Cleaning programmes in healthcare facilities ensure patients, nurses and doctors have a safe, clean and healthy environment.
Hospital surfaces like floors, walls, furniture and counters are notorious for harbouring disease-causing germs.
Therefore, establishing a sound cleaning programme is critical in ensuring effective disinfection to prevent cross-contamination and germs spread. Developing a smooth health care floor cleaning programme requires the application of the strategies below:
Recognise That Floors Are High-Touch Areas
Cleaning staff often concentrate on wiping and disinfecting doorknobs, soap dispensers, or railings since they are the prominent high-contact surfaces. However, the cleaning personnel should also prioritise the cleaning of the floors.
While a patient may not touch the floor with their hands, exposure to contamination is still high.
Apart from exposure through placing bags on the floor, residual airborne bacteria and spills are also sources of contamination. The germs can transfer to critical surfaces.
For instance, a patient using a wheelchair will touch everything the wheel picks up from the floor.
Follow the Right Cleaning Steps
Ensure you start your cleaning routine the right way. For instance, consider dusting or removal of the debris before proceeding to scrub. Dusting is critical since it removes hairs and dust that host harmful pathogens.
However, scrubbing before removing debris can redistribute dust around the surfaces.
When you are confident the floors are dust-free, you can begin wet-cleaning using the appropriate tools and chemicals. If your facility does not have all the tools, you can find a scrubber dryer hire facility.
Disinfect After Cleaning
Disinfection in healthcare facilities is mandatory to kill any remaining germs after dusting and cleaning. However, it would be best to choose a suitable disinfectant that will not compromise the visitors’ safety.
The dwell time should also be minimal to avoid obstruction in high-traffic zones. Besides, chemical accuracy is vital to ensure proper sanitising and disinfection of surfaces.
Healthcare facilities must maintain clean and safe environments. A practical floor cleaning programme will incorporate the strategies above to ensure surfaces are spotless. Lack of cleaning equipment should not be a concern since hiring an industrial vacuum cleaner is a viable option.