Understanding the role that bloodborne pathogens play in the need for professional cleaning and the risk factors that cleaning personnel face is important. Firstly, understanding that what we are trying to “clean” is not always visible to the naked eye will help us to do a thorough job even when there doesn’t appear to be anything to clean. Secondly, we are more likely to consistently use universal precautions when we understand the risks to ourselves and our clients. Finally, we will select the right cleaning methods when we understand what we are trying to clean. This includes selecting the right methods of cleaning, the right tools, and the right chemicals.

Understanding that what we are trying to “clean” is not always visible to the naked eye will help us to do a thorough job even when there doesn’t appear to be anything to clean. We’ve all worked with a coworker who tries to “make everything look good” but fails to actually sanitize and disinfect their areas. Often these individuals are trying to simplify their work load, and to get done faster. However, a thorough understanding that using Windex might make things bright and shiny, but does not get rid of bloodborne pathogens, mildew, molds, and other agents that might make our clients sick is critical. It is amazing to see the difference in a cleaning technician’s job performance when they realize that there is more to cleaning than shining things up.

Additionally, once we realize that we are combating things we cannot see: microorganisms, bloodborne pathogens, viruses, and bacteria, we see the critical need to use universal precautions. Using things like PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), cleaning with the right kinds of tools (Such as disposable wipes instead of reusable sponges, etc.), and selecting the correct kind of chemical to address the potential contaminated area are essential. We gain a proper respect for the potential of contamination, cross-contamination, and infection. This leads us to understand that we need to utilize appropriate universal precautions to manage the risk and increase the safety of doing our cleaning work. Our role as professional cleaning technicians can improve the health of ourselves and others—it may even mean the difference between life and death in some instances.

Finally, we will select the right cleaning methods when we understand what we are trying to clean. The understanding that COVID is resilient and highly contagious should motivate us to use the appropriate chemical, safety precautions, and to do a thorough job for our clients. Failure to use a cleaner that is approved to kill COVID, such as Clorox or Lysol cleaner, may only encourage the public to use areas that appear clean, but are not. This leads to the spread of disease and really a failure on the professional’s part to accomplish our very purpose—to get things clean and protect the public health. Because we understand that we can contribute to making ourselves and others sick, by not wearing masks, gloves and cleaning to the appropriate degree and with the appropriate methods, we develop standard methods of cleaning. These methods encourage thoroughness, ensure repeatable accuracy in addressing each area in the rooms we clean, and also ensure that we do everything within our power to select and use the appropriate methods to get things clean. We don’t want things to just “look” clean, but to actually be clean and sanitary. Additionally, when the staff of the entities we clean in understand what we are trying to accomplish they will work with us to help ensure that areas stay clean longer. We can help educate our clients to contribute to a longer lasting clean in the areas where we work by also understanding the role that bloodborne pathogens play in creating the necessity, for each of us, to help maintain the cleanness of our areas, educate ourselves and others to implement appropriate methods of cleaning, and to take appropriate precautions in keeping our areas clean and neat.--Rocky Swift, Appalachian Regional Healthcare