Medical Facility Cleaning: How to Prevent Contamination

Good cleaning practices are essential for limiting the spread of disease-causing microorganisms in healthcare facilities. The lack of appropriate measures for the management of dangerous germs will increase contamination within the space and endanger medical staff, patients, and members of general the public.

If you are looking to improve the cleanliness standards in your clinic or medical office, consider the below-outlined guidelines.

Review Standard Cleaning Procedures

Medical facilities are hotbeds for pathogens and hazardous materials. Therefore, standard cleaning guidelines have been established to prevent contamination and the subsequent spread of diseases. These protocols use scientific principles related to disinfection chemistry, basic microbiology, and aseptic cleaning for managing microbes.

Your cleaning staff must understand the principles behind these procedures for the effective management of germs and contamination avoidance. Keep in mind that proper training is also critical for preventing personal infection during cleaning procedures. If you have in-house cleaning personnel, you may want to sign them up for a medical cleaning course.

If you do not have the resources for training in-house janitorial staff, choose an external cleaning company with appropriate training for healthcare facilities cleaning. The chosen cleaners must have qualifications for handling hazardous materials, managing blood-borne pathogens, and providing bio-recovery services.

Choose Cleaning Agents and Disinfectants

You must acquire the right cleaning products for your healthcare facility to prevent contamination. The core of medical cleaning lies in the cleaners knowing the difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing. The lack of understanding could lead to a clinic that looks clean but that has infected surfaces.

Cleaning involves the removal of general dirt from surfaces, including germs. This essential process alone is not sufficient for medical facilities because soap and water do not kill or remove all pathogens. Therefore, you must invest in disinfectant chemicals to kill the harmful microbes on your clean surfaces.

The cost of disinfectant products for large-scale cleaning is high. However, you must not choose low-quality agents intended for residential or general commercial cleaning. Hospital-grade disinfectants will provide the best results against stubborn bacteria and viruses. Contamination is costly due to staff members getting sick or people filing lawsuits, so it's better to spend the money on prevention instead.

Consider investing in sanitizers for the maintenance of clean and disinfected surfaces. These products will keep the pathogens on surfaces at a suitable safe level matching the standards established by public health specialists. Hand sanitizing stations across the medical facility will also contribute to lower rates of contamination.

Identify High-Contamination Areas in the Facility

Poor cleaning practices can increase the risk of the spread of germs in healthcare facilities via high-contact surfaces and high-traffic zones. Therefore, evaluate your medical premises, identify these areas, and use the information to improve your cleaning program. For example, your housekeeping protocol must address high-touch features.

If the patients and the staff touch a surface, the risk of germ spread will be exponential. These features include door handles, light switches, handrails, and faucets, and they should be disinfected and sanitized frequently. This practice is particularly crucial if the area is often occupied by children because of the inconsistent hygiene practices of most children.

When revising your cleaning protocols, plan for the cleanup of low-contamination areas first. An inexperienced cleaner might begin their work in the dirtiest zones of a medical facility, like the bathrooms, but this bad practice can result in the spread of dangerous microbes to cleaner areas of the building, like offices.

You should also prevent other simple mistakes, like cleaning surfaces from the lowest points to the highest areas. Additionally, make sure the cleaners change and disinfect their mops, microfiber cloths, and protective gear to avoid contributing to germ spread.

Get Professional Help

If you are looking to improve the cleaning program in your hospital, clinic, medical office, or other healthcare environment, consult our experts at Janitorial Services Atlanta. Our team is trained, experienced, and proficient in the cleaning protocols for effective contamination control in medical facilities.