Janitorial services include common tasks that fit most office cleaning situations, but medical office cleaning requires specialized skills, protocol and products to meet strict sanitization requirements. Before hiring a cleaning service for your medical office, consider the following:
Specific Cleaning Products
OSHA has specific requirements for cleaning contaminated work environments, including medical offices. They even require appropriate disinfectants and EPA-registered disinfectant products.
The cleaning service you consider should use approved products that are effective in the many different types of medical situations. Environmentally-friendly cleaning products, or “green cleaning” solutions are typically not strong enough to properly disinfect medical offices where patients are treated. However, they may be used in common office areas such as filing and storage rooms.
Proven Cleaning Methods
ServiceMaster created the Capture and Remove Cleaning® System, which traps and removes dust, dirt and debris as well as 55% more airborne contaminants than regular cleaning methods. Specific steps are followed for each room, to avoid cross-contamination.
Cleaning a patient treatment room follows different protocol, using different cleaning solutions than cleaning a normal patient waiting area. Each medical facility requires specific cleaning methods, so a commercial cleaning service should be aware of what is needed, including specialized procedures for sensitive patient care areas.
Specialized Training and Compliance
Members of the cleaning team should be properly trained in healthcare requirements, including safety and security compliance. Regulations and standards set by the EPA mandate the correct cleanup and disposal of blood-borne pathogens, bandages, syringes and other medical waste. Infection control and a stringent quality assurance program should also be managed during each cleaning visit.
Take time to summarize the qualifications you need when hiring a cleaning service for your medical office. They should follow OSHA compliance protocols, properly dispose of contaminants, and use hospital-grade cleaning solutions. Thrust ServiceMaster by the Border for your medical office cleaning; dozens of other medical facilities already do.