9 Tips To Keep Your Indoor Playground or Play Cafe Clean And Tidy (In An Efficient, Cost-Effective Manner!)

Now I want to give a little disclaimer before we get into this article. And by the way, if you prefer to listen instead of read, I have this article published as a podcast episode on my Profitable Play Podcast here.

If you are one of those indoor playground owners who made it through the pandemic, then hats off to you. This will likely all be a bit of a review– and may even give you a lil’ bit of business PTSD– so you may want to skip this one unless you want some tidying up tips. But this will pretty much reflect what YOU are already doing and have been throughout the pandemic.

But for those of you who opened in 2022 or are opening in 2023 and beyond– I wanted to share some tips on how to keep your space clean now that most states and countries are past the pandemic– at least, for the most part.

Something that we were consistently asked by customers year-round, but especially when we are in the throes of flu-season, is how we sanitized our space and kept it clean. So this article isn’t just to share tips– but also to help you create talking points and a templated response for when you ARE asked about your policies and procedures– because you will be. 

While I can’t speak for other facilities, I know that keeping our space sparkling clean was always a top priority. After all, my own children played there daily-- so I had a personal stake in the effectiveness of our cleaning procedures as well.

So today I’d love to shed some light on how we managed to keep germs at bay the best we could – again, during non-pandemic times– and share tips for other play space owners to do the same.

1) Have A Mouthed Toys Bin

Since we served babies and toddlers primarily, there were constantly toys and play food going into the mouths of our littlest guests.

To help prevent these toys going back into rotation after they are “mouthed”, we had “Mouthed Toys” bins throughout our space (one in the kitchen, one in the baby area, and one in our main play space).

These were clearly labeled (some call them yuck buckets) and we tried our best to let customers know where they are and what to use them for.

We tried to consistently empty these bins and clean their contents because sometimes children (who are usually below reading age!) see big bins full of toys and think they are there to play with.

By keeping them as empty as possible at all times it helped to prevent this issue.

For most of our toys we used either a disinfectant soak or a steam sanitizer to make sure the germs are removed from all the “nooks and crannies” that can exist on these small toys like our pretend baked goods.

2) Have a Rotation of Toys

For our smaller toys, like the pretend food and the balls for our ball pit– we always kept at least 1-2 extra sets that were clean in our back office. That way, if we needed to clean between play sessions or parties and did not have time to let the toys fully soak, disinfect, and dry– we could simply swap out the dirty set of the clean one and then do the sanitation process at a later time or overnight.

This might seem like an unnecessary cost, but this rotation process will also keep your toys looking newer longer, and you will have to replace them less. So, in the end, it’s kind of a wash– because you’re going to need to replace them anyway so you will likely end up buying the same amount of sets when it comes down to it.

This is also how we turned over parties, events, and play sessions so quickly– while some of our competitors were needing hours to clean in between. This really helped with profitability since we heavily relied on parties and private events to remain a sustainable business and pay ourselves enough.

3) Have Cleaning Supplies Everywhere

Something that took me about a year to learn was that it was MUCH easier to keep our facility clean if we have pockets of cleaning supplies EVERYWHERE around our facility instead of in one central “cleaning supplies” cabinet.

For example, if a staff member is tidying the play area or filling bathroom supplies and notices something that needs to be cleaned or wiped down, and they have to walk across the facility to get the supplies they need, it’s likely they’ll get sidetracked or save that task for later. 

Even though they may have every intention of going back and cleaning whatever mess they spotted, they may get stopped by a customer or some other distraction and let the mess slip their mind. And while they’re distracted, other customers are likely noting the mess.

This happened especially often during our busy season when it is actually MOST important to stay on top of these messes to make sure our facility is clean at all times.

For this reason, we had small bins filled with cleaning supplies in 8-10 different locations at any given time. That way, employees can tackle the mess IMMEDIATELY before being distracted by something else that needs to be taken care of.

Not only did this save time but it also increased accountability for our team members to tackle messes right away regardless of the circumstances.

Since we encouraged parents to accompany their children around our facility including into the bathrooms, we have not had an issue with children “getting into” cleaning supplies.

However, if you DO encourage more independence or serve an older child-base (who can visit the restroom without help) you may want to keep supplies in a locked box or on a shelf to prevent accidents.

4) Have Sanitizing Stations Everywhere

Another thing we had all over our facility is hand sanitizing stations. And again, if you’re operating in this post-pandemic world, you likely already have this practice in place. But in case you’re reading this in 2023 or beyond, I feel like I need to mention this anyway because I do NOT want us in the indoor play industry to lose sight of this practice as the pandemic fades into the distance of our rear view mirrors. In our 2,500 square foot facility we had 8 stations supplied by Cintas, a cleaning company, in addition to dozens of bottles scattered around all over the place.

Remember, parents WANT to keep the space germ-free and they WANT to prevent themselves and their children from getting ill.

I found that as long as we provide them with enough solutions to keep themselves clean, they WILL utilize them and therefore reduce the risk of spreading germs.

While germs WILL spread when children and parents are in close-proximity and we can’t avoid this entirely, having tools and supplies in convenient areas for people to use throughout their visit is a big step in keeping all visitors safe and healthy.

5) Have a Sickness Policy

This is something we struggled with in the beginning and many indoor play spaces are currently in the process of adapting their COVID-19 procedures to more current times. During the height of the pandemic it was easy– it was expected to mask and not uncommon to require temperature checks before entering a business. But now that most states are relaxing these practices, we may want to consider doing so as well– depending on your area and numbers.

For example, at our play space pre-pandemic, we  had a policy that if a child was visibly or audibly ill, they are not to be admitted into the play area. We also had signs that if you were feeling ill or experiencing any illness symptoms, you were not to enter. We included this language on our waiver as well which guests were required to sign.

However, much of this is SO subjective. 

If a child is coughing, how can we tell if it’s a sickness versus some water in their throat? If they sneeze and the parent claims they have allergies and are not sick, how can we know to trust or not trust them?

We did our best to enforce this sickness policy but still accepted feedback from our visitors and worked to constantly improve our policy and adapt it for flu season and other illnesses that came up in our area.

Lots of facilities have a “no green boogers” rule but we just try to be very observant and if a child seems to be clearly under-the-weather we have a discussion with the parents and will ask them to leave. Repeat offenders may need to even be banned from returning as this places yourself and other customers and staff at risk. And if they don’t respect the people inside of it, how can they really respect or value your business after all?

We often offered a free pass for the child to come back another time when they are feeling better if the parent is disappointed about losing their open-play admission cost. This helped reduce any confrontations or complaints- and also avoided a refund on our end.

Because we make our policies clear online and in our waiver, we do not offer any refunds even if asked in this scenario.

6) Have Specific Cleaning Lists

One way we kept our team members on-task is by having specific cleaning lists that need to be completed at different times of the day.

We had specific opening, mid-shift, and closing task lists which I have shared with everyone inside of Play Maker Society. And what I just adore about Play Maker Society is that many other owners with different sized spaces and teams have shared theirs in our member resource drive as well.

Not only were our employees required to check these tasks off as they get completed, they were also required to sign their initials to increase the accountability factor.

If a task does not get done, it’s very easy to track that back to a specific team member.

In addition to these cleaning tasks that get completed daily, we also had a “deep clean” list which gets completed whenever there is “extra” time. This list helped to ensure that employees are never standing around unsure of what to do. There was ALWAYS something on the deep clean list that can be done– even if we have customers inside the facility.

This list included things like cleaning the baseboards, dusting light fixtures, re-organizing party supplies or cabinets– things that need to be done on a less-frequent basis than the tasks on our daily list. We did however require that all of these items be done at least monthly.

The deep clean list was EXTENSIVE and could never be completed during one shift, so we were confident that our team members knew exactly what they needed to be doing at any given time.

And again, if  you would like access to all of our tasks lists, they are available to all Play Maker Society members!

7) Schedule Professional Deep Cleans

If you are feeling like some of the more time-intensive tasks are too much for your team to accomplish, something we utilized during our busy season is monthly professional deep-cleaning.

They did things like sanitize our  upholstery and carpets and clean UNDER our foam tiles-- really anything that requires us to be closed for several hours to complete OR things that we lack the proper equipment for.

You can also opt for something like Microshield360 to enhance your space’s cleanliness. Microshield360 and similar companies essentially come to your facility and fog or mist your entire space with an antimicrobial solution that will not only sanitize all surfaces, but also continue fighting germs and bacteria the clean is over because of the solution.

This is especially great for large facilities with gross-motor structures that are difficult and time consuming to clean. These can be pricy, but in the end often save time and money when you do an actual cost-benefit analysis. Plus, you can video the process like Krystyne from Sweet Peas Play Cafe did and share it on social media, making her customers feel safe and confident coming to her playground even during the pandemic and now during flu and RSV season.

8) Add Hand-Washing Stations

In my recent visit to Cafe O’ Play in Ohio I shared that one of my FAVORITE things about their facility is that adults AND kids were required to use an automatic hand-washing station prior to entering the play area when they arrived AND after eating. 

This certainly reduces germs and, as I mentioned in episode 131 of my Profitable Play podcast and in the YouTube tour I did, doubles as making the facility more safe for families dealing with food allergies as well.

If you cannot go fully professional, at least consider placing a handwashing station at your play area entrance and requiring guests to use it– or asking them to wash their hands in the restroom before playing. As we all know, hand sanitizer can only combat so many germs and viruses and the best way to TRULY eliminate as many yuckies as possible is to wash your hands with warm water and soap.

9) Ask for Customers’ Help

One more thing we were always in continuous- improvement mode on is how we empowered customers to help with our cleaning process.

We had “Doc McStuffin” signs everywhere letting parents know that we’d rather have them bring us a broken toy than hide it somewhere for another child to find and possibly injure themselves on (which happens more than you’d think) but we were also always working on giving parents the tools they need to help keep our space clean as well.

I love how some spaces have  “sanitation” boards where customers can find all the supplies they need to wipe down any toys or structures that may need it. 

At first I thought parents would be annoyed by this concept.

However, I have seen more and more that parents WANT to be a part of keeping the facility spotless and are more than willing to play their part in keeping both the children and adults as safe from germs as possible.

We didn’t require customers to clean, but we did get enough parents asking for supplies to make this worth our while to add. And the more other customers see staff and peers cleaning, the better they will feel about your space. 

Your “Play Of The Day” is to YES, implement any of these tips that might fit your facility. 

BUT equally as important, I want you to create a templated response for customers who ask about your cleaning procedures. Create a list of talking points that are detailed and specific, and use it to reply to emails or messages. 

I know that every single time you get one of these messages you likely roll your eyes and want to get defensive, especially if a parent is claiming their child got sick in your facility. But use these messages as an opportunity to enlighten and educate your customers about how seriously you take cleanliness and the steps you take to go above and beyond when protecting their little ones against illness. 

And you can also use these talking points to train your staff about how to speak to customers about this as well. Because oftentimes our staff's knowledge is limited to their specific job duties– so be sure to inform them of anything that takes place outside of their working hours as well- like professional deep cleans or Microsheild360 applications. 

Because if you are spending money on these items and your staff does now know when or how to share about them– that is a huge missed opportunity for you to get an added benefit of those services.