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We value cleanliness at The Children’s Museum. It has been one of our core values for years. Our dedication to cleanliness is part of what makes us so extraordinary. When the pandemic hit central Indiana, we knew we needed to take even greater steps to make The Children’s Museum the best—and cleanest—children’s museum in the world. Here’s a quick look at some of what we have done to ensure The Children’s Museum is clean and safe for you to visit.
What we’ve done during the closure
GSF, a local cleaning services company, worked alongside the museum’s cleaning staff to clean and disinfect the museum from top to bottom. This included carpets, walls, railings, restrooms, and exhibit components. Our staff has also been hard at work to ensure safety and cleanliness. Here’s a brief look at the numbers:
- We have used 5,280 square feet of material acrylic and sentra building plexi barriers, creating queue spaces, and blocking areas off.
- We have used 480 square feet of marine board material to create over 250 holders for hand sanitizer and wipes. This was in response to limited availability of holders as well as a need to accommodate certain supplies and product.
- The experience production/facilities department spent approximately 3,800 people-hours preparing the facility and making all the adjustments for reopening. This does not include the many hours of planning.
What we’re doing after reopening
The cleaning efforts will continue now that we’ve begun our phased reopening. After the museum closes for the day, it will be thoroughly cleaned. Each gallery will also close briefly and periodically throughout the day for additional cleaning and sanitizing. You can find the exhibit cleaning schedule here (UPDATE: in Spring 2021, we discontinued closing exhibits for cleaning during the day). In addition, here’s a look at our increased cleaning efforts by the numbers:
- We are using 55 gallons of disinfectant every week on the inside of the building and for cleaning equipment.
- We are using another 55 gallons of disinfectant every two weeks disinfecting turf and other outdoor surfaces.
- It takes at least 15 loads of laundry a day to keep our rags, mops, etc. clean.
- We are utilizing 20–25 additional team members a day to keep up with the hourly cleanings, laundry, handle product refills and stocking, and enhance customer service around closed restrooms.
- In terms of hours, there are approximately 132 people-hours a day spent focused on keeping the building clean, not including the extra time spent by gallery staff.
That’s a lot of numbers! That’s because we’re dedicated to creating an extraordinary environment for you! We’re looking forward to seeing you at The Children’s Museum—when the time is right. When you and your family do decide to return, you’ll find that it’s the same museum you love with new ways to keep you safe!
