Medical facilities are some of the most challenging places to thoroughly clean. Medical clinics may look spotless on the surface but can hold little problems that you can’t see. These places can house some nasty little bugs that need to be taken care of immediately. Failure to do so can lead to a whole host of other problems later on.
Medical clinics see sick patients daily. This is the reason why these places potentially harbor a lot of fomites. A fomite is any object that can pass on a disease or an infection. To prevent this from happening, proper cleaning of the clinic is necessary.
6 Tips on Medical Clinic Cleaning
Properly cleaning a medical clinic requires specialized methods. The kind of cleaning it requires a person to be very particular of the way the clinic is to be disinfected. If you need help in cleaning a medical clinic, here are 6 tips that can surely prove to be useful.
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Not everything can be sterilized, but disinfecting is possible.
Disinfection removes most of the germs in what is being cleaned. Sterilization, on the other hand, completely removes all of these germs. This needs specialized cleaning equipment to be able to achieve. In most cases, disinfecting is a good enough way of cleaning. There are many commercially-available disinfectants that you can choose from. Make sure that you select the correct disinfectant for the cleaning job that you have to do.
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Know the level of disinfectant that you need.
There are three levels for the strength of disinfectants. These are the following:
- Low-level disinfectant: Low-level disinfectants are capable of disinfecting most types of germs off surfaces. These are capable of killing many kinds of bacteria and viruses such as the ones for HIV and hepatitis.
- Medium level disinfectant: Medium level disinfectants, as the name implies, are more potent than low-level disinfectants. One difference that they have, however, is that medium level disinfectants can kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. This is very important, as tuberculosis tends to be a very problematic disease once contracted.
- High-level disinfectant: High-level disinfectants are usually chemicals that can sterilize, but are not safe enough to be used on many surfaces.
For regular medical office cleaning jobs, a low or medium level disinfectant should suffice. High-level disinfectants often aren’t safe enough to use in these settings.
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Know your enemy.
When cleaning a medical clinic, your main enemy would be the many different germs hiding in every nook and cranny of the place. The kinds that you have to be aware of are the following:
- Bacteria: These are living things that are too small for the naked eye to see. Depending on the kind, these can cause diseases like tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera, and leprosy. Look for disinfectants with bactericidal properties to take care of these.
- Viruses: There even smaller than bacteria, and not technically “alive.” However, they are capable of causing some nasty diseases like the flu, AIDS, measles, and hepatitis. Look for a disinfectant with virucidal properties to destroy these.
- Fungi: These are usually larger than bacteria, although some of them are still too small to see while others can be seen by the naked eye. These can cause problems like candidiasis and ringworm. Look for a disinfectant with fungicidal properties to get rid of these.
Many disinfectant products are a combination of bactericides, fungicides, and virucides. Make sure that you know what germs you are dealing with for a successful cleanup.
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Know the type of disinfectant that you need.
Disinfectants come in different forms. Some are in sprays, while others are wipes. Some are liquids that you need to splash onto surfaces and leave on for a period. Make sure that the type you get is the type appropriate for the clinic you will clean. It also helps to have different types on-hand just in case.
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Don’t neglect cleaning the non-germ waste.
Clinics also often accumulate clutter and other items. These are surfaces that germs can potentially attach to. Make sure you clean them up for good measure. Look through every corner to ensure that no clutter is left behind.
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Segregate your waste.
Clinics often produce biohazardous wastes. Make sure that you have separate containers for storing these wastes. This will make disposing of them that much easier later on.
Hire Medical Clinic Cleaning Experts in Orange County
Having your clinic staff and professionals knowing how to clean your medical clinic certainly helps. However, there are some cleaning jobs that only a professional cleaner can do. Prestige Property Services has the most experienced and professional cleaners for your medical clinic cleaning needs. You may contact us through 714-224-0301 for more details.
