To disinfect a medical office, you need the right disinfectant product and follow the correct steps. Medical offices and all medical facilities are the most important when it comes to disinfecting. That is to say, they can not be treated the same way as a regular office and need to be cleaned thoroughly and disinfected correctly. In other words, your cleaning crew must be specialized in medical facility cleaning, trained in health safety standards and committed to an effective medical cleaning process.
Why Disinfect A Medical Office?
Germs and illnesses are brought in to your medical office by your patients and sometimes your staff. However, there are hidden places throughout the office and patient areas that you might not think of or notice need cleaning.
For instance, a recent study found flushing hospital sinks just twice per week for 30 seconds helps eliminate bacterial colonization. In the same vein, putting a drain cover prevents the spread of pathogens from hospital sinks. In other words, spreading bacteria in medical facilities comes from unseen sources, making disinfecting very important.
What Areas Should You Disinfect?
When you disinfect a medical office, some areas are done constantly and some are only done once per day. But, there are also some areas often overlooked.
Firstly, clean and disinfect these areas on a regular basis, throughout the day:
- Patient waiting rooms
- Restrooms
- Exam rooms
To clarify, these areas are exposed to bacteria constantly and have high touch points that can cause spreading.
Secondly, there are areas that may only need disinfecting once a day.
- Offices
- Hallways
Make sure to dust, clean wipe and disinfect telephones, door handles, tables and desks. Likewise, sweep floors, vacuum carpets, mop and disinfect floors.
In addition, here are a few areas that get overlooked:
- Kids’ books, toys, tables and chairs.
- Armrests on chairs in all rooms
- All door handles in your medical office
- Light switches
- Water fountains
- Pens and clipboards
Getting Started
Every time you disinfect a surface, the surface must be cleaned first. Similarly, read more about cleaning in our related articles on Cleaning vs Sanitizing and Medical Office Cleaning Checklist
Minimizing Germs And Bacteria
A great way to minimize the workload of disinfecting a medical office is by doing specific activities throughout the day to maintain cleanliness. For example, high touch points, heavy high traffic areas. Here are some key activities to follow:
- Throw waste away in the correct containers. For example, used gloves in the infectious waste containers
- Disinfect areas that come in contact with biohazards immediately
- Wash your hands often. For instance, before putting on gloves and after removing them
- Check the restrooms often. Certainly, add disinfectant germicidal solution to the toilets during the day.
- Clean frequently touched items and areas often. For example, doorknobs, exam tables, reception counters, Have easy to reach disinfectants strategically placed throughout the building.
- Always keep common areas clean. For instance, break room, waiting room, locker room, etc.
Tools And Equipment
To disinfect a medical office, you will need:
- Sanitizing and hand cleaning gels or sprays
- Sanitizing and disinfectant wipes
- Plenty of soap
- Disinfecting cleaning sprays
- Paper towels
Products To Disinfect A Medical Office
Disinfecting a medical office requires much stronger disinfectant solution than a regular office. Therefore, make sure you are using a product approved by the EPA for killing germs. Here’s a link to the EPA’s list >
You want to have hospital-grade solutions with broad spectrum kill rates. But, if your medical office handles patients with infectious diseases, make sure you have a high level disinfection with a log reduction rate of 6. See the chart below for reduction levels
Steps To Disinfect A Medical Office
- Clean the entire surface area by wiping down all surfaces with a clean wet cloth combined with soap or detergent.
- Read product label instructions and follow safety precautions carefully
- Wash hands before and after
- Wear a mask and gloves
- Rinse the surfaces with clean water
- Apply an effective disinfectant. Liquid spray bottles are recommended.
- Let disinfectant sit for the recommended amount of time (read directions).
- Rinse and dry all surfaces
In Conclusion
To sum up, the key points to disinfecting a medical office are:
- Firstly, focus on areas exposed to bacteria, germs and pathogens throughout the day
- Secondly, don’t forget about high touch point areas in common areas
- Certainly, let disinfectant sit for the correct time to work effectively
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