Top four important things to know about medical cleaning from the CDC

by | Feb 10, 2023 | Health

With respiratory viruses and flu on the rise, it’s important to take the proper precautions and safety measures when cleaning a medical facility. Healthcare personnel is on the front line during any health crisis, making them more vulnerable to illness and disease. To ensure your patients and healthcare providers receive the highest quality of care, you must provide regular high-quality professional medical facility cleanings.

If your facility already receives professional cleanings, it may be time to reevaluate or increase your cleanings. Since viruses, flu, and other illnesses become more prevalent in colder months, it’s likely your regular cleaning schedule may not be enough. Ensuring that your professional cleaning company is equipped with the training and materials to clean a medical facility is imperative to ensure the highest level of care.

The CDC has four preventative recommendations for cleaning medical facilities. Following these guidelines will ensure patient rooms are clean and will help you control and break the chain of infection.

How To Clean Properly Using Cleaning Solutions and Disinfectants
To properly clean your medical facility, you need to make sure you have the proper cleaners and disinfectants. Professional medical cleaning companies use medical-grade cleaning supplies that kill 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, fungus, mold, and mildew on surfaces.

Maintain Medical Equipment Correctly
Medical equipment should always be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Having routine inspections and performance tests is necessary to ensure its equipped for the job. If it’s not regularly cleaned, you wouldn’t know if there is a buildup of dust or if there are other internal issues. These issues could potentially harm patients inadvertently in the future.

Have A Strict Protocol For Your Water-Quality and Ventilation Systems
Medical facilities must strictly follow state and federal regulations when it comes to their water and ventilation standards. These two should be strictly controlled in every facility but medical facilities must go the extra mile to ensure the safety of their patients and staff. The CDC has set high standards for water quality and ventilation in medical facilities to prevent the spread of illnesses, bacteria, and diseases since these are highly prevalent in these settings.

Managing Water Intrusions Fast And Safely
Buildings begin to leak from several problems but it’s important to address it immediately to avoid water intrusion. The reason water intrusion is detrimental to medical facilities is that it causes environmental hazards along with hazards to patients and staff. Mold, mildew, and bacteria begin to grow fast if the water intrusion is not taken care of immediately and efficiently. Having routine checks set in place at your medical facility will help you spot and stop leaks before they become out of hand.

At CleanCraft, we train our staff to clean medical facilities to the CDC standards and beyond. We know how detrimental it can be if a facility is not disinfected properly. When our certified medical cleaning team comes in, you know your medical facility is in the best hands. We clean with the highest-grade medical cleaning supplies, retired nurses come in and train our teams in medical facility settings and educated the team on the importance of cleaning every surface to ensure the safety of everyone. If you need a medical cleaning team you can trust, give us a call today!

Why Do We Get Sick During the Winter Months?

by | Feb 3, 2023 | Health

Every time colder weather begins to creep in, everyone has one person in their household that catches a virus. Data shows December through February is the peak months for the flu, common cold, stomach bug, and other illnesses. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s inevitable you or someone close to you will get one of these illnesses.

Why do we get sick during these months? Many people blame the cold temperature but there are more factors that increase your likelihood of getting sick.

Indoor Environments
During the winter months, most people stay inside to keep warm with the heat on. There are fewer outdoor activities so now many people are inside more often. When people are in a small space for an extended period, it becomes the perfect situation for viruses to pass from person to person.

Ventilation issues become a huge factor in spreading viruses when people are indoors. Without open windows or doors letting in the fresh air and filtering out used air, people start breathing recycled air from everyone else. Even if a building has a great HVAC system, ventilation isn’t as effective as it is with the doors and windows open.

Humidity
Humidity levels drop during the winter months which has a great impact on the spread of illnesses. Cold air retains moisture, making the air outside drier than in the warmer months. This is the same indoors with the heat drying out the air as well.

Many believe that virus particles have an easier time multiplying in drier environments. With dryer air, some may suffer from dry skin including the skin in their nose. If a nasal passage is dry it tends to crack increasing the risk of harmful bacteria getting into a person’s body.

Travel and Holidays
Colder months also include more travel due to the holiday season. Many people travel to be with large groups of people and often use bigger modes of transportation to get to their destination. This becomes a breeding ground for germs because there are many people traveling in a small space for an extended period.

Prevention
There are steps people can follow to reduce and eliminate the spread of illnesses this winter season.

  • Encourage people to wash their hands regularly.
  • Create space with people if you’re in a small space.
  • Purchase an air purifier for your office.
  • Purchase a humidifier to put moisture in the air to avoid dry air.
  • Create a plan if there’s an illness outbreak in your workspace.
  • Review and revise your cleaning routine with your certified cleaning crew.
  • Do not go to work if you’re feeling sick.
  • Disinfect high-traffic surfaces multiple times throughout the day.

Do you need help getting your workplace protected and clean this winter season? Give us a call today, CleanCraft and our cleaning crew will make sure your work will be germ-free all season long. Set up your next cleaning service with us today!