Disinfection protocol
What we disinfect with, in plain words
We clean first, then disinfect high-touch surfaces with an EPA-registered product. We do not write a germ-kill percentage on this site. That figure belongs to one product, one organism and one contact time, and it is printed on that product's label.
So you get the product class for each surface, the EPA registration number and the wet contact time, written on the room card. Your infection-control lead can check each one against the label.
Clean first: a disinfectant works on a clean surface
Contact time is the time the surface stays visibly wet, and the label sets it
Every product is chosen from your practice's list or from the classes below
We never mix products, and we ventilate rooms where we spray
Product classes
Four classes, and where each one goes
All registered with the EPA. The label is the rule for each one: surfaces, organisms, contact time and rinsing.
Quaternary ammonium (quat)
Our default for hard, non-porous surfaces: exam table edges, counters, door handles, chair arms and restroom fixtures. Contact time varies by product.
Clean the surface first
Keep it wet for the label time
Check the label for plastics and vinyl
Hydrogen peroxide-based
For offices that ask for a product without a quat, or whose staff react to odor. Contact times differ from quats and the label sets them.
Same clean-first order
Used on the same hard surfaces
Stored away from other products
Alcohol-based wipes and sprays
For keyboards, touchscreens and card readers where your plan calls for them. They evaporate quickly, so wet time is the limit.
Applied to the cloth, not the device
Cloth discarded after the room
Never on surfaces the maker rules out
Sporicidal products, on request
Only when your infection-control plan calls for one, and with your say-so. Gloves and ventilation required. Not a nightly default.
Written into the room card first
Applied by the crew lead only
Contact time and rinse from the label
Room cards
What is written on a room card
One card per room type, kept in the binder at your front desk and in the crew lead's folder.
- 01Card line 1
Step 1: The surfaces
Every surface that gets disinfected, in the order we do them.
- 02Card line 2
Step 2: The product class and registration number
Class, product name and the EPA registration number from the label.
- 03Card line 3
Step 3: The wet contact time
Copied from the label, in minutes, with the dilution if the product has one.
- 04Card line 4
Step 4: What is left alone
Equipment, trays, cabinets and screens your staff have marked.
- 05Card line 5
Step 5: Who initialed it
The crew lead's initials, the room and the night.
What we do not do
Clinical work stays with your clinical staff
Where a task needs clinical training, we say so and refer you on.
Instruments
We do not reprocess instruments or touch the autoclave.
Sharps and medical waste
We do not open, carry or dispose of sharps or regulated medical waste.
Spills
We mark a blood or body-fluid spill and call your designated person. We do not clean it up.
Fogging and air treatment
We do not fog, spray or treat the air in a room.
Outbreak response
We do not decontaminate a room after an outbreak. We refer you to a specialist.
Medical or compliance advice
We follow your infection-control plan. We do not write one.
Questions
About the products
Can we use the products we already buy?
Yes. Give us the list at the walkthrough and we write them onto the room cards, with the label open next to the card for each product.
Why not just say what percentage of germs it removes?
Because that figure only means something for one product, on one organism, at one contact time. The label gives all three, and the card points to the label.
Are the products fragrance-free?
Fragrance-free products are available on request, and the card names the one used.
Where are the safety data sheets?
In a binder at your front desk, with one sheet for every product we bring into your office.