Cleaning schedule for various premises

In each region, Infection Control and Infectious Disease Control provide support for healthcare providers within the county. There is often revised and very good information available for the businesses, including about cleaning the resident's apartment. The region often offers hygiene training for hygiene deputies in the business, sometimes even for business managers.

How often should a resident room be cleaned and what's included. Most people who clean their homes dust the window sills, wipe off the kitchen sink, and dust other surfaces. The floors are vacuumed. The toilet is cleaned with a toilet brush, the washbasin is cleaned, the mirror is to be polished, and all floors are wiped with a wet cloth or mop. It's a home so cleaning should be done regularly.

The bed linen also needs to be changed regularly. The toilet needs to be cleaned every day and the shower needs to be freshened up after use. Often it is the care staff who also help the resident with cleaning the apartment.

The kitchen in the unit also needs to be kept clean. Dishes should be put in the dishwasher, counters, cupboard doors, tiles, and floors need to be wiped off. There should be routines for checking the expiration date of food and wiping out the cupboards. Similarly, there are often care instructions for the dishwasher. Among other things, the filter needs to be cleaned and descaling agent refilled. Coffee makers need to be descaled regularly.

Refrigerators and freezers need to be cleaned regularly. The freezer also needs to be defrosted. In the dining room, the tables need to be wiped and the floors swept. Chairs and tables need to be cleaned more thoroughly on a regular basis and surfaces in the dining room and corridors are dusted off. The floors in the corridors also need to be vacuumed and wiped.

The rinse room and laundry room also need cleaning. Counters and floors are cleaned. It needs to be checked that the equipment is working as it should. Filters must be cleaned and cleaning fluids refilled.

In addition, staff toilets, staff rooms, linen stores, entrances, office spaces, and other spaces in the nursing home are cleaned regularly. Medication rooms, garbage rooms, storage spaces for dressing materials, and loads of other spaces also need cleaning. It can be good to walk around the residence from room to room to see what rooms there are and to think about what should be cleaned, how often, at what time, by whom, what cleaning equipment is needed and where materials are stored.

In addition, medical equipment such as wheelchairs, beds, walkers, and others need to be kept clean.

Knowledge about cleaning

Knowledge and materials are usually available within the business. It can falter if not everyone has the same information and knowledge. Work needs to be evaluated regularly and knowledge about areas for improvement conveyed to the work group.

Cleaning has been a neglected area before the pandemic, hopefully, the "evil has brought with it the good" that we have understood the importance of it being at least as important to clean with knowledge to break infection routes and prevent ill health in our frail elderly.

Reflection - cleaning schedule
Care staff:
- Do you have good cleaning instructions at the residence?
- Does it work to follow them? Do you have good self-control to follow up on the cleaning?
- Is it tidy and clean in your residence?
- Is time and opportunity given for further education and knowledge acquisition?
- Are there hygiene deputies who can pick up questions and take responsibility for supporting and giving feedback on what is not working to those responsible?

Manager, nurse, occupational therapist, and physiotherapist:
- Does the cleaning in the unit work well. Are the patient rooms clean?
- Does cleaning in the gym, changing rooms, and medication rooms work?
- Are there clear cleaning schedules that show how, when, who, and in what way all spaces in the nursing home should be cleaned?

Resident and relatives:
- Is it clean and fresh at the residence and in the apartment?

Erland Olsson
Specialist nurse
Sofrosyne - Better care every day