lists on file should you ever need proof that a room was terminally
cleaned. In addition to your staff's daily spot checks, you should occa-
sionally walk through the pre- and post-op areas and the ORs.
2. The right products
Use single-use disinfecting wipes, disposable, lint-free mop heads, and
low-lint cloths to dust and clean surfaces. Stock enough mop heads so
the cleaning crew can use a fresh one for each OR and each area it
cleans. Clean ORs from top to bottom and from the perimeter to the cen-
ter of the room — the center of the room where surgery occurs is likely
to be the dirtiest. Terminal cleaners should wear personal protective
equipment, including gloves, masks, surgical caps and surgical gowns.
3. Consider outside help
We contract with a cleaning company that works in several local
healthcare facilities to terminally clean our facility. The same crew of
cleaners arrives every evening after we go home to clean the pre-op
and PACU areas, the ORs and GI procedure rooms. They're good at
what they do and know our facility inside and out, so it's a positive
partnership that takes some of the cleaning burden off of our full-time
staff.
4. Always be ready
Even if, like us, you contract out the service, every staff member
must know the proper protocols for a terminal clean because there
may be times when terminal cleaning can't wait until the end of the
day. For example, we occasionally can't schedule a patient with a
latex allergy for the first case of the day or we may not find out a
patient has a latex allergy until we ask them about it in pre-op. Our
facility is latex safe, but there are a couple items that are not latex-
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