Whenever I take my daughter to a public space, I have no expectations for what the cleanliness levels will be. I know it’s a gamble anywhere you go, especially places designated for kids. So, I pack extra hand sanitizer and hope we’ll make it out of there without some sort of rash or virus.
When going to places like the children’s museum or library, I know germs abound. It kind of just comes with the territory, but what kind of conditions do we expect public places to be in when we arrive with our kids? What is a little too germy?
One mom expressed deep frustration with her local library, posting a video of herself wiping down several toys and pieces of furniture. While the video definitely shows that the library had some dirt and grime, several users in her comment section took issue with the OP’s attitude toward the librarians working near the children’s area.
“Today I took my son to our local library and I was absolutely disgusted with the cleanliness,” mom and TikTok creator, @pilateswithkenz begins.
“I originally started to wipe down some of the food because my son put his mouth on it so I was just trying to sanitize for other kids and that’s when I realized the toys were filthy. I took it upon myself to start to clean the rest of the kitchen area and the wipes that I was using turned black almost instantly. I couldn’t stop there and started to clean some of the highly trafficked toys and I was just grossed out.”
Then, the OP turned her attention to the librarian, who she refers to as an “attendant,” to ask for some details on the cleaning situation at the library.
“I went up to the attendant who was just sitting there by the way to ask how often these toys were being wiped down and she said they’re sanitized nightly. She said she would let somebody know about how dirty it was. In my opinion, the attendant should at least be wiping things down every couple of hours,” she said.
“Our public library is almost brand new but the state of the toys would say that it’s been open for a million years. This grime isn’t just a day’s worth of grime. This has to be weeks and weeks of dirt buildup.”
The OP goes on to say that society shouldn’t settle for filthy public areas, especially where small children play.
“We know they’re inevitably putting things in their mouths. Even if you sanitize them this dirt and grime is absolutely unacceptable … I urge you to call your local library and see just how often they’re wiping things down and not just sanitizing them. We should be demanding more for places like this. Let me know am I just being too crazy and overprotective?”
Kenz’s comment section was mixed with several users expressing their opinions on her hot take.
“I’d rather the ‘attendant’ use their master’s degree to focus on literary programs and research, but maybe additional funding to libraries could ensure dedicated personnel to cleaning,” one user wrote.
“I clean a local library. The librarian’s job is not to clean. It’s to stock books, prepare programs, etc,” another wrote.
Another echoed, “The library is a free resource. you can’t think they have money and time to wipe down surfaces every few hours.”
“The library can always use more people to volunteer. It sounds like you may have a place to volunteer if you feel like they need the help,” another said.
The OP replied, “I cleaned while I was there- volunteered my time to clean”
“Yeah they sit there to be accessible for materials and questions on top of the computer work they do,” one user wrote.
“They can be accessible while also willing a few things down every now and again don’t you think? Especially since there were MAYBE 10 people including parents and children while I was there,” the OP replied.
“My husband is a librarian and they truly do so much during the day. Typically most of the cleaning comes from the custodian staff apart from wipe downs after programs etc,” another said.
The OP said, “You’re right. Missed the mark on WHO should clean, but I stand by my message.”
After much criticism, the OP made a follow-up video where she cleared up some criticism she was getting in her comment section, including an apology for her slight against the librarian
“I apologize. I should have called her a librarian and given her the respectful title she earned,” she said before explaining just how dirty the library was.
“When I made this video, I was enraged. Okay, I probably should have waited a day and calmed down before I made the video and gathered my thoughts, but I didn’t do that. I got on the internet and I was pissed. Rightfully so. I took my son to go play at the library, read some books, meet some friends, and after seeing him put the toys in his mouth, I went and cleaned those toys as a mother should, and that’s when I realized everything was dirty. I didn’t think that wiping one pass with a wipe, the wipe should turn black. That is disgusting to me,” she said.
