Compromises are often unavoidable. As with most things in life, you, as a Facility Manager would also need to make compromises. However, should you compromise on healthcare cleaning services? The answer is no! You may be compromising the health and safety of your patients, staff, and visitors by not having the medical facility cleaned with professional-grade chemicals.
No one should get sick or die because they picked up a germ at a hospital or medical office. Commercial and industrial cleaning companies can be of major help here. They can ensure that your facility remains in top shape and meets the highest cleaning standards. However, do you need to invest in a professional medical facility cleaning company? Keep reading to learn more!
Types of Medical Facilities That Need Professional Cleaning
It may appear at first that healthcare cleaning involves the same cleaning system, protocols, and chemicals as building or office cleaning. However, this is not the case. Healthcare facilities need to follow strict guidelines as mentioned by organizations such as OSHA and CDC among others. Professionals that are skilled in cleaning healthcare facilities can ensure that your healthcare institution keeps up with the highest standard of cleaning.
These are a few medical facilities that should consider hiring commercial cleaning companies to ensure their facility remains safe:
- Dental offices
- Medical offices
- Urgent care centers
- Surgery centers
- Dialysis centers
- Health clinics
- Rehab centers
- Medical centers
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
Companies that specialize in Medical Facilities use different cleaning methods than those used at home or school. YOu need a Medical Facility Cleaning Specialist for your hospital or medical office.
Why Do You Need Commercial Healthcare Cleaning?
The average healthcare facility has several patients and visitors daily. There is a high likelihood of the transmission and spread of germs and bacteria. Blood samples drawn from seriously ill and infected patients may contribute to the infection if trash bins are not emptied or surface disinfected regularly. In general, germs get transferred from frequently touched or used surfaces, such as tables, chairs, and counters.
Healthcare facilities are advised by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to employ specific cleaning processes for reducing microorganisms and pathogens, including bacteria and viruses that may cause diseases and infections. You may be in a better position to maintain good hygiene for your facility by hiring a cleaning company and following CDC guidelines.
Healthcare cleaning requires the right cleaning equipment and products. You cannot maintain a clean environment by simply mopping or vacuuming an area. You need to understand that where medical offices, hospitals, and surgical centers are concerned, you are not worried about visible dust or grime. Instead, you are more worried about ensuring the particular surface remains free of bacteria and germs.
The health and safety guidelines required to be followed by medical offices and hospitals are better understood by experienced cleaning companies. They know which chemicals to use safely for reducing the impact of pathogens, bacteria, viruses, and other germs. Janitorial companies train their team to disinfect and remove any blood or airborne microorganisms from a particular area to prevent health problems and infections.
Responsible cleaning and disinfection companies will ensure that your healthcare facility is properly sanitized. You can protect the health of your staff in a better manner by keeping the healthcare facility clean. You can also prevent secondary infections from occurring.
Benefits of Healthcare Cleaning Services
These are a few benefits of choosing a professional healthcare cleaning company:
1. Specialized Tools and Equipment
Commercial medical cleaning companies are aware of the latest developments and innovations in the cleaning industry, such as electrostatic cleaning. Reputable janitorial companies usually have the necessary information and invest their resources in finding the best cleaning equipment and materials available. They have a wide range of supply vendors and can access specific cleaning products and tools as per your unique needs.
The best part is that commercial janitors are trained in using individual products and tools for handling different areas. For instance, the cleaning supplies used for disinfecting the operating room or exam room will be very different from the ones used in the waiting area or restrooms.
2. Skilled and Trained Staff
Professional cleaning companies have a pool of skilled and trained staff. Well-established cleaning companies generally invest in their human resource. The team that would come to your medical facility may have undergone hours of training. They will have specialized training for cleaning commercial and medical environments.
The team will take adequate steps for understanding your cleaning goals and efficiently deliver the results. However, you need to make sure the cleaning staff is background-checked and security vetted.
3. Peace of Mind
The most important advantage of hiring professional cleaners is the fact that your hospital or healthcare facility is not open to liability. OSHA and CDC take infection outbreaks due to unclean facilities very seriously. You can rest assured that your facility is in good hands if you hire a professional cleaning company specializing in medical facilities.
Consequences of Compromising on Cleaning
1. Bad Reputation
Your healthcare facility will have a good professional reputation if it is kept clean. Patients visiting for the first time are impressed by the clean environment. They are likely to step out without consultation if the waiting room is dirty. Word of mouth is rampant in the field of healthcare. Disgruntled and disgusted visitors are far more likely to spread negative reactions about your medical facility.
Grapevine communication may be an old marketing tool, but it is effective. You may lose out on grapevine marketing by maintaining a dirty or unclean healthcare environment. Cleaning companies can guarantee near-perfect marketing success by keeping your facility clean and disinfected.
2. Reduced Employee Productivity
International Sports Science Association carried out a study recently which indicated that almost $225.8 billion was lost by employers every year because of sick days. This becomes a more significant risk in hospitals, urgent care centers, and medical centers among others. You don’t want your doctors, nurses, and other staff members falling sick because of an infection transmission that could have been contained by simple cleaning methods.
An unhealthy work environment will lower employee morale in your healthcare organization. This will take a toll on their productivity. You can make your staff more confident by giving them a cleaner healthcare environment. You can also increase their sense of fulfillment while attending to patients.
3. Wasted Time
You can have a day porter at your medical facility to take care of routine tasks and a night janitorial service to take care of deep cleaning. Your staff members may be unknowingly wasting precious minutes cleaning up after themselves. This time can be better spent attending to patients and other duties. Your employees will be able to dedicate their time completely to their job responsibilities if they don’t need to worry about cleaning chores.
4. High Risk of Secondary Infections
1 in 25 patients reportedly catches infection from a healthcare setting as per the latest CDC report. Airborne pathogens and particles have a detrimental effect on a patient’s health. A professional health cleaning company will employ professional and standard medical facility cleaning tools, methods, and disinfectants. Professional cleaners have experience in maintaining HVAC systems for improving indoor air quality.
You may inadvertently end up with airborne pathogen contamination without regular and professional cleaning. Such infections can spread like wildfire among the medical staff and patients. The correct decontamination and cleaning methods can protect everyone in a facility from exposure.
Best Practices for Everyday Cleaning
Several things need to be taken care of while cleaning a healthcare facility. Special attention should be given to keeping cleaning materials separate. For instance, the hand wiping cloth used in the operating rooms or blood-drawing room should not be used for wiping down surfaces in the waiting room or common areas.
Likewise, separate cleaning methods and chemicals should be used for cleaning different areas in the healthcare facility, such as the bathrooms. It is not enough to simply remove surface grime and dust. Healthcare facilities require deep cleaning that removes pathogens and other contaminants clinging to surfaces.
Experienced cleaners can identify high-traffic places and high-touch surfaces. They will use proper cleaning supplies and products to get rid of germs and contaminants from these areas. However, you must choose a cleaning business that employs the latest technology for maintaining a healthy environment. It is recommended to work with commercial cleaning services that have adequate experience.
Healthcare Facility – Special Cleaning Needs
There are specific cleaning needs of healthcare clients that should be addressed by the cleaning systems:
- Disinfection and cleaning of all surfaces in patient exam rooms, public spaces, reception areas, bathrooms, kitchen, common areas, and changing rooms among others
- Aseptic cleaning in the surgical rooms
- Disinfection of floors
- Extra care to clean offices if there are any bodily or blood samples present
- Medical office cleaning services should thoroughly clean those areas where infectious people are being treated
Get In Touch with a Responsible Medical and Surgical Cleaning Technician Today
Experience plays a major role when it comes to healthcare facility cleaning for preventing cross-contamination and other risks. Servi-Tek has been in business for decades helping Facility Managers of healthcare facilities provide a safe and healthy environment to the staff members and patients.
Call (866) 454-6185 or use the online consultation form for scheduling an appointment.
