The Ultimate Deep Cleaning Checklist for All Medical Centres

One of the common places in which cleaning is a non-stop task is medical centres. Medical centres include any place where patients or vulnerable people are referred to for medical help like hospitals, GP surgeries, dental surgeries, senior houses, rehabilitation centres other medical facilities. In places where cleaning and sanitation never ends, how can staff manage cleaning tasks?

In this article, we’ll discuss the ultimate cleaning checklist for almost any type of medical facility.

Who Needs This Checklist?

This is a very detailed checklist for cleaning any type of medical centre and similar medical facilities. Therefore, facility managers or people in charge of cleaning services in medical centres will need this checklist to thoroughly clean the medical facility or provide training to staff who are going to clean the facility.

Daily Cleaning Checklist for Medical Centres and Hospitals

Therefore, you will need this checklist if you manage the facilities or cleaning needs of a:

Hospital
Specialised or General Medical Facility
Medical Clinics
Primary Care Centres
Urgent Care Centres
Blood Banks
Pharmacy
GP Surgery
Dental Surgery
Senior House
Rehabilitation Centre
Any Other Medical-Focused Centre

Importance of Daily Cleaning in Medical Centres

Medical facilities are one of the premises with high foot traffic and require special attention to their cleaning quality. Every day, several people with different medical conditions visit medical centres for help. Their condition may or may not be infectious and contagious and may put others at risk.

On the other hand, many people visiting such places may have weak immune systems or are vulnerable to the existence of any bacteria or dust that may cause them serious health issues. Medical centres should always be clean and sanitised to prevent the accumulation of viruses, germs and bacteria and eliminate any risk that may pose harm to their patients.

Regular & thorough cleaning in medical centres not only stops the spread of disease but also provides a safe and stress-free environment for those at risk seeking medical attention. Regular cleaning also helps with general air quality in communal parts of any medical facility, which also helps reduce harmful particles and other health issues.

Daily Cleaning Checklist for Medical Centres

Following is the ultimate checklist for daily medical centre cleaning. However, while daily cleaning is generally accepted and practised in several medical facilities, some areas may still require more frequent cleaning like two or three times per day. The checklist also provided the best frequency for cleaning different areas in a medical centre.

Who Should Clean Medical Facilities?

First of all, who should use this checklist and who should clean a medical facility? Cleaning is a professional task. However, cleaning medical facilities and similar sensitive premises requires extra training and experience. Therefore, it is important to train cleaners how to thoroughly clean, how to handle cleaning solutions, how to dispose of rubbish and how to clean specific areas in the medical facility.

Training is a reason why many medical facilities and hospitals sign contracts with commercial cleaning companies. Cleaning contractors provide extensive training for their staff and can help hospitals and medical centres with their frequency and daily cleaning requirements. This way, while the medical facility pays the cleaning contractor, they still save money as they don’t have to provide training or manage cleaners.

Required Cleaning Supplies & Equipment

Disinfectants for Cleaning Medical Facilities

Choosing the right cleaning supplies and equipment is another crucial step in cleaning medical centres. Most cleaning solutions used for medical facilities are strong disinfectants with specific cleaning chemicals that increase their efficacy while reducing complications to those present in the area.

Complications may include allergies, breathing difficulties and other health-related issues that may flare up as the result of being exposed or being present in a space cleaned with these chemicals. Medical facilities aim to choose cleaning solutions that are effective but don’t cause any complications when used.

Also, for more sensitive areas in hospitals, like ICU rooms or isolated rooms, certain green cleaning solutions should be used in case the use of general medical cleaning solutions and disinfectants is not possible.

Cleaning equipment should also be checked regularly, cleaned and maintained or replaced if necessary. Also, due to the sensitivity of cleaning medical centres, only disposable personal protective equipment should be used unless rooms are being cleaned using special deep cleaning disinfectants that require heavy-duty masks and boiler suits. Adhering to colour coding guidelines is strongly advised to stop cross-contamination between different areas of the medical centre.

Read More: Deep Cleaning vs. Spring Cleaning

Cleaning General Areas

General areas and communal areas in a medical centre include:

Entrance and Lobby
Waiting Areas and Reception
Stairs, Hallways, Landings and Lifts
Office Areas, Archive and Records Rooms
Cleaning electronics like TVs, displays, computers, etc.
Courtyard, Maintenance Room, Facility Room, Laundry Facility, Storage and Basement

Here’s the checklist for cleaning general areas:

Damp mopping floors and sanitise using relevant disinfectants
Vacuuming carpets and soft upholstery
Dusting all furniture and surfaces
Wiping desks, chairs, tables, counters and other surfaces
Sanitising door handles, stairway handles and lift button panel
Cleaning shelves, cupboards, drawers and other storage units
Cleaning windows, windowsills, ledge, wall fittings and light fixtures
Cleaning and sanitising water cooler, vending machine or other facilities
Decluttering, removing rubbish and disposing or recycling them properly

Cleaning Examination & Consultation Rooms

Cleaning Checklist for Medical Examination Rooms

Wiping and sanitising desks, chairs, examination beds and other furniture
Dusting and disinfecting shelves, cupboards, storage units, ledges, wall fittings and light fixtures
Replacing the examination bed sheet (usually replaced for each patient)
Cleaning windows, windowsills, door handles and door tops
Emptying the rubbish bin and disposing of rubbish properly
Damp mopping and sanitising the floor

Cleaning Outpatient & Emergency Ward

Cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces, chairs, desks, beds and trolleys
Cleaning and disinfecting large equipment and machinery according to instructions
Dusting and disinfecting shelves, cupboards and other storage units
Dusting ledges, wall fittings and light fixtures
Replacing bed sheets
Cleaning electronics like TVs, displays, computers and other equipment
Cleaning windows, windowsills, counters and other high-touch surfaces
Emptying rubbish bins and disposing of rubbish properly
Damp mopping and sanitising the floor (with strong disinfectants)

Cleaning Patience Rooms

Cleaning and disinfecting the bed, chairs, desks, tables and trolleys
Replacing bed sheet
Cleaning windows and windowsills
Dusting, wiping and sanitising all surfaces
Damp mopping and sanitising the floor
Cleaning TV and other displays
Cleaning and dusting other furniture and upholstery in the room
Emptying rubbish bins and disposing of rubbish properly

Cleaning Kitchens & Eating Areas

Damp wiping and disinfecting tables, counters and surfaces on the food stations
Cleaning and sanitising food storage units
Washing dishes or loading the dishwasher
Cleaning kitchen appliances like ovens, stoves, air fryers, microwaves, etc.
Cleaning and polishing stainless steel countertops, sinks, etc.
Cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces in kitchens and eating areas
Damp mopping all floors with disinfectants
Dusting all furniture, fixtures and fittings
Cleaning windows and windowsills
Dispose of spoiled and expired food
Emptying rubbish bins and disposing of rubbish properly

Cleaning Toilets & Showers

Cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces including door handles, door tips, faucets and requisites
Cleaning and scrubbing washroom sinks
Cleaning and wiping mirrors
Descaling toilets and urinals
Scrubbing and disinfecting toilets, toilet seats and urinals
Restocking soal dispenser, toilet rolls and paper towels
Cleaning and disinfecting shower units
Polishing and sanitising shower heads, faucets and requisites
Restocking shampoo dispenser if any
Emptying rubbish bins and disposing of rubbish properly
Reporting any leaks or plumbing problems to the maintenance department

Cleaning Staff Rooms & Changing Rooms

Cleaning and sanitising beds, chairs, tables and desks
Cleaning and sanitising lockers, shelves and other storage units
Wiping all surfaces, light fixtures and wall fittings
Dusting all furniture and electronic equipment like TVs and screens
Cleaning waster cooler, coffee machine and other similar appliances
Cleaning windows and windowsills
Emptying bins, removing rubbish and disposing of waste properly
Mopping all floors with relevant floor cleaners or disinfectants

Cleaning Pharmacy

Cleaning and sanitising counter, cash desk and admission desk
Dusting and cleaning computers, TVs and displays
Dusting and sanitising shelves, cupboards and medicine storage units
Cleaning and sanitising chairs and tables in the waiting area
Dusting and cleaning other facilities and furniture in the waiting area
Removing clutter and rubbish, emptying bins and disposing of them correctly
Mopping all floors using floor disinfectants

Cleaning Labs & Imaging Department

Cleaning medical laboratories and imaging departments requires extra training for the staff. Many machineries should be cleaned according to specific instructions or only cleaned by the manufacturer’s technicians. Also, cleaning in medical labs should be performed based on certain measures to avoid contamination that may change or alter the results of ongoing research.

The cleaning checklist for general areas and communal spaces in labs and imaging department are as follows:

Cleaning and sanitising chains, tables, desks and other furniture
Cleaning and sanitising electronic equipment like computers, telephones, TVs and screens
Cleaning and disinfecting changing rooms and lockers
Dusting and wiping shelves, counters, storage units and other surfaces
Mopping and sanitising all floors in the area and hallways leading to these parts of the medical centre
Emptying bins, removing rubbish and disposing of them properly

Cleaning Sensitive Zones

Cleaning Checklist for Special Zones and Sensitive Units in Medical Centres

Similar to hospital labs and imaging departments, cleaning sensitive zones like surgery and recovery rooms, intensive care units, isolation rooms and inpatient facilities in a medical centre or hospital require extra training and specific instructions. However, cleaning general areas and communal spaces is similar to any medical cleaning task. Therefore, the tasks for cleaning sensitive zones are:

Cleaning and sanitising beds, chains, tables, desks and other furniture
Cleaning and sanitising electronic equipment like computers, telephones, TVs and screens
Cleaning and disinfecting changing rooms and lockers
Dusting and wiping shelves, counters, storage units and other surfaces
Mopping and sanitising all floors in the area and hallways leading to these parts of the medical centre
Emptying bins, removing rubbish and disposing of them properly

Cleaning Other Areas in Medical Centres

There might be other areas in medical facilities based on the type of medical services and speciality services they are providing to patients. Cleaning such areas is almost similar to cleaning other general areas and communal spaces in typical medical centres.

Emergency Cleaning

Apart from daily and regular cleaning that all medical centres and hospitals have, emergency cleaning is also required to deal with accidents and occasional on-the-spot cleaning needs. That is why hospitals have on-call full-time cleaning staff ready to clean any areas in case something happens.

Regular Deep Cleaning & Sanitation

Regular deep cleaning for medical facilities is another essential requirement. While every cleaning task in the hospital is thorough and proper, due to the size of hospitals and medical centres regular deep cleaning (once a week or once every 10 days) is still a requirement.

This deep cleaning is to clean hard-to-reach areas, remove dust and grime accumulation and prevent mould or pests. On top of these, deep cleaning also provides an extra layer of protection against viruses and bacteria as most sanitising and disinfecting solutions used in deep cleaning are a lot stronger than commercial medical cleaning agents.

Read More: What are The Benefits of Deep Cleaning?

Conclusion

One of the most important and crucial parts of managing a medical centre and a hospital is to keep the area clean and sanitised around the clock. This is an immense task and requires skills, experience, special cleaning solutions, modern cleaning equipment and an efficient cleaning strategy. This article provided an ultimate cleaning checklist for medical centres and hospitals to help managers and facility administrators maintain the premises with minimal hassle.

The information provided by this article can help you achieve ultimate cleaning and sanitation in hospitals or medical centres, train cleaning staff to follow modern cleaning strategies for cleaning medical centres or have more ideas on how strict cleaning standards in a medical facility should be.

Cleaning Checklist for Medical Centres: How to Do it Properly?