a man is doing healthcare cleaning

Clean A Medical And Patient Room Like Hospital

When it comes to healthcare cleaning, the stakes are much higher than they are when it comes to social distancing and other precautionary measures. The dangers are greatest at medical facilities, urgent care clinics, and dentist offices, where bacteria and germs abound. Your janitorial workers will also be protected from the spread of germs and diseases if they are cleaned properly.

Best Practices for Cleaning and Disinfecting A Patient Room

In order for your janitorial crew to thoroughly and effectively provide a professional healthcare cleaning to a medical facility or patient room, there are a few guidelines that they should follow. Your personnel should clean the following to maximize the efficiency of your healthcare cleaning procedures:

  • The progression from pristine surfaces to dirty surfaces

All surfaces are unclean, although some are more noticeable than others.

Cross-contamination is reduced when your team works from clean to dirty surfaces. Clean surfaces will not get infested with germs and bacteria from dirty surfaces.

The more often your employees clean and disinfect, the more likely it is that the dirt they remove will end up in places that have previously been cleaned and disinfected.

  • From the highest to the lowest points (top to bottom)

It is impossible for dirt or dust to fall and contaminate a previously cleaned region if the professional healthcare cleaning crew cleans from high to low, or from the highest point of an item to the lowest point.

If soils from a window sill fall to the floor while cleaning, for example, the floor of the patient room may need to be redone. Because rework is a waste of time and money, floors should be cleaned last.

  • In a certain direction (clean in a pattern)

Cleaning in one direction will assist your cleaning crew in ensuring that no areas are missed.

There are a few cleaning patterns that your employees may follow to ensure that nothing is overlooked in the patient room.

Your cleaning staff may clean in a clockwise or left-to-right direction, beginning at the entrance and finishing on the other side of the room.

Cleaning may also be done in reverse, from the furthest wall to the room's entrance.

When patient rooms are cleaned and disinfected in an orderly manner, the probability of any surfaces or items being ignored or forgotten is reduced.

  • Prioritizing Surfaces with a High Degree of Touch

Cleaning high-touch surfaces in an occupied patient room is critical to maintaining a clean environment for your patients.

At a minimum, high-touch surfaces in patient rooms should be cleaned daily to remove and eliminate germs, bacteria, and pathogens that cause sickness. These surfaces include sinks and floors for handwashing.

Weekly cleaning of low-touch surfaces such as walls, baseboards, and corners is recommended.

a patient room needs healthcare cleaning

8 Steps In The Healthcare Cleaning Process Of A Patient's Room

Follow the procedures below to clean and disinfect occupied patient rooms at your healthcare facility:

  • Conduct A Preliminary Room Assessment
  • Remove Trash And Dispose Of Sharps
  • Apply A Disinfectant To Trash Cans
  • Clean And Disinfect All High Touch Areas
  • Spot Clean All Visible Marks On Walls, Windows, And Glass
  • Vacuum/Dust Mop Floor As Required
  • Damp Mop Floor
  • Visually Inspect To Be Sure There Is No Soil Load Left Behind

1. Take A preliminary Room Inspection

Cleaning should be preceded by a visual site inspection.

Check the patient's condition during the on-site evaluation to make sure that you and your employees can safely conduct regular cleaning.

Patients with airborne illnesses, such as those who need particular PPE, may necessitate that your cleaning team is unable to fully clean the patient space as usual.

To begin with, your cleaning crew should inspect the floor for any blood or body fluids.

In the end, have your personnel look for any potential hazards to safe cleaning methods, such as barriers, difficulties, or damaged furniture and surfaces.

a bin

2. REMOVE TRASH AND DISPOSE OF SHARPS

Empty the garbage cans once you've examined the area.

If the sharps container is full, it's time to switch to a fresh one that's free of debris.

Check the floor for any huge debris that may also be thrown away in the garbage.

3. APPLY A DISINFECTANT TO TRASH CANS

This procedure should be followed after the garbage has been completely removed and disinfecting chemicals have had time to work their magic before the trash can liner is reinstalled.

There must be a specified period of time that disinfectants are allowed to rest on a surface before they can be guaranteed to have killed all of the germs and bacteria present there.

Edomey's Advice: When disinfecting, it is important to know the wet dwell time for the disinfectant. How long a product must stay wet to destroy the microorganisms on its label is known as "dwell time."

Take a look at how long your disinfection chemical should remain in contact with the surface you're disinfecting.

It is important that your cleaning crew apply disinfectants as the third step so that the disinfectant may achieve its needed dwell time while your personnel continues to clean other surfaces in the room.

4. CLEAN AND DISINFECT ALL HIGH-TOUCH SURFACES

High-touch surfaces are those that are often touched, which increases the risk of disease transmission.

Prioritizing cleaning and disinfection in an occupied patient room includes areas of highest danger, such as:

  • Doorknobs, Railings, Phones, Keyboards, Nursing Carts, Bed Rails, Chairs, Monitors, and any other reusable equipment or machines
  • Remotes
  • Meal Carts and Trays
  • Sinks for Handwashing
  • Dishwashers
  • Toilet Bowls

Edomey's Advice: Before disinfecting, be sure you clean everything first. Before disinfecting, make sure all visible dirt have been cleaned or removed. In order to disinfect anything, it is necessary to first clean it to eliminate any loose dirt.

In order to get rid of the dirt, your employees should use disinfectant and let it sit for the proper period of time.

Cleaning and disinfecting all of the patient room's high-touch surfaces, as well as the restroom, should be a priority for your janitorial personnel.

5. SPOT CLEAN ALL VISIBLE MARKS ON WALLS, WINDOWS, AND GLASS

Visually check for obvious soils on the walls, windows, and glass

Use a glass cleaner to clean your windows and other glass surfaces. Use a squeegee to clean big glass surfaces.

The walls should be cleaned and disinfected using a microfiber cloth if there are obvious dirt.

vaccuum

6. VACUUM/DUST MOP FLOOR, AS REQUIRED

Sweep the floor with the dust mop from top to bottom. Limit shaking and avoid lifting if you don't want dust particles to go into the air when you're mopping.

You may use a professional vacuum to clean the floor of the patient room instead of dust mopping, which is more usual.

Many healthcare cleaning, in fact, mandate vacuuming to prevent the spread of dust and germs, which may be harmful to patients.

A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter is ideal for individuals with respiratory sensitivities because it may capture dust and dirt particles without dispersing them into the air.

Some vacuums are also intended to be quiet, making them ideal for use in patient rooms that are already occupied.

7. DAMP MOP FLOOR

Using a microfiber flat mop and a neutral floor cleanser, your cleaning personnel should wet mop the floor after vacuuming or dust mopping.

With a microfiber flat mop, less liquid is used to the floor, and drying time is shortened.

Wet floor signs should be placed on the floor after damp cleaning has commenced to notify those entering the room.

To prevent cross-contamination, the mop head should be replaced between each patient room.

8. VISUALLY INSPECT THE AREA TO BE SURE THERE IS NO REMAINING SOIL LOAD

In the same way that they did at the beginning, your team should conduct a visual inspection of the cleaned and disinfected space.

Your cleaning staff should make sure that no areas or noticeable dirt loads have been overlooked throughout this assessment.

Before eliminating any damp floor indicators, your healthcare cleaning crew should make certain the area is completely dry.

Conclusion

In order to keep your patients and staff safe and healthy, you need regularly clean and disinfect occupied patient rooms.

Sickness might spread more easily if your workplace isn't cleaned properly. It is also possible to reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination in your facility by using the finest cleaning methods.

Patients are more likely to be satisfied if the hospital room is kept clean and hygienic.

To ensure that everyone in your facility is as safe and healthy as possible, have your cleaning crew follow industry best practises while cleaning and sanitizing occupied patient rooms.

In order to keep your patients healthy and safe, you must use a mix of cleaning products and methods that minimize the transmission of disease.

The best way to keep occupied patient rooms is to consult with an Edomey Cleaning Specialist if you're in the British Columbia or Alberta. They can assess your present cleaning methods and help you design the optimum cleaning programme. Contact Us today For A Free Complimentary Quote.