Question

Terminal cleaning is the thorough cleaning of the client's room when they are discharged from the facility or have become deceased. Provide examples of tasks involved in terminally cleaning a room (example washing special equipment) and determine which personal protective equipment would be required during these cleaning procedures

Answer 1

If the deceased patient or discharged patient had any communicable diseases or kept in isolation precautions

• Wear personal protective equipment
• Healthcare or any other wastes put them in appropriate color disposable bags
• Removal the bedspreads ,infectious linens, pillows and covers, curtains in the room and put them in bags
• Decontaminate the reusable non contaminated equipment in the room
• Warm water and detergent are used to clean hard surfaces , then disinfection with 1000ppm (0.1%) chlorine releasing agent/hypochlorite solution or chlorine dioxide solution  
• Ventilation of the room being cleaned must be adequate, the door should be left open when applying hypochlorite solution if there is no windows.
• Clean the room from less contaminated place to more contaminated space.
• Clean the walls , bathrooms, wash basins, windows, floors using damp cloth and disinfection solution.
• Clean the commode, matress, and stainless steel surfaces with sodium hypochlorite solution , then rinse the solution as it is corrosive , but very efficient in killing bacteria and viruses.
• Use disposable cloths or paper rolls in case of communicable diseases and after use dispose in the appropriate bag
• Ensure removing PPE before entering another room after cleaning.
• Donot leave or re enter a room in which terminal cleaning is conducted.
• Always practise handwashing after touching a contaminated area , and also after removing PPE .

Stainless steel surfaces are to be decontaminated using hypochlorite or any chlorine containing solution to omit artificial contamination of bacteria, virus and their spores.

Bathrooms , floors, windows , wash basins sholud be cleaned daily as wet areas always grow more organisms and windows are areas for ventilation .

Spilled Body fluids, tissuesand blood should be cleaned using spilling management kit . Wear PPE while cleaning and also eye shield , then incinerate PPE and wastes.

Airways are single used so discard it

discard all vials and ampoules

In case of mattress clean it once a week, change soiled linen daily.

Locker and bedside equipments cleaned with water and damp cloth when patient is discharged.

Clean the bed pan and urinals then heat disinfect in a bedpan washer/disinfector (>800C for minimum of 1 min). keep it dry

Blood pressure equipment clean after every use