Healthcare facilities – especially medical offices – should have more intensive janitorial programs than most other public places and facilities. People go to medical offices to receive attention and treatment for their health, after all, which is why a strict and methodical approach should be taken to medical office janitorial.
Further, to support the physical and mental health of patients and those that seek medical attention, what should separate the nature of medical office janitorial from anywhere else beyond procedural specifics is the philosophy. The same attention that healthcare practitioners give to their patients, medical office managers should give to the space in which the healthcare is provided, right? That said, make sure these five steps are in your medical office cleaning procedures:
Get & Use the Appropriate Supplies
In a medical office, there’s no point to janitorial procedures without having the right supplies. Step number one: get the right supplies! This should include heavy-duty PPE.
Make Disinfecting a Priority
Disinfecting is one of the most critical steps in the janitorial procedures of any kind of medical office, especially since the pandemic began. If it’s not a priority, it should be. Luckily, due to the pandemic, there have been technological innovations in disinfecting. ULV machines and other electrostatic disinfecting devices enable maintenance employees the ability to evenly disinfect all surfaces without having to touch any surface!
Perform Tasks in the Correct Order
In most cases, the only real chronology to office janitorial is the top-down approach. Medical offices, however, have a different and much more deliberate order. Medical office janitorial professionals follow a version of this:
- Trash & Waste Disposal
- Waiting Room & Exam Room
- Restrooms
- Bath & Shower Rooms
- Air Ducts & Vents
- Sterilization of Communal Items
- Floors
- Furniture
- Common Areas
- High-Traffic Touch Points
Going through your medical office janitorial tasks in this order, or following this path, is very important!
Use Higher Grade Chemicals Throughout
Again, because medical offices are a place where people go to seek assistance with or resolution to illnesses, infections, and other serious medical concerns, and that healthcare providers obtain samples of bodily fluids for testing and such, cleaning protocols include the use of higher grade chemicals for disinfecting and sterilization. Do NOT compromise on the products you use in your medical office janitorial procedures!Â
Properly Ventilate
Because medical offices are a place where patients and visitors go to seek the attention of healthcare professionals, they potentially bring with them any number of pathogens airborne or otherwise, and often provide bodily fluids and biological samples that may also carry viral threats. To clean and combat these risks, heavy-duty chemicals are used.
This gives importance to proper air filtration and ventilation. First, to filter any harmful airborne pathogens that may be brought in, and then to sufficiently ventilate the office of both that and the fumes from the potentially hazardous chemicals used to clean the facility.
