Cleaning and disinfecting healthcare facilities is very important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hospital, nursing home, or residential home. Any facility that offers patient care must use disinfecting supplies. This is the only way to reduce or eliminate infections. Unfortunately, some facilities don’t do a proper job of staying clean. A study by the World Health Organization found that more than 70,000 people die per year as a result of infections obtained while hospitalized.
Cleaning a healthcare facility and its equipment with plain soap and water isn’t sufficient. You need heavy duty disinfecting products designed for use in healthcare facilities. Any home that has an inbound patient should also use medical disinfecting products to keep certain areas clean.
Although the area may look clean, it could actually be crawling with dangerous germs and bacteria. This will depend on the number of people in the facility or home, the amount of moisture in the area, the type of surfaces present, and how quickly soiled items are removed from the area.
Here are some tips to help keep healthcare facilities and homes safe for patients:
- Remove bodily waste immediately. Adult diapers, soiled underwear and sheets, and bloody items should be cleaned up immediately. Leaving these dirty items around can increase the risk of skin infections, and other sicknesses.
- Don’t leave spills or wet items lying around. Damp surfaces are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria. Damp towels and wet clothes should be stored until it’s time to wash them. Spills should be cleaned up immediately.
- Use medical disinfecting supplies. Don’t rely on over the counter cleaning supplies. Most medical equipment suppliers sell disinfecting products designed to clean healthcare facilities. These cleaners are stronger than retail cleaners. They also kill more germs and bacteria.
- Clean regularly. Bathrooms and bedrooms should be clean at all times. In fact, they should be spotless and free of any blood or bodily fluids.
- Keep your hands clean. If you’re a healthcare provider, it’s important to have clean hands. You can accomplish this buy using a hand sanitizer.
- For those times when you can’t get to soap and water, a good hand sanitizer will be helpful. Hand sanitizers don’t require soap or water to get your hands clean. However, a hand sanitizer isn’t a replacement for soap and water. You still need to wash your hands when you’re able.
A good medical equipment supplier will have a variety of medical disinfecting products available. Good products are those that kill many types of germs, including HIV and TB. You should also have disinfecting products that are designed specifically for cleaning equipment and surfaces. When it comes to medical issues, it’s unlikely that one cleaner will meet all your needs. You may also want to get a bodily fluid cleanup kit which protects you when cleaning up potentially life threatening bodily fluids. Your safety, and the safety of the patient, is very important. So, don’t forget to get good medical disinfecting supplies.