10 Hospital Cleaning Tips To Prevent Infection

worker cleaning hospital floor with machine

There are few spaces that encounter more germs, bacteria, and viruses than a hospital. This makes cleaning these buildings extremely important not only for the wellbeing of the patients that rely on hospital services, but also for the medical personnel and cleaning staff. Here are 10 tips that will help prevent infection when cleaning hospitals and medical clinics.

 

1. Consider your personal safety

 

When cleaning any location—but especially when cleaning medical facilities—it is important to wear the proper protective safety gear. Gloves, smocks, even cleaning masks would be appropriate.

 

2. Maintain your tools

 

Just because you clean with your tools does not mean that your tools are clean. Every cleaning job should begin with the inspection and disinfection of your cleaning tools. This will not only enhance the look of the facility, but will extend the life of your tools.

 

3. Choose the right tools

 

In addition to properly caring for and maintaining your tools, it’s important to choose the right tools for the job. For medical facilities, choose tools which are designed to clean curved surfaces, corners, equipment, and surfaces at higher-than-average height.

 

4. Practice preparedness

 

To ensure efficiency and optimal results, prep everything you may need before beginning to clean. This can reduce the risk of cross-contamination from moving between dirty and clean areas.

 

5. Use a list

 

When cleaning large facilities, it’s important to remain organized. Use a checklist to ensure that you have completed all the tasks you set out to accomplish. Divide the list among teams to enact a “divide and conquer” strategy.

 

6. Assume linens contain sharp objects

 

Avoid compressing bags of cloths, linens, or medical waste, to prevent injury from potentially concealed sharp objects.

 

7. Read and Re-read and RE-READ labels

 

Mind the warnings, markings, and color-coding present on medical materials and equipment. Read the label three times to ensure comprehension.

 

8. No double-dipping!

 

Never use the same cloth or cleaning instrument on different surfaces. Furthermore, do not place soiled materials into container of cleaning chemicals assuming it will be disinfected. Doing this just ensures contamination of the cleaning solution.

 

9. Wash your hands frequently

 

Whenever removing or replacing gloves, wash your hands to reduce your risk of exposure to potentially harmful germs and bacteria.

 

10. Invest in microfiber

 

Killing harmful-bacteria is only one step in the infection-prevention process. Exterminated microbes can become food for other live pathogens. We recommend you use anti-bacterial microfiber products to remove dead microbes from surfaces.

 

Source: http://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/rcp/microfiber/pdf/top-10-tips-for-healthcare-cleaning.pdf

About