved by the EPA. Wipes do not qualify.

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So what concentration do you make up your bleach solution in? And do you need to rinse it after spraying if you do high chair trays?

I love the idea of just using dish soap -- I didn't realize it disinfects as well, but it makes sense! I'm afraid my parents wouldn't think it's good enough though, so that's why I like to have a specific "disinfectant" to use.

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My thoughts are.....if we wash our dishes in dish soap....it better work pretty darn good.

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Our state does regulate the Anywhere it's to be mixed daily and I'm too cheap to pay for what I can make my self. The ratio is 1 tsp bleach to a quart and/or 1 Tbl to a gallon, but I guess that depends on your state. I'm in MI.

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Should've finished. I wipe down the trays (or changing area)with dish water then mist the tray and let air dry. If I need the high chair right away I let dry for two minutes then wipe with a paper towel.

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I use a bleach solution too. A spray bottle of water to a tablespoon of bleach. I just have to redo the solution daily but the cost is basically nothing.

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I do this same thing. Mist everything at the end of the day with my bleach/water solution and let air dry.

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I dont think we have a specific sanitizer required by licensing here. I use the wipes all the time and lysol spray when kids are sick. I have used the Anywhere Spray before...I might use that again.

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I use the bleach/water solution which is what our licensing requires (CA). We use 1/4 cup bleach=gallon water which needs to be made fresh daily. I just bought a 32oz. bottle which I fill with water and add 1/2 oz of bleach to it instead of making an entire gallon each time which would be wasteful if all I needed to clean were surfaces. I only make the gallon of bleach solution when I have to clean toys and drop everything in the solution and leave them in there for 2 minutes or more before pulling them out and then wiping them dry. I mist all of my surfaces with this solution leave it for two minutes and then wipe it with a clean cloth. They say this is enough time for the solution to kill bacteria. This solution is also safe for kids even babies because there is enough bleach to kill bacteria but not enough to hurt them if they put their mouths on it. We use it on everything including our high-chairs and tables. We aren't allowed to use the clorox wipes however because licensing says that when you wipe something with them the surface dries quicker than in two-minutes which means that not enough bacteria is killed.

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In NM, I observed a 4 star family group daycare and they used a UV disinfecting wand!! They said they use it several times a day on toys and all sorts of things. Okay, I'm skeptical, but it sounds awesome! Does it work!? I put the trays in the dishwasher with bleach and also do use bleach solution.

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