Drying hands

**melanieabigail2004** · 12-12-2008, 08:54 AM

I have the smallest downstairs toilet in the history of toilets. The sink is so big if you are over a certain size you can't get in and close the door!

My question is I want to rethink my hand towel situation I have separate towels but no room to store them in the toilet so they are kept in the child's drawer in the hall. Its proving not practical so want to change to paper towels - thing is I have nowhere to put anything except on the window sill - older children won't be able to reach them or on the toilet cistern - but not sure if this be considered unhygienic. I suppose I could put them in a small basket

Help help help - Ofsted are coming on Monday

Mel

**a.lmb** · 12-12-2008, 09:31 AM

ok try kitchen towels i hope this helps or paper ones like they have in schools

**sarah707** · 12-12-2008, 09:47 AM

My friend has a kitchen towel dispenser attached to her toilet wall...

I have a pile of cloth face towels on my cistern - they take one, use it and put it in a lidded bin...

Another friend has a towel for each child hung up on the wall - they are small towels and different colours and she has made and laminated labels of each child's name to go above them. She washes them every night.

Hope something here inspires

**mandy moo** · 12-12-2008, 10:26 AM

I too have towels and flannels for each child, each child has a different colour, and each child has their name above them,

I found my hooks in home base they are crome and self adhesive and are on the wall nest to the sink.
Could you prehaps put hooks on the door?

**Annie_T** · 12-12-2008, 10:28 AM

i was told i can use kitchen towles - she questioned my towel situation - i only have 1 in the loo ... but i was gonna buy one for every mindee as i get them then place them on wall.

maybe something like this would go in the toilet ..somewhere - back of door maybe
http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/42271/...345783278.html

**PixiePetal** · 12-12-2008, 10:46 AM

I have found having flannels as hand towels the easiest. Through the day, when I use the loo, I empty the bin of used ones into my real washing bin in my room to keep the pile down. Cheap ones (about 20p) from ASDA ir IKEA are fine.

I put a really little basin in my bathroom when we did it up to save on space! DH has got used to shaving in small basin now. Don't know why they need to be so big for hand washing! The last one was like a bath

**mummyroysof3** · 12-12-2008, 11:11 AM

i hope no one minds me butting in i have a question though, at present i have an extension on the back with a small downstairs toilet room off of it, there is pluming for a toilet but not an actual toilet as my stepdad is renovating the extension in april(extension is not on my certificate)

my question is that the isnt pluming there for a sink and to be honest not really room for one, how do ofsted feel about this? if we were using the toilst we would just come into kitchen to wash hands

charlotte x

**sarah707** · 12-12-2008, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by mummyroysof2

i hope no one minds me butting in i have a question though, at present i have an extension on the back with a small downstairs toilet room off of it, there is pluming for a toilet but not an actual toilet as my stepdad is renovating the extension in april(extension is not on my certificate)

my question is that the isnt pluming there for a sink and to be honest not really room for one, how do ofsted feel about this? if we were using the toilst we would just come into kitchen to wash hands

charlotte x

I don't know about Ofsted (I've got a feeling they won't like it but nothing in the statutory requirements to say that) but I know that food hygiene will not be happy about you washing childrne's hands in a sink where you also prepare food. Too much danger of cross contamination

Is there any way you can fit in a small corner sink? Mine is tiny but big enough for hands. The plumbing could come from the toilet.

hth

**mummyroysof3** · 12-12-2008, 12:48 PM

thanks sarah, im not keen on the idea either, my stepdad who is doing the renovations will be coming to visit next weekend to measure up etc, he runs his own business doing this sort of stuff, but he taking a week off to come and do mine for free yay! we just paying for materials, so im sure he wont mind putting a sink in too, he will be here for nearly a week anyway i think

charlotte x

**Pauline** · 12-12-2008, 12:50 PM

I use kitchen towels and think your small basket idea is a good one.

You could tear off quite a few so that the little ones don't struggle and fill the basket with them.

I do a similar thing, we have a wicker drawer unit by the sink and I fill the top drawer with the kitchen towels.

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 12-12-2008, 02:21 PM

I have a small toilet downstairs and have done away with towels althogether.

I now have the same liquid (500ml from Bodycare) as the hospital and it just rubs in - bargain at £1.99 and no washing!

**Pauline** · 12-12-2008, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by DebbieS26

I have a small toilet downstairs and have done away with towels althogether.

I now have the same liquid (500ml from Bodycare) as the hospital and it just rubs in - bargain at £1.99 and no washing!

But don't forget that if you do use any form of antiseptic type handwash like Debbie, you will need written/signed permission from the parents to ensure the children are safe as some can cause allergic reaction.

**maple** · 12-12-2008, 05:03 PM

I use paper towels. I bought the towel and dispenser from costco. Screws to the wall not very big and is hygeinic and save washing and drying.

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 12-12-2008, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Pauline

But don't forget that if you do use any form of antiseptic type handwash like Debbie, you will need written/signed permission from the parents to ensure the children are safe as some can cause allergic reaction.

Just went to look at the bottle and it is Hygenics Anti-bacterial moisturing hand gel.

Ofsted have seen it too..

**Pauline** · 12-12-2008, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by DebbieS26

Just went to look at the bottle and it is Hygenics Anti-bacterial moisturing hand gel.

Ofsted have seen it too..

Trouble is what one inspector is happy with another might not be. I still think I would get permissions first, but of course that is my opinion, it is up to the individual on what they would do.

**helenlc** · 12-12-2008, 07:56 PM

We were discussing this at a childminder drop in the other week. At present I have individual towels and flannels for each child, all seperate colours and they know whose is whose.

Another CM said she has a stack of flannels in her bathroom and when they children have washed their hands, they take a flannel, dry their hands and place it in a wash basket/bin outside the bathroom. So they only get one use and are then put to be washed.

At her last inpsection, she was told that this wasnt acceptable. The inpsector said that she should use disposable paper towels. She argued that hers were disposable in a way because they were only used once and then discarded (for washing anyway).

She kept asking her inspector to explain what was so wrong with her system but in the end, I think they agreed to disagree as the inspector couldnt say why hers was wrong and any different to using disposable paper towels.

Personally, I would go with the paper towel idea and put them in a basket. Can you not prop the basket on a small step or stool in the toilet. I know you said the room was small but if it gets you through your inpsection, you can rethink after about how best to accomodate them.

Or how about putting them outside the toilet? Maybe put a stool out there with the paper towels on the top in a basket and then a bin under the stool?

Good luck btw.