So I've got kids in a Sydney primary school, right? And last term there was this nasty flu going around - classrooms turning into germ factories. Got me thinking about how our school handles cleaning. Used to be they'd pull teachers off yard duty to mop up vomit. Not ideal, man.

The Breaking Point

Started paying attention to details. Saw classroom sinks with that grimy ring, play equipment sticky with who-knows-what. Our PTA meeting turned into a janitorial debate when someone found mould growing under the canteen counter. That's when I said screw this, let's get quotes from proper cleaning services.

Doing The Legwork

Cold-called seven companies. Three straight up ghosted me. One dude showed up wearing flip-flops to walk through the kindergarten bathrooms - nope. Found two that actually specialise in schools:

• Company A: Came with child-safe chemical certificates
• Company B: Had after-hours cleaning crews to avoid kid exposure

We made 'em walk us through every nook - under those tiny preschool chairs, playground equipment joints, even tested how they'd handle biohazards like blood or puke. Sounds paranoid till you picture 30 five-year-olds licking the same LEGO brick.

Seeing The Difference

We went with Company B's night crew. First week, walk into Year 1 classroom Monday morning:

• No more dried glitter glue cemented to tables
• Actual smell of disinfectant instead of old sandwiches
• Sanitiser stations actually refilled (for once)

Biggest win? Attendance records show 18% fewer sick days this term. Teachers aren't wasting instructional time scrubbing desks. That alone justifies the cost twice over.

Final thing I checked - their crew all had working with children checks. Cause no eight-year-old should have small talk with strangers while taking a dump, y'know?