High standards of cleanliness in hospitals prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses among patients and healthcare providers. Studies have shown that hiring a professional cleaning service makes the hospital more sanitary and helps the hospital save money. When the hospital staff is responsible for cleaning medical linens in addition to all their healthcare tasks, the productivity of the hospital is reduced.
There is a ton of work to be done in the hospital, especially when patient occupancy is high. A professional cleaning service is better equipped to manage day-to-day linen cleaning and would free up overstretched staff to focus on more important healthcare tasks.
Reasons to Choose Professional Assistance
Before any person is approved to be a professional cleaner of healthcare linens, they must undergo intense training and acquire a license. Professional cleaners are trained on how to best clean and dispose of certain items, such as blood borne pathogens. This is helpful since it prevents the spread of pathogens and cross contamination in the hospital.
Professional cleaners have a lot experience to back up their training. This is important because in the process they deal with a lot of chemicals and are exposed to a variety of cleaning methods. Hospital linens vary in material and special care is required for each type. The hospital staff may not know the right cleaning method or proper cleaning agent to use when cleaning. Professional cleaners can help save and prolong the life and durability of hospital linens by using the right type of cleaning method.
The hospital will save on a lot of money by hiring a professional hospital cleaning service. In-house cleaning will require the hospital to buy and maintain equipment, keep inventory of supplies, and increase utility costs. This is a lot of money, since there are so many medical linens to be cleaned on a daily basis in a hospital. A cleaning agency will have its own equipment, thus reducing the need for the hospital to invest in cleaning equipment. The funds that would have been used for cleaning equipment, supplies and utilities could be invested in other areas of the hospital that need more attention.
How to Choose the Best Cleaning Agency
When looking for a medical linens cleaning agency, it is advisable to be very cautious. The last thing a hospital needs is all its medical linens carelessly destroyed by a faulty service provider. Remember that the reputation of any successful agency will sell itself. Start by asking around for references. Another hospital may be able to recommend an agency it has worked with in the pasted.
Experience is a necessary factor when looking to hire. If the agency staff has never been exposed to a hospital environment before then they may not be a good fit, no matter how much cleaning training they have. It is necessary to carry out an interview to be sure that the agency's method of cleaning will meet the cleaning requirements for healthcare linens.
Choose a cleaning agency that has worked with hospitals before. This is important because hospital linens require more expertise and attention compared to hotel linens. The professional cleaning service must be well-equipped with the knowledge and expertise to prevent the spreading of disease caused by insufficient cleaning practices.