7 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Medical Facility

Written By Guest Blogger, Betty White, Moving Offices of San Diego

With the winter finally behind us, we’re happy to welcome the glorious weather spring has to offer. We are less enchanted with the mess winter has left us with and the cleaning prospects that await. Still, with more sunshine and warmer weather, cleaning will not be as off-putting. As nature is waking up and plants are beginning to bloom and blossom, we’re also getting ready for the new beginning. And purging, organizing, and deep cleaning are a significant part of that beginning. It’s all the more essential amid the Covid-19 pandemic we have been living with over the past year. Therefore, we have prepared seven tips for spring cleaning your medical facility.

There’s a new cleaning standard that all medical facilities have to implement. These facilities have pathogens develop easily. So, whether you run a medical office, dental practice rehabilitation center, laboratory, outpatient surgery facility, you’ll have to raise your cleaning standards to the next level to help prevent the spread of germs. Specialized commercial cleaning and disinfection services offered by System4 Facility Services Management will help you run your medical office smoothly. All services are customized to suit your organization’s specific requirements.

It all begins with a plan and some research

Take a look around you and create a list of things you need to do. Make sure you inspect every single nook and cranny and determine which areas need decluttering. Your employees can also provide valuable input regarding which areas need special attention. Once you have a list of duties, organize them according to urgency and importance. Leave the easiest and the least critical for the end and, without further ado, get to work.
If you realize that tackling this spring cleaning will be a bigger bite than you can chew, don’t hesitate to look for help. Professionals will know how to handle everything, especially since Covid-19 has brought about some new cleaning standards. And remember that you’ll have to keep it up as post-pandemic cleanliness requirements are higher than before. And that is especially true for medical facilities. Moreover, it’s smart to do some research into what the new cleaning standard implies. The best way to do so is to check CDC’s guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting procedures. This way, you will also find out which cleaning and disinfecting products meet EPA criteria and can be used against Covid-19. Also, you will know which surfaces to focus on. And remember that these guidelines will become a part of your new cleaning protocol.

Decluttering is crucial

There is hardly a medical facility without a squeaky chair or a wobbly desk you never get round to fixing. If you inspect storage areas, there is a high probability you will find an old computer monitor sitting there “just in case.” Who knows how many other similar items there are, sitting and gathering dust while taking up valuable space. Discard all of them. If you can’t remember the last time you used something, it belongs to the trash. Donation and selling are also an option if they’re in decent condition.

Everything else that you can’t dispose of but has no business sitting in a closet can go to a storage unit. For all the things you don’t use regularly, old documentation, files, anything really, commercial storage is the easiest solution. Clutter is a huge distractor and can even be the cause of stress. Thus, placing everything in a unit will free up a lot of valuable space in your medical office and even help you increase productivity. Moreover, maintaining cleanliness levels will be much easier with fewer items to clean and disinfect.

Schedule deep cleaning

Deep cleaning is something you don’t typically handle on your own. So, even if your staff handles daily cleaning, scheduling a deep clean with a professional cleaning company is advisable. Spring cleaning your medical facility will involve more than just vacuuming and dusting. For example, if you have carpets, they will need to be shampooed, not only vacuumed.

Also, upholstery will have to be professionally cleaned. Spring is the time to get rid of dust build-up, grime, spills, and stains that collected over the winter. Your medical office will look more fresh and professional. Moreover, besides getting rid of germs, deep cleaning will help your furniture last longer. Hiring a professional cleaning company will ensure you comply with the CDC guidelines and make your staff fell safe to work there.

Sanitize and disinfect all the surfaces using appropriate products

Climb onto the ladder and wipe all the high surfaces, tops of the cabinets, etc., that you’ve been ignoring all winter. Sanitize tables and high-touch point areas. To do all this properly, you need to equip yourself with appropriate products. It would be wise to check out the EPA’s list of disinfectants you can use against Covid-19.

Spring is a time when allergens start running wild. So, it’s essential to remove all the particles from your medical facility. Pay special attention to not-so-easy-to-reach places like ceiling corners, lights, etc. And focus on all your filing cabinets and bookshelves. Take everything out, wipe the pieces and place them neatly back.

Flooring deserves special care when spring cleaning your medical facility

After the beating it took this winter, the flooring in your practice deserves some care. So, thorough cleaning of all the flooring should be among the top items on your list of priorities. It’ll restore the look of your floors, prolong their life and make the air in your premises more fresh. Again, there are suitable products you can use for this purpose that will prevent the spread of pathogens.

Don’t neglect the outside of your facility

There’s nothing you can do to prevent the build-up that will inevitably remain after winter. However, there’s a lot you can do to fix it. If unaddressed, mold, salt, and other dirt will impact the appearance of your building and sidewalks. It’ll negatively affect the professional image you are trying to maintain. And being a medical practice, cleanliness is imperative and plays a substantial role in building trust. Therefore, make an appointment and have your building pressure washed to make it look fresh outside as much as it is on the inside.

Train your staff and communicate with your clients

It’s important that your staff receives proper training regarding the new cleaning and disinfecting protocols. Your entire team must understand why following these guidelines is so important. If members of your staff have insufficient time to dedicate to proper cleaning, System4 can create a customized schedule and provide daily janitorial services.

Make sure your clients are aware of you efforts to maintain new cleaning standards in our fight against Covid-19 so they feel safe when they visit your facilities.

Conclusion

Spring cleaning your medical facility is a strenuous process that will demand quite a bit of time and dedication. The pandemic has imposed some new cleaning standards that may be challenging to keep up with. Therefore, hiring commercial cleaning services may be the best course of action. Managing facility services can be time-consuming, and you need time to focus on your practice and other important responsibilities. Therefore contact System4 to learn how you can have more time to concentrate on what matters the most.