According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, 1 in 25 hospital patients are affected by healthcare-associated infections each day. Healthcare institutions require thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected environments in order to prevent the spread of these infections and diseases. ServiceMaster TBS is supported by ServiceMaster Clean, who has been aided by the CDC in developing best practices for healthcare cleaning services.
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This partnership is designed to produce clean environments which control and prevent infections and create a safe environment for both patients and staff. Our module 1 cleaning system was designed for the service of physician offices, dental offices, and veterinary clinics. More specifically, we have created best practices for medical labs, diagnostic areas, exam rooms, nurses’ stations, and waiting areas. For other areas in these facilities, including restrooms and offices, team members adhere to our Capture and Removal methods.
To properly clean these environments, team members use EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectants. Combining these products with a detailed cleaning schedule yields the best results. For offices which perform primarily diagnostic medicine, low level disinfection and cleaning usually suffice. However, a pre-clean is performed to surfaces with visible gross or heavy soiling which incorporates additional chemicals based on the nature of the contaminant. For veterinary clinics, there are many risks for both animals and humans due to the amount of blood and bodily fluids present. These environments often require specialized cleaning and staff members must follow protocol and use appropriate personal protective equipment.
Team members working in these environments must wear proper personal protective equipment, or PPE, including goggles and gloves and adhere to all product label instructions. Cleaning done in the following order will produce the cleanliest environments:
- Empty all trash
- Pre-clean soiled areas
- Dust the environment
- Vacuum to loosen dirt
- Re-stock supplies
- Disinfect soiled/high-touch-point areas
- Mop
- Inspect
Commercial healthcare janitorial services have very unique and strict requirements. It is critical that commercial cleaners take the proper steps to eliminate germs in these environments and that they protect themselves from the potential dangers. These measures include wearing PPE, using proper chemicals, and following the correct steps. Don’t miss next week’s blog where we will discuss the specific risks that staff cleaning healthcare facilities cleaning face!
