Workplace-related illness costs American businesses about $576 billion every year, which is the major reason for downtime in medical and healthcare facilities.
The risk of employees contracting illness through the spread of germs or unsanitary conditions at your workplace is eliminated by cleaning and disinfecting using professional medical cleaning services.
Medical facility cleaning services are a cleaning program in compliance with occupational safety, infection control, disease control, patient safety, HIPAA, and OSHA guidelines. These agencies set the highest standards for medical environments
But, the typical janitorial cleaning service won’t cut it, to ensure the better health of your building occupants, medical office cleaning is crucial. From the waiting room to the exam room, it’s important to entrust your medical facility cleaning to specially trained and equipped cleaning professionals.
As healthcare providers and medical professionals, your medical office should portray a safe environment to ensure patient safety and satisfaction.
THE 5 TOP BENEFITS OF MEDICAL OFFICE CLEANING.
Here are some reasons you need medical office cleaning services at your healthcare facility:
1. Clean and Healthy Environment
The first thing that visitors and patients notice about any healthcare facility when they walk in, is the cleanliness of the surfaces.
A clean facility makes a good first impression of your services and gives patients more confidence in your medical business operations.
A healthcare facility cleaning services will ensure that your facility looks impeccable, from the reception area to the restrooms.
2. Improved Overall Health
Expert medical cleaning crews use various techniques, state-of-the-art equipment, and cleaning products to combat allergens, dust, viruses, and bacteria in your indoor space.
It can result in the improvement of air quality and hygiene standards in the facility, and the reduction of the risk of cross-contamination.
3. Prevention of Blood-borne Pathogen Contamination
Medical facility cleaning services can help reduce the contamination of blood-borne pathogens and curb the spread of harmful infections among patients and medical personnel.
Professional medical cleaners will know when and how to disinfect and prevent cross-contamination.
They will focus on specific areas in the medical facility such as laboratories, restrooms, waiting rooms, doctor’s offices, examination rooms, nurses’ stations, along with high-touch areas such as doorknobs; and use non-toxic cleaning products and disinfectants to promote a healthy and sustainable indoor environment.
4. Meet the Required Health Regulations
Healthcare is a very sensitive issue; the CDC has set a cleaning guideline to ensure that healthcare facilities around the country stay hygienic.
You can verify if a medical cleaning service works in compliance with CDC and other regulatory bodies such as EPA, JCAHO, and AORN, as well as State and Local-specific guidelines, before engaging a particular vendor’s services.
5. Increased Productivity
Hiring a cleaning service with experience in healthcare facility cleaning might sound more costly– but the benefits outweigh the costs.
Professionals better ensure patient satisfaction, as they likely will have an impression that you care about their well-being and comfort. Meanwhile, it also improves the indoor air quality and hygiene of your space.
A commitment to cleanliness and hygiene positively enhances relationships with physicians, nurses, and staff. Lastly, it should boost your facility’s industry reputation.
How to Choose the Right Medical Office Cleaning Services
The medical office cleaning company you choose should have industry experience, adhere to proper standards, and maintain the right cleaning equipment..
An experienced service provider should::
- Adhere to all regulatory standards – OSHA and HIPAA
- Using color-coding to avert viral and bacterial cross-contamination
- Use hospital-grade disinfectants that prevent harmful Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI).
- Adopt the latest strategies for the disinfection and cleaning of medical-specific areas.
- Maintain bathroom cleaning equipment that will limit bacteria on towel dispensers, faucet handles, and flush handles.
- Use eco-friendly cleaning products and methods when possible.
- Use HEPA filters when vacuuming to eliminate airborne irritants.
- Comply with biohazard disposal and waste removal guidelines.
Healthcare cleaning must adhere to the highest “medical grade” standards.
Creating a Medical Office Cleaning Checklist for Your Facility
The complex working environment and high-volume traffic in a healthcare facility can make it difficult to maintain and keep clean.
Here is a detailed medical cleaning checklist to help you create an effective cleaning strategy:
Exterior Cleanup
The exterior of your healthcare facility should always be in top-notch condition.
Your parking lot and general landscape are the first things visitors will notice about your organization.
So, make sure you create a good first impression.
You can make your exterior space inviting by:
- Emptying and cleaning the trash cans and dumpsters.
- Removing stagnated water and debris from the walkways.
- Maintain a debris-free parking lot, driveway, and sidewalks.
- Periodically pressure-wash concrete walkways
Office Cleaning
Your employees’ workspace must be sanitized and cleaned daily to prevent the potential spread of bacteria.
The cleaning should include:
- Vacuuming and wiping down all the surfaces.
- Mopping all hard floors with hospital-grade cleaner
- Emptying the trash, including replacing liners
- Dusting including window frames/mini-blinds
- Disinfecting all surfaces and equipment.
- Periodically stripping and waxing hard surface floors
Waiting Room and Entryway Cleaning
These sections of your facility receive a high volume of foot traffic on a day-to-day basis, making them high-risk areas for the spread of infection. Consider the following cleaning practices:
- Disinfect and clean all surfaces, including the floors, tables, counters, chairs, and door handles.
- Clean the counter, stationary, and check-in area with a disinfecting cleaning product.
- Take out and dust magazines, books, and newspapers frequently.
- Wax the hard floor, at least quarterly, to maintain its professional appearance and boost longevity.
Restroom Maintenance
The restroom requires cleaning several times a day, they should do the cleaning when traffic is slow in the building. Your cleaning team should be able to:
- Maintain a constant supply of soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and other toiletry essentials.
- Report and repair any leaks or clogs.
- Disinfect hot spots in the restroom, such as toilets, doors, urinals, switches, and faucet handles.
- Disinfect and clean all surfaces, including walls, floors, sinks, mirrors, light switches, and door handles.
Patient Room Cleaning
To curb the spread of infection, the patient rooms should be disinfected and cleaned several times a day.
During a pandemic, the medical cleaning team should wear protective gear. Cleaning the patient room will involve:
- Using a disinfectant to clean the surface and sides of the bed frame, mattress, side rails, and foot board after each patient.
- Sanitizing high-touch areas, such as tabletop, inner drawers, telephones, armchairs, door, and cabinet handles.
- Changing window and privacy curtains regularly.
- Disposing of trash several times daily.
Electrostatic Disinfection
Electrostatic spraying or disinfection is a process of spraying an electrostatically charged mist onto surfaces and objects, designed to kill germs, bacteria, and viruses.
It is a safe, time-saving, effective, and touch less application, which means zero cross-contamination.
Utilizing this technology in conjunction with a disinfectant on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Registered Antimicrobial Products for Use Against Novel Coronavirus SARS-coV-2, the cause of COVID-19, typically referred to as List N, will provide an additional level of comprehensive cleaning and peace of mind.
Top-Rated Medical Cleaning Team at Your Service
The cleanliness of your medical or healthcare facility can have a significant impact on the success of your healthcare operations.
Outsourcing a cleaning service with years of industry-specific experience and dedication is a cost-effective way to maintain your facility in top-notch condition on a 24/7 basis.
It also allows you to focus on the care and safety of your patients.
Servi-Tek Facility Solutions provides professional commercial cleaning services tailored to meet the needs of medical facilities.
Our best-in-class platform includes the following:
- Effective training program
- Robust management oversight
- Fully insured
- Comprehensive Applicant background screening
We are also a leading electrostatic disinfection service provider utilizing top-of-the-line equipment and disinfectants, combined with a well-trained staff.
Please contact us today to learn more about us and obtain a quote.