Cleanliness is important anywhere and everywhere you go. Whether it’s at home, work, the shopping centre, or your child’s school, a clean environment can help you feel comfortable in a space. Anywhere that is clearly disorganised or has a visible mess is bound to give you a negative impression and leave you questioning their professionalism.
All of this is magnified in a medical setting such as a medical centre. Medical cleaning is of the utmost importance in order to reduce the transmission of infections. While anybody is susceptible to picking up an infection, people with compromised immune systems are already at high risk and should be protected wherever possible. In a medical setting, this only becomes more crucial.
This article explains why medical cleaning is so important and gives some guidelines as to how often certain areas should be cleaned. For further information or to request a medical cleaning quote, contact our team at Cleantastic today.
Why Is Medical Cleaning So Important?
In addition to projecting professionalism and helping patients feel at ease, a clean medical setting helps to reduce the risk of people catching and passing on infections. Medical facilities are generally high-traffic areas to begin with, and are more likely to see people with various illnesses come and go throughout the day. As a result, insufficient cleaning may leave virus particles on surfaces that another person may touch. If they then touch their hand to their face, they are at risk of contracting that illness and passing it on themselves.
Medical Centre Cleaning Guidelines
Medical centre cleaning guidelines should always be followed and strictly adhered to. Cleaning a medical centre thoroughly and consistently can make a large difference in preventing the spread of disease. To ensure your medical centre is giving the best impression and helping to keep people safe, here are some tips and guidelines as to what should be cleaned, how it should be cleaned, and how often.
Above all else, ensure that you spot-clean any area or object whenever it’s necessary, whether it be due to contact with a highly infectious person or if it becomes visibly soiled. This also includes any spills or body fluids.
Ensure that the dirtier or more contaminated areas or surfaces are cleaned last so that you reduce the chances of spreading germs around. Begin with the cleanest area and work your way through to the dirtiest.
Daily Cleaning
All horizontal surfaces must be cleaned daily, as skin can shed micro-organisms that land on horizontal surfaces. Additionally, dust can accumulate on horizontal surfaces quickly. Horizontal surfaces include the floor, benchtops, desks, chairs, and tables.
High-contact surfaces must also be cleaned daily. Along with the above, this also includes areas such as door handles, children’s books and toys, the fridge, sinks and bathrooms, and medical equipment.
The way you’ll need to clean these surfaces depends on the material it’s made from. For example, hard floors should be mopped while carpeted areas should be vacuumed (preferably with a HEPA filter). Damply dusting hard horizontal surfaces should suffice (unless visibly soiled). Sinks and toilets require cleaning with diluted bleach. High-contact areas should be cleaned with diluted bleach or at least 70% alcohol, and the frequency should be increased during known outbreaks of concern within the community.
Weekly Cleaning
Areas that are touched by fewer people or that are less likely to be contaminated should be cleaned weekly. This includes telephones and keyboards, which require a damp dust, and food handling and eating areas such as the surfaces of cupboards, fridges, dishwashers, and microwaves. The interior of the microwave should also be cleaned as necessary by the individual user if there is a spill.
Monthly Cleaning
Light fitting should be damply dusted once per month, as should windows and glass partitions (though if they become visibly soiled they should be cleaned as necessary). To clean windows and partitions, wipe with water and detergent. Items such as tape measures and pens should also be cleaned monthly using detergent and water or alcohol wipes. Again, if they become visibly soiled they should be cleaned immediately.
Yearly Cleaning
The yearly cleaning of a medical centre requires the walls and ceilings to be wiped with water and detergent. Once per year, a contractor will need to machine scrub the floor, steam clean carpeted areas, and steam clean or dry clean fabric staff chairs.
Looking For Top Medical Cleaning?
Medical centre cleaning guidelines are strict for good reason, and should always be fully adhered to. This specific type of cleaning can be difficult and time-consuming, so professional cleaners may be a good option for many medical centres. To enquire about cleaning for your medical centre, request a medical cleaning quote from Cleantastic today.
