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Environmental cleaning & disinfection

Cleaning & disinfecting environmental surfaces in patient/resident care areas is a critical component of infection prevention in healthcare facilities.

Cleaning vs. disinfection: What’s the difference? | Featured surface disinfectant wipes | Featured surface disinfectant sprays

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Cleaning vs. disinfecting: What’s the difference?^{1, 2}

Choosing the appropriate surface disinfectant is dependent on surface type, how often the surface is touched, the type of contaminants and the level of disinfection required. The selected product must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions for use (IFU) normally located on the container label. It’s important to remember that disinfection is not the same as cleaning or sanitizing.

Cleaning: Removal of visible soil and other organic matter from objects and surfaces by scrubbing with a surfactant or detergent and water
Disinfection: Process that eliminates many or all pathogenic microorganisms, except bacterial spores, on inanimate objects by liquid chemicals or wet pasteurization
Sterilization: Process that kills all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores by physical or chemical means
Contact time: Also called dwell or kill time; is the length of time a surface needs to remain wet with a disinfectant in order to achieve the claimed disinfection activity

For cleaning, decontamination and sterilization in healthcare facilities, the CDC recommends cleaning environmental surfaces that are high-touch at least once daily, while high traffic areas may need increased frequency. Remember when using any cleaning, sanitizing or disinfection chemicals to also wear any PPE recommended by the product’s manufacturer and to perform hand hygiene when done.³

Environmental surfaces and equipment create an opportunity for viruses and bacteria to survive. Germs can live on surfaces for several hours, days or even months. Examples of pathogens that remain on surfaces include clostridium difficile (C. diff), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), norovirus and hepatitis B.

Determining the procedures for cleaning environmental surfaces in individual patient care areas, including frequency, method and process, should be based on the risk of pathogen transmission.

Probability of contamination

Heavily contaminated surfaces and items require more frequent and thorough environmental cleaning than moderately contaminated surfaces, which in turn require more frequent and rigorous environmental cleaning.

Vulnerability of the patients to infection

Surfaces and items in care areas containing vulnerable patients (e.g., immunosuppressed) require more frequent and rigorous environmental cleaning .

Potential for exposure (high-touch vs low-touch surfaces)

High-touch surfaces (e.g., bed rails) require more frequent and rigorous environmental cleaning than low-touch surfaces (e.g., walls).

Identifying high-touch surfaces

Identifying high-touch surfaces and items in each patient care area is the first step in developing cleaning procedures. Some common examples include:

Bedrails
IV poles
Sink handles
Bedside tables
Counters where medications and supplies are prepared
Edges of privacy curtains
Patient monitoring equipment (keyboards, control panels, etc.)
Transport equipment (wheelchair handles, for example)
Call bells
Doorknobs
Light switches

Cleaning & disinfecting during COVID-19

You may want to clean more frequently or choose to disinfect (in addition to cleaning) in shared spaces if the space is a high traffic area or if certain conditions apply that can increase the risk of COVID-19 infection:

High transmission of COVID-19 in your community
Low vaccination rates in your community
Infrequent use of other prevention measures, such as mask wearing (among unvaccinated people) and hand hygiene
The space is occupied by people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19

Reference “List N“, a tool from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to understand which products meet the EPA’s criteria for use against COVID-19.

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Be advised that information contained herein is intended to serve as a useful reference for informational purposes only and is not complete clinical information. This information is intended for use only by competent healthcare professionals exercising judgment in providing care. McKesson cannot be held responsible for the continued currency of or for any errors or omissions in the information.

Our Services & Solutions

Our Services & Solutions

Environmental cleaning & disinfection

Cleaning vs. disinfection: What’s the difference? | Featured surface disinfectant wipes | Featured surface disinfectant sprays

Cleaning vs. disinfecting: What’s the difference?1, 2

Featured surface disinfectant wipes

Featured surface disinfectant sprays

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Environmental cleaning & disinfection resources

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