Everyone would like to believe that hospitals are perfectly sanitary places to visit or stay in. Unfortunately, hospitals are often breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses, and they only get worse if the staff doesn’t properly clean and disinfect everything.
If you work in a hospital, the care of patients is your top priority, even if you aren’t a doctor yourself. That’s why we’ll go over some important cleaning techniques when working in a hospital, so everyone stays healthy no matter how long they need to stay there.
Start in Clean Areas First
One of the most important cleaning techniques to use in a hospital is to not start cleaning in the most contaminated places first. While this may seem counterintuitive, if you start cleaning the most contaminated places to begin with, you risk spreading germs from those areas to other areas that aren’t as contaminated. Working from most clean to least clean is the safer way to sanitize.
Know What You Need To Use
The right disinfectant makes a huge difference depending on what you’re working on. Not all disinfectants will work the same on all materials. For delicate pieces of equipment, you may need to use advanced technology such as a vacuum drying oven in order to thoroughly sanitize it. Never assume that you know the right way to clean something if you aren’t completely sure. Always check all cleaning supply directions to make sure you’re using them properly.
Always Wear PPE
PPE, or personal protection equipment, is a crucial part of cleaning in a hospital. You should also be safe while cleaning up contaminated areas. This isn’t solely important to protect your own health, but it’s also to help protect everyone in the hospital. Even if you don’t catch something, personal protection equipment can help to reduce the chances of you moving contaminants from one area to another unknowingly.
Focus on Areas of High Touch
There are some areas that simple see more touching throughout the day, and therefore more germs from many different people. Doorknobs, hand railings, light switches—all these things are touched by multiple people constantly all day long. This makes them perfect carriers of germs and viruses as more and more people touch them. Focus on thoroughly cleaning these areas to ensure that everyone can use them without fear of exposure to anything dangerous.
