According to research, one out of every ten hospital patients have a healthcare-associated infection. Housekeeping in hospitals is crucial for preventing the spread of illness and preventing patients from contracting new diseases. Hospital cleaning is never an easy thing to do. It is important for you to use specialty cleaning equipment to proceed with cleaning a hospital. Let’s deep dive and explore what the best hospital cleaning equipment available for your purchase are. On top of that, we will also share some of the tips that you can follow for hospital cleaning.
Reduce the use of chemicals as much as possible
Even if sanitizing the hospital room is necessary, keep patients and the quantity of chemicals used in mind. It is not only possible to injure the skin of the personnel, but it is also possible to irritate the nasal passages of patients. Find a cleaning product that is effective while without being laden with hazardous chemicals.
Proper Waste Disposal
It is essential that the hotel cleaning crew disposes of garbage appropriately. Used tissues, packaging, and disposable cleaning items must be placed in a rubbish bag and discarded. Avoid touching the interior of the bag, and make sure it isn’t overflowing. Rubbish cans should be disinfected on a regular basis, and liners should be used to make cleaning and removing garbage simpler.
It is critical to remember that waste bags must be thick enough to avoid tearing and puncture, as well as waterproof. If the contents are damp, hospital cleaning personnel must double-up rubbish bags to prevent leaks.
Prevent Cross-Contamination
The most difficult issue for hospital cleaning workers is removing and disposing of toxins as quickly as possible. Mops and rags, for example, are certain to carry germs back into the facility and must be removed appropriately. Spraying, vacuuming, and disposing of pollutants to ensure bacteria does not exit the area is an efficient approach to avoid cross-contamination.
Reduce Pollution in the Air
Tiddox says a clean hospital guarantees that no biological dangers enter the airstream. Before dumping filthy bedclothes in linen bins, hotel cleaning personnel must roll them away from their bodies. Staff must also firmly knot rubbish bags so that there is no surplus air in the bag, ensuring that the air is clean for patients. You must install an air purifier or an air filter on the premises if one does not already exist. Here, you may find a real HEPA air filter. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air, and it is a sort of air filter that cleans the air by capturing microscopic particles in the air such as mold spores, pollen, and other microorganisms. The air purifier guarantees that the air in the building is clean.
Work your way from clean to dirty areas.
Cleaning the dirtiest spot first, usually the restroom, and then progressing to the cleaner portions of the hospital room, is a huge error. This increases the likelihood of infections spreading around the room. Instead, workers should begin with the healthiest patients’ rooms and work their way down to the sickest patients’ bathrooms.
Housekeeping employees must also work from the highest point in the room to the lowest, as well as from the outside in, to avoid going back on themselves.
Concentrate on High-Touch Surfaces
Disinfecting high-touch locations is one of the most significant hospital housekeeping operations. Patients may leave microorganisms on surfaces; therefore, personnel must focus on high-touch areas. Bed rails, doorknobs, light switches, bathroom railings, and faucets are all examples of this. Frequent hospital cleanliness reduces contamination, ensuring the safety of patients and healthcare employees.
Wear PPE at all times
When cleaning a hospital, employees must wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Employees must wash their hands with liquid soap or an alcohol-based hand rub before putting on disposable aprons. They must also put on protective eyewear and latex gloves to avoid direct contact with infected surfaces.
The incorrect usage of gloves may result in the transmission of harmful infections. Staff must have access to a variety of gloves based on the patient’s room and duties that involve extremely dirty objects. Gloves must be changed between cleanings, never worn in corridors, and changed when entering a residential room or a communal bathroom. When done, employees must discard their gloves, apron, eye protection, and surgical mask. When the staff leaves the room, they must properly wipe their hands. To avoid cross-contamination, it is critical to promote basic hand hygiene among cleaning employees.
Selecting the Appropriate Disinfectant
Consider how efficient the cleaning agent is, its safety profile, and if it will harm surfaces when selecting hospital disinfection products. Housekeeping employees must decide if the product’s dwell duration can be accomplished realistically throughout the cleaning procedure. To decrease the possibility of cross-contamination, employees must also have a system with single-use towels or wipes.
Disinfecting and cleaning
Cleaning and disinfecting the whole room must be part of hospital cleaning processes and practices. Dirt particles are gone when you clean a surface, however germs may still be there. Microfiber towels are excellent for removing dirt and bacteria from a surface. To be effective, staff must dampen them with clean water or a commercial detergent.
Then, to eliminate germs that have remained on the countertops and walls, personnel must apply a disinfectant spray. It’s easy to get complacent and merely clean huge surface areas, but since lives are at risk, it’s the housecleaning staff’s obligation to disinfect the hard-to-reach locations.
Housekeepers must adhere to cleaning label requirements in order to properly disinfect the hospital room. Harmful germs will still be present if the personnel miss any procedures or does not wait long enough for the cleaning solution to operate. Staff must also replace microfiber cloths on a regular basis to prevent germs from spreading around the facility. If a blanket or pillow slips onto the floor when cleaning a patient’s room, replace it right away.
Final words
As you can see, there are some special cleaning equipment that you need to buy for hospital cleaning. Make sure that you invest in them and you will be able to end up with getting the best returns.
