Clinics and medical offices are held to the highest levels of cleaning and sanitizing. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic as patients are warier than ever about preventing infection and spreading harmful pathogens.

Though there are several other non-pandemic reasons to keep your medical office and clinical spaces immaculately clean. This includes:

  • Bolstering patient perception
  • Encouraging referrals
  • Meeting all pertinent OHSA standards
  • Preventing the spread of harmful pathogens to your patients
  • Preventing the spread of harmful pathogens to your medical staff

Of course, frequency of use is also a factor when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing a medical office. High traffic areas and clinical treatment areas need to be thoroughly cleaned after every patient or treatment is administered. Whereas other high-touch surfaces might only need to be cleaned once or twice a day. Your medical office’s lobby also needs thorough cleaning to reduce the potential pathogenic load, as well as maintaining a professional appearance that mirrors your own.

Developing A Medical Office Cleaning Strategy

The location and the frequency of use will be major factors that influence the ideal cleaning strategy for your medical office and clinical spaces. If you are looking to implement industry best practices, you should consider the following things.

Depending on the size, scale, and scope of treatments not every area in your medical office will need to be deep cleaned daily. Though each individual space should be routinely checked to make sure that everything in it is well-maintained and safe for use.

Cleaning Medical Office Exterior

The exterior of your medical office needs to be properly maintained in order to give patients and guests a good first impression. This includes maintaining a clean and appealing curb as well as an exterior entryway and door. This includes things like:

  • Emptying outdoor trash receptacles and ashtrays daily
  • Checking glass for fingerprints and cleaning as needed
  • Cleaning around dumpsters
  • Spot checking the parking lot to make sure it is free of debris
  • Removing any standing water to prevent slips and falls
  • Applying salt to icy sidewalks in winter
  • Cleaning or swapping out walkway and entryway floor mats

Cleaning Medical Back Office Spaces

The professional office spaces inside your medical office might consist of cubicles and other stations where employees work. These areas need to be cleaned and sanitized each day. In some environments, the employee might be able to clean their own space when provided with the necessary products. This will go a long way toward preventing the potentially disastrous spread of germs, while also keeping electronic equipment and other high touch surfaces clean.

Other cleaning procedures that need to be performed daily in the back office spaces include:

  • Sweeping or vacuuming the floors
  • Mopping tile and other hard surface flooring
  • Emptying out all the trash cans
  • Removing all clutter around desks and cubical spaces
  • Cleaning and disinfecting all horizontal surfaces
  • Wiping down desk spaces with a safe sanitizer or anti-bacterial wipes
  • Cleaning walls in high traffic areas
  • Cleaning and disinfecting phones, keyboards, and other computer equipment
  • Cleaning and disinfecting sinks, coffee pots, and other items in common areas like the break room

Lobby & Waiting Room Cleaning

Lobbies and waiting rooms tend to see a lot of visitors in a single day, which can lead to a significant accumulation of germs and other concerning materials. These areas need to be deep cleaned at least once a day with potentially multiple spot cleanings during a single day. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

  • Cleaning and sanitizing all door handles and push plates
  • Sweeping and mopping all hard flooring
  • Cleaning and disinfecting all tables, chairs, counters, and other high touch surfaces
  • Sanitizing all children’s toys

Restroom Cleaning & Maintenance

Restrooms are another high-frequency area where pathogen density can be high. Especially if the restrooms are visited by sick individuals. This makes the potential for cross-contamination very high in almost all medical office restrooms. The following cleaning and general maintenance steps can help keep bathrooms safe and clean for all who use them

  • Make sure that there is always a ready supply of toilet paper, soap, and paper towels.
  • All toilets and urinals are in good working order
  • All drains are free of clogs
  • Clean and disinfect all handrails in handicap-accessible stalls
  • Sweep, mop, and scrub the hard floors
  • Wipe down the walls vertical surfaces
  • Clean and sanitize all sinks, plumbing fixes, mirrors, and changing tables
  • Empty the trash and remove any debris
  • Clean and disinfect urinals and toilets
  • Clean and disinfect all high-touch surfaces like door handles and push plates

Clinical Suites & Treatment Areas

These are high-traffic areas with the highest risk for pathogen transfer and cross-contamination. This means that all clinical suites and patient treatment areas need to be thoroughly cleaned after each use. Industry best practices include:

  • Periodically sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing all hard flooring
  • Cleaning and disinfecting all beds, counters, chairs, sinks, and plumbing fixtures
  • Cleaning and sanitizing the walls
  • Sanitizing and disinfecting all door handles and push plates
  • Other Common Use Areas

There are several other common uses and high-traffic areas that might need to be cleaned during the day or deep cleaned after clinical hours. This includes:

  • Cleaning & disinfecting elevators, as well as wiping down the buttons
  • Emptying all trash cans throughout the building’s interior
  • Mopping all hard floors at least once per day
  • Vacuuming all carpets at least once per day
  • Cleaning or swapping out entryway floor mats

The Benefits Of Hiring A Third-Party Cleaning Services

The extensive amount of daily cleaning and deep sanitizing a medical office needs to meet high industry standards for cleanliness and professionalism can be daunting. The last thing you want is for it to take away from your clinical staff’s ability to provide patients with the treatments they need.

That’s why so many medical offices will reach out to professional cleaning companies like Building Services to handle the bulk of their cleaning and sanitizing needs. Our highly trained technicians have access to the kind of professional sanitizing agents that simply aren’t available at the retail level. We have years of experience cleaning and deep cleaning all types of medical offices within our service area.