By Heidi Glaus
KIRKWOOD, Mo. (KSDK) - Since 1979, The Magic House has offered all sorts of hands-on learning opportunities. It's a place where everything is up for grabs, where children are actually encouraged to poke, twist, open and shut any and all things they can get their little hands on.
"How many things do you think you touch at The Magic House?" I ask one child. "A lot," the little girl answers.
A whole lot of people walk through these doors daily.
"In a year's time we see about a half a million," explains Carrie Hutchcraft, Director of Communications at The Magic House explains.
Keeping exhibits as germ free as possible is a top priority, so every little thing that is picked up has to be wiped down.
"In general we can say that almost every area of The Magic House is wiped down at least two to three times per day. We use mostly green products. There are times when we need to use Clorox bleach and things like that, but we are wiping down to disinfect," Hutchcraft says.
Every pretend can and container, every fake fruit and vegetable gets hit with a rag. Water play areas are drained daily.
"You're getting fresh bubble solution in there as well," Hutchcraft points out.
Not only is there a custodial team, but every employee is expected to keep his or her area clean.
"They have check lists that they go through so every morning they're making sure they're wiping down the microphones in the star spangled center. They're making sure to disinfect the pin wall," adds Hutchcraft.
Even hard to reach places that seem rather small, like the giant beanstalk were actually created big enough to allow a firefighter in full gear through it, so those exhibits are wiped them down daily as well.
It is obviously a paradise for the pint-sized and hopefully knowing how hard they work to keep things as germ free as possible is music to mom's ears.
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