Routine cleaning, sterilization and infection control cleaning processes are needed to minimize the risk of healthcare acquired infections. Being a hospital, the cleaning process required is different to traditional cleaning methods of other industries.

Mops and buckets are a 3000-year-old system that is no longer industry standard for the healthcare industry. When it comes to cleaning in hospitals, aged care facilities, and other healthcare related facilities, the main factors to consider are the right “workflow” and the right “healthcare cleaning equipment”.

With healthcare acquired infections becoming more prevalent and antibiotic resistant bacteria on the rise, hospitals are fast becoming a place where patients are becoming unwell, rather than recovering.

Most healthcare facilities understand the importance of proper hand-washing. This has been a key message that has been targeted at hospitals for decades and one that is now just a normal and expected part of hospital hygiene practices.

In the 21st century, it is now hospital cleaning processes that are being put under the spotlight. Disinfecting and touch point cleaning is becoming terms that go hand in hand with hospital cleaning.

Here are some key areas that healthcare facilities can review to put their own cleaning practices under the microscope:

1. Preparation is key
   • Understand your current cleaning equipment gaps.
   • Ensure the equipment your hospital uses can be used across a facility e.g. patient room, bathroom, operating theater etc.
   • Remove any old equipment from the facility e.g. mops and buckets (it is easy for staff to fall back into “old habits”. To encourage a new program, it’s best to remove all outdated and previous methods).

      

2. Get the right workflow
   • When cleaning floors, it’s best to clean in long laps.
   • Clean in an anti-clockwise or clockwise direction.
   • Clean from top to bottom, this includes large surfaces or furniture.
   • In a room, clean floors last.

      

3. Give priority to high touched areas
   • High-touch areas or touch points; bed rails, light switches, call buttons, doorknobs, phone, remote control etc. should be cleaned using high-temperature steam vapour to prevent the spread of bacteria.

      

4. Dispose of cleaning materials:
   • Always dispose of microfibre cloths that have been used to wipe up spills and different biological materials.
   • Use a steam floor scrubber to achieve a “flood and scrub” process for a correct spills management process.

      

5. Use Microfiber Cloths
   • Microfiber is more effective in picking up bacteria and other matter.
   • Different colored cloth can be used to clean different surfaces or different rooms. For example, a different coloured cloth can be used to clean patient rooms as opposed to bathrooms.

      

6. Cleaning Equipment Management
   • Have minimal equipment and machines, but ensure they are high quality, versatile and can do multiple healthcare cleaning applications.
   • Ensure steam cleaning units produce a steam vapour of +180 degrees Celcius for effective infection control cleaning.
   • Ensure steam cleaning units produce “low moisture” steam of approximately 5% moisture content.

      

7. Use High-Temperature Steam Vapour Technology:
   • Use steam vapour to clean and sanitize medical equipment, touch points and all surfaces in key rooms.
   • Use steam vapour for effective regular, outbreak and discharge cleaning processes.

    

For more information on healthcare cleaning processes or healthcare equipment, visit out our website, Duplex Healthcare.