Keeping long-term care facilities clean

Maintaining the cleanliness of long-term care settings maintains regulatory compliance and decreases infections. Nursing Homes magazine offers these tips for keeping the facilities clean:

* Change cleaning solutions frequently to decrease the opportunity of spreading contaminants.
* Make a point of cleaning special areas, such as the handles of canes, the handle grips of the walker, the arms of the wheelchair, the arm rests of the bedside commode.
* In the resident room, make sure to clean bedside phones, remote control devices, lamp switches, call cord activation devices and electric bed controls
* In the dining area, clean the arms of chairs, cloth napkins and tablecloths and make sure staff members clean their hands after touching residents.
* activity and therapy staff have their own cleaning concerns – how to keep balls, scissors and other equipment used in daily activities clean.
* maintenance staff can inspect the building for larger areas that may need cleaning, such as floors, handrails, doors, walls and other building surfaces.
Everyone in the facility should take pride in maintaining building cleanliness.