Cleaning up a healthcare facility is a vital task that needs to be done very carefully so that neither the patients nor the staff faces any risk of catching a transmittable virus. There are many different ways to thoroughly disinfect a facility, however, the process requires a lot of research and the appropriate equipment for the facility at hand. It’s very important to distinguish the difference between cleaning and disinfecting, as cleaning is the removal of a large amount of germs/dirt on a surface while disinfecting is the killing of the germs to lower the risk of spreading.
Use the Right Disinfectants
It’s very common to find disinfectants that don’t have a high enough alcohol percentage to do the job efficiently. Finding the right disinfectant means searching for one with an alcohol percentage of at least 70%. Ethanol is the most commonly used disinfectant and it takes around 2 minutes of contact time to disinfect a surface thoroughly. Following the instructions on the disinfectants or watching a video on how to disinfect a surface correctly will greatly help anyone with efficiently disinfecting a healthcare facility.
Wear the Correct Gear While Disinfecting
The last thing that you want to do while you’re disinfecting a healthcare facility is to spread around some germs that were already on your hands before you started. Wearing the correct safety gear while disinfecting is a must as you can either end up spreading harmful germs or worse, having them spread to you from the surface that you’ve been disinfecting. This means that you have to wear a facemask, eye protection, cleaning gown, and some gloves. Spraying down multiple surfaces with disinfectant means that there’s going to be a lot of chemicals all around the room. Wearing the right gear will prevent your body from any complications that can occur if these chemicals end up in the wrong place.
Follow Laundry Instructions Carefully
Washing the clothes that were worn by patients is a task that’s going to help disinfect healthcare facilities a lot faster as treating the patients while removing further traces of the virus that’s present in their clothes reduces the risk of it spreading. It’s extremely important to follow the right instructions though, as these clothes are filled with germs that can be very harmful if they start flying around. That’s why sick patient’s clothes should never be shaken while dirty, they need to be placed into the washing machine on the warmest setting and then left to dry completely before attempting to touch them. The wear of proper gear is also required when handling dirty laundry from sick patients. Once the clothes are placed in the washing machine, the staff should then immediately disinfect the hamper that the clothes were brought in with, as that can spread the harmful germs upon the next set of clothes placed inside.
Don’t Overuse Disinfectants
Sticking to the quantities recommended by the disinfectant helps prevent the build-up of a lot of chemicals in a room. Using too much disinfectant leaves the room filled with chemicals that can be harmful to the naked eye and the respiratory system of anyone inside. Allowing fresh air to enter the room can help with clearing out the chemicals that are floating around, however, surgery rooms should use an air purifier instead to prevent bacteria from landing onto any surface there.
Hire a Professional Cleaning Service
If the staff in a healthcare facility isn’t too familiar with how to disinfect the facility thoroughly, then hiring a team of professionals to do it might be a much safer alternative. Disinfecting a healthcare facility is a mandatory task that can occur at any time of the day. Experienced healthcare facility cleaners over on this site state disinfecting is a lot more than appearance and doing it the right way requires knowledge and expertise, especially during a pandemic. It’s always recommended to stick with one professional cleaning service, though as they tend to send in the same team over and over, which helps them quickly familiarize themselves with the facility and clean it very effectively.
Different Surfaces Require Different Disinfecting Methods
A lot of people treat every surface using the same disinfecting method and this is absolutely wrong as different surfaces require different disinfecting methods. Cleaning a hard surface differs a lot from cleaning an electronic device or a soft surface. A hard surface generally requires a standard cleaning using soap and water, followed by disinfecting it using the time mentioned on the disinfectant’s label. An electronic device requires a person to be a lot more careful to prevent any pooling of liquids that can store bacteria or germs, but the method of cleaning remains the same. A soft surface requires cleaning from any detectable impurity followed up by the use of a material-appropriate disinfectant to avoid harming the surface while disinfecting it thoroughly.
Dispose of Any Waste Carefully
Cleaning a healthcare facility thoroughly also means disposing of the waste without any risk of contaminating the facility, the environment, or the waste management workers. This requires the facility to use waste disposal bags that have a hazardous warning on them to warn the waste management workers. It also requires the staff member in charge of the disposing of waste to wear the proper gear and dispose of the waste without bringing it in contact with anything other than a trash can.
Train Staff Thoroughly
Being surrounded with competent staff that knows the procedures that need to be taken when disinfecting the facility helps minimize risks exponentially, as the staff will be able to assess the areas of the facility that require disinfecting. Ensuring that every member of the staff is very aware of the task they have to do helps make the process of disinfecting the facility a lot safer and easier.
Disinfecting a healthcare facility is a task that needs to be taken very seriously. Knowing as much as possible about the different ways to disinfect surfaces and how to do it without harming yourself or anyone else will greatly lower the risks of any germs spreading. Doing plenty of research and informing others of your findings is recommended by any healthcare facility cleaning specialist.
