We will start this blog by telling you that the definition of cleaning is not the same as the definition of disinfection, but both should be used in hospital rooms to ensure that there are no contagions or problems with patients.
Cleaning is, in a nutshell, the action of reducing the dirt deposited on surfaces, which can be inorganic or organic. In the case of organic dirt, we need to disinfect to prevent the proliferation of bacteria, viruses, etc.
A hospital is mainly governed by its disinfection and cleaning capabilities, since a health center without hygiene is equal to a massive proliferation of multiple diseases that can seriously affect patients and the people who accompany them.
Without further ado, today we will tell you a little more about hospital disinfection and cleaning performed by cleaning companies:
Contents
How often is it recommended to do a hospital disinfection?
This is somewhat optional, although it also depends on the area we are cleaning and the surfaces to be intervened.
Within healthcare facilities, multiple sites have been created that require different types of disinfection as they do not deal with the same problems. So the frequency of cleaning will be based much more on what area we are, but we can say that between five times a day at most, and one as a minimum. Not performing these types of interventions would only create a massive contagion of multiple conditions that will spread through the air.
Types of cleaning in hospitals
We can distinguish between two types of cleaning in hospital settings:
Routine cleaning:
Used on a daily basis and performed occasionally during the course of the day and with basic disinfection techniques.
Terminal cleaning:
This is when we need to carry a thorough disinfection of the area for the safety of the people residing in the hospital.
Usually, in hospitals or health centers, areas are classified according to the risk they may cause to other people attending the hospital. So we can determine that there are the:
Low risk areas:
Here we can witness only 20% of bacteria in the air. These areas are composed of administrative areas, waiting rooms, hallways, waiting bathrooms, among other simpler areas that patients do not usually visit.
Medium risk areas:
Here we can consider that the percentage of bacteria existing in the air can vary between 30% and 60%. They are usually composed of patient care areas or where treatments are performed to those who enter with some urgency.
High risk areas:
Here we face a bacterial load of more than 70% in the air. This is where the heaviest medical procedures are carried out, such as operating rooms, clean rooms, emergency rooms or rooms with patients in confinement.
In addition, it must be considered that these areas are not fixed. A waiting room can become a high risk from one moment to another, so it is always good to disinfect frequently to avoid major problems.
How is hospital cleaning done?
Commercial Cleaning Services for Hospitals is something very delicate that must be done by a cleaning company specialized in the area. The main objective should always be to decrease the epidemiological spread of infections caused by viruses or bacteria, or in other words, to prevent people from coming into contact with infected surfaces, which is known as “cross contamination” and is easy to develop because it does not take direct contact with a person to catch anything you touched when you entered the hospital.
To make sure that this does not happen, all elements of the hospital are disinfected from beginning to end, among them we can highlight the doors, handles, walls, ventilation systems, floors, among other objects. Even the chairs need to be completely intervened and disinfected to reduce infection.
To be able to do all this, cleaning companies have a cleaning system with very specific steps, because the health of a large number of people depends on them, so specialized people who know what they are doing must attend.
One of the most remarkable things about cleaning and disinfection in hospitals is that in these areas it is not possible to use a vacuum cleaner or any type of cleaning that raises dust particles that can alter the microorganisms that remain in the objects. Therefore, the machinery used for cleaning is specifically made for hospital disinfection, and it is necessary that trained people handle them to avoid accidents.
It is impossible that you can sweep dry in a hospital, it is absolutely necessary to implement a wet sweeping to avoid the lifting of particles that can lead to a contagion.
Any process that needs the use of water needs to be dried in a natural way, you cannot use any kind of wind instrument. Water puddles and debris in hospitals must be cleaned up immediately, as they can become a serious source of bacterial proliferation.
The disposal of organic waste must be done through specific steps that cannot be changed, as well as the emptying of garbage containers. Both objectives must be done constantly during the day to avoid the proliferation of bacteria in the restrooms, where the environment is humid enough to quickly proliferate any microorganism present in the environment.
One of the things that is not talked about so much is the hygiene that the staff of the hospital cleaning company must have, since all the disinfection of the area and the sterilization of the objects will depend on it. The most advisable is to use special equipment to avoid contagion and their clothing, in addition to constant manual disinfections to avoid becoming a bacterial focus.
Disinfectant products should be used with extreme care depending on the area and object to be cleaned to avoid affecting any patient with its odor or its presence on an object.
Finally, we remind you that everything will depend on the area being treated and its needs. Some disinfectants are deeper than others.
