Wipe and go
Cleaning involves wiping surfaces to remove visible soil and potential-
ly infectious material. Disinfection involves going over the surface
again to kill remaining microorganisms. Products that combine deter-
gent and disinfectant in a single product can save your staff time dur-
ing room turnovers.
Although wipes are billed as an all-in-one cleaning solution, using them
still might require several steps: one wipe to remove gross contamination
from the surface, and a second wipe to ensure that it's disinfected.
Assess a wipe's ability to remove visible soil and leave a layer of dis-
infectant (wetness) on treated surfaces. Keep in mind that wipes have
various consistencies. For example, you might go through several thin
wipes with a high alcohol content to properly clean and disinfect. On
the other hand, it may only take a single thick wipe with a low alcohol
content to achieve a solid clean, followed by a second wipe to disin-
fect.
Many facilities opt for wipes because they eliminate the need for
reconstituting separate cleaning and disinfection products, and the
potential inconsistencies that can occur with cleaning products that
aren't in ready-to-use formats. Expiration dates are printed on the
outer package, so there's no question among staff about how long the
wipes can be used after opening. The flip side is cost. Wipes might be
more expensive than 2-step cleaning, depending on your case volume
and how many wipes are needed to clean the surfaces in your ORs.
Ultimately, you have to decide if the increased cost is worth staff sav-
ing valuable minutes during room turnovers while using a product
they prefer.
Rooms at a time
Whole room disinfection adds another layer of protection and can
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