Orig Post Restroom Cleaning In Healthcare Facilities | Re-Post System4 3/8/2016
Restroom Cleaning In Healthcare Facilities
Is there a difference between cleaning a restroom in a health care facility, such as a hospital or long-term care facility, and in another sector, such as a school? Initially, one might think the answer is no.
After all, in any restroom, the cleaner or custodian uses chemicals to kill bacteria and sanitize or disinfect surfaces, thus achieving the desired end result of a sanitary or disinfected and aesthetically pleasing room. Additionally, in each case, there is a desire is to limit the spread of infectious and transmittable diseases.
So, if restroom cleaning is restroom cleaning wherever you are, what then separates health care restroom cleaning from all of the other sectors?
Building Occupants
First, let’s examine the environmental conditions faced by those in health care vs. the conditions faced by those in other sectors, such as schools, offices, or industrial settings.
It used to be that restroom cleaning in nonhealth care sectors was performed primarily for aesthetic purposes. That has changed drastically with the advent of knowledge behind the spread of infection related to biohazards. That being said, answering the question of whether or not health care restrooms differ from those in a school, office, restaurant, or other public place is more complex that it looks.
Other sectors, such as those mentioned above, have tenants who are—for the most part—healthy. Yes, an individual may come in to work or school with the common cold or a flu bug; however, these individuals have the ability to call in sick due to illness.
This differs from hospitals or long-term care settings where patients’ health is potentially compromised, making them more susceptible to germs and bacteria that can further compromise their health or even cause death.
While it is important to disinfect all surfaces in a hospital, it is critical to regularly clean and disinfect hospital restrooms due to the ease with which bodily fluids and bacteria can transmit. In addition, many hospitals—specifically older facilities that may have less modern designs—allow for their patients to share a restroom; it is therefore a priority to ensure the area has been properly treated.