Healthcare, Hospital & Terminal Cleaning Services

When running a healthcare facility, it is very important to keep the environment as clean as possible to reduce the risk of disease and keep your office looking as pristine as possible. Of course, keeping your office clean can be a difficult task if you don’t have a cleaning team on staff and because you have other tasks that require your attention.

If you are currently looking for healthcare, hospital or terminal cleaning services and want to learn more about what it includes, you came to the right place. This brief article will cover what is included in healthcare cleaning services and who you can reach out to for more information!

What Do Healthcare Cleaning Services Include?

Most healthcare cleaning services include sanitization, trash removal, and dusting of common areas such as waiting rooms, patient rooms, kitchens, and more. Highly trained cleaning specialists use safe cleaning products that aren’t harmful to the environment, and they don’t leave a strange smell.

Depending on your needs, you can expect at least these types of services included in your cleaning. Keep in mind that if you need additional cleanings such as window treatments or waxing and buffing, those are additional costs.

What Facilities Use Cleaning Services?

To comply with OSHA laws and keeping their facility as clean as possible, many private physician offices, dental offices, and medical clinics use this service.

Other types of healthcare facilities:

• Veterinarian offices
• Dialysis centers
• Assisted living facilities
• Urgent care clinics
• Outpatient centers
• Hospitals

It is important to note that this is not a comprehensive list of medical facilities that contract medical cleaning services. Many other healthcare facilities, both public and private, use medical cleaning services to disinfect and clean their areas to ensure compliance and increase customer satisfaction.

What Is Terminal Cleaning, and Why Is It Important?

Terminal cleaning is a method used to control and break the chain of infection in a healthcare environment. Your hospital should be a place where your clients can come to heal, not to get a hospital-acquired infection.

All hospitals conduct assessments to measure their patient satisfaction and effectiveness. The head of hospital housekeeping should be in contact with the infection control office to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that proper protocols are followed. Terminal cleaning requires extensive knowledge and training so that everyone is aware of the difference between a simple clean and disinfecting. One takes more effort and expertise, whereas the other is not up to the standards of cleanliness in a hospital setting.

Why Is Hospital and Surgical Cleaning Important?

Cleanliness is essential for all healthcare settings because it protects your patients from any bacteria or cross-contamination. Not only does it keep your patients safe, but it also helps maintain a professional appearance. Have you ever gone into an emergency room or a physician’s office, and it was a complete mess? The trash was overflowing, and the floors were sticky?

If you were to encounter a hospital setting like that, would you want them to treat you? Probably not. If they can’t keep the facility clean, how can you guarantee that they exercise care for their patients? You can’t.

Protects Your Staff

In addition to protecting your patients, it also protects your staff members. If the environment is unclean, there is a more significant chance of getting sick. When your staff is sick, they will need to call off, impacting your workflow. Keeping the area well maintained and clean will also show them that you care about their well-being.

What Goes into Creating a Healthcare Cleaning Plan?

When developing your healthcare plan, you will need first to evaluate the workplace. Determine what kind of materials and surfaces make up those areas. Some of those areas may only need a routine cleaning, whereas other areas, such as high-touch surfaces or objects like doorknobs and chairs, will need intense disinfecting to reduce the risk of germs.

Make sure your plan includes maintaining a cleaning strategy that is flexible for your staff to follow. Ensure that any cleaners you use are EPA approved.

Where Are the Most Critical Areas to Cover Within a Healthcare Facility?

The most important areas in your facility are the high-touch areas. Although most facilities are different (i.e., a dentist’s office will look different than a physician’s office), they all have the same high-touch areas.

Common high-touch areas:

• TV remotes
• The headboard of a bed, bed frame, side rails, and foot rails
• Nurse call device and cord
• Door handles
• IV pump controls
• Sinks
• Bathrooms
• Armchairs
• Waiting room chairs

In addition to cleaning these areas, it would be best to have the cleaning company clean and sanitize the walls and ceilings. These areas are commonly overlooked, but many people touch your walls. If you must remove any items from the room, be sure to disinfect them before they get put back.

Benefits of Healthcare Cleaning

There are many different benefits that come with hiring a healthcare cleaning company that extends beyond having a clean environment. As mentioned earlier, it leaves a good impression on your patients. No one wants to receive treatment from a messy or unkept medical facility because it directly reflects on the level of care you provide.

Protecting Your Employees

Did you know that unhealthy working conditions cost most companies around $220 billion a year in sick days? When you keep your facility as clean as possible, you reduce the risk of having your employees call in sick. This also increases your workers’ productivity, and they will feel more confident in you as their employer to always keep them safe.

Saves Time

Although your staff can do small cleanings around the office, such as sanitizing countertops and waiting room chairs, you won’t want them to get consumed in that. Your staff should not have to worry about mopping floors, emptying sharp containers, or deep cleaning patient rooms. Instead, you can rely on a professional to take care of that on your behalf so they can focus on the tasks you hired them for.

Types of Training Needed to Handle Healthcare Cleaning

A specialist must know basic safety requirements and wear proper personal protective equipment to handle healthcare cleaning. They must also follow OSHA and FDA protocols for cleaning. Healthcare cleaning specialists also have training on Bloodborne pathogens and how to properly handle and dispose of them.

How to Choose a Medical Facility Cleaning Team

When looking for healthcare cleaning services, you will want to make sure that they are aware of OSHA laws, FDA laws, EPA cleaning requirements, and how to handle bloodborne pathogens. Most of these cleaning companies have websites, or they are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, where you can see what clients did or did not like about working with a specific company.

Cost of Healthcare Cleaning Services

There is no one set amount for how much your cleaning services will cost because there are several different factors these companies take into consideration. For example, how big is the space you need to be cleaned? How many rooms need sanitizing? What types of cleaning services do you need? Do you need windows cleaned as well? How often do you need the cleaning?

In general, most companies either charge you hourly or per square foot. If the job requires more than a few cleaners, they may charge you extra for additional staff. It is best to evaluate your medical facility’s space and cleaning needs before reaching out to a cleaning company.

If anything, they may come out and look at your area to provide you with a better quote, or they may give you a general quote based on the information you offer them. Keep in mind that if they must do more work than quoted, it will be reflected in your final bill.

Keep Your Medical Facility in Top Shape

Keeping your medical facility keeps your staff and your patients safe from any bloodborne pathogens or other germs that can cause diseases. When you hire healthcare cleaning services to take care of cleaning your facility, you will have more time to focus on other essential tasks that require your attention.

Instead of trying to keep the facility clean on your own, it is best to hire cleaning staff who have the expertise in disinfecting hospital facilities to ensure that your business stays compliant. Contact us now if you are ready to find out how much it will cost to clean your medical office!