4 Guidelines for Effective Terminal Cleaning

Hospitals are busy places, crowded with a steady stream of patients, visitors and health care providers. Hospital cleaning staff should institute clear protocols for terminal cleans of patient rooms to provide protection for everyone in the facility.

Sterilize Equipment

All equipment in patient rooms should be sterilized according to the purpose of the tool. Consider the level of contact the tool had with the patient’s tissue and the degree of disinfection necessary. Equipment sterilization should be conducted by explicitly trained personnel during the terminal cleaning.

Disinfect Surfaces

Surfaces in patients’ rooms include any horizontal objects, such as the bed, chairs, mobile carts and food trays, as well as bathroom areas. During a terminal cleaning, use disinfection agents with bactericidal and sporicidal properties, or chlorine-containing bleach at a specific concentration.

Wash Walls and Ceilings

Best practices dictate that even the walls and ceilings should be a part of the terminal cleaning solutions Watkinsville GA. Since pathogens can be transferred from visitors, staff and patients through the air and through touch, walls and ceilings should be washed at least 72 hours prior to another patient’s arrival.

Decontaminate High-Touch Surfaces

The constant traffic to and from patient rooms means that certain surfaces have a higher potential viral and bacterial load. Because poor handwashing practices represent the most significant transmission vector, high-touch surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned.

These areas require particular attention during a terminal cleaning:

• Doorknobs
• Bed rails
• Curtains
• Light switches
• Bed and television remote controls

Cleaning staff should wash their hands with antibacterial soap for 20 seconds before and after cleaning high-touch surfaces.

Make the Right Choice

Hospital rooms in general, and intensive care rooms in particular, can offer safe haven for ill or immune-compromised patients if terminal cleaning procedures are carefully followed. With the proper supplies and methods, a busy hospital can remain a healthy hospital.