6 Practices That Are Very Good For Keeping Your Surroundings Clean
If you work in the medical field, with food, or any other job in which hygiene and cleanliness are of the utmost importance, then here are some simple tips for keeping your workspace, your home, and your person clean. First, whenever you are handling items that must be kept sterile, or items that are unclean, use gloves and wear scrubs.
This prevents contamination. Next, vacuum, dust, and bleach your surroundings regularly. On top of this, have indoor clothes and outdoor clothes and keep them separate to avoid contamination. Finally, establish rules about what you can wear, touch, and bring into sterile spaces for all visitors.
1. Wear Disposable Gloves
Any time you are either handling something that could contaminate other items, or you are handling an item that it is vitally important to keep clean, you should wear disposable gloves. As soon as the task is finished, carefully remove and dispose of the gloves.
If you have to handle several different items, try to use new gloves for each new item. This might seem like a lot of work, but if people’s well-being is on the line, you cannot be too careful. This practice is important in the medical field, as well as when handling food or tattoo needles, for instance.
2. Use Scrubs
On top of the use of gloves, the use of medical scrubs is recommended and often mandated in environments where there is a risk of infection or contamination, and people’s health and well-being is on the line. The use of overalls and scrub-hats can prevent the contamination of an environment by falling hairs, clothing particles, or dry skin, for instance. Moreover, wearing this protective clothing will reduce your risk of picking up an infection, virus, or bacteria. Both you and any client, customer, or service user will be protected by your scrubs.
3. Dust and Vacuum Weekly
Keeping your home or work environment clean also means being on top of the general build-up of dust, dirt, grime, and small particles like skin and fibers that naturally accumulate in any indoor environment. Regardless of how careful you are, dust and small fibers will gather inside and they need to be removed.
Dusting and vacuuming are two great ways to keep on top of this build-up. Keeping the air and surfaces clear of dust will keep your environment sterile and reduce your risk of developing allergies.
4. Bleach Regularly
Once you have dusted and vacuumed surfaces, you should sanitize them with bleach or any other cleaner that is antibacterial. This reduces risks of infection and contamination from food, bodily fluids, or any other substances that you work with.
Remember to clean with bleach responsibly and avoid the bleach itself contaminating products. If you allow bleach to touch food items, for instance, they will no longer be fit for human consumption.
Clean your work environment responsibly and ensure that you only use products appropriate for the work that you do. Kitchen cleaning chemicals can be used in kitchens, but not necessarily on medical equipment, for instance.
5. Indoor and Outdoor Clothing
It can be a great idea to have separate clothing that you wear in the home or workplace and outside. So, coats, bags, and boots that you wear on public transport, in the streets, and in shops never come into the areas that you are trying to keep sterile. Likewise, indoor shoes, sweaters, and other clothing are kept from ever being exposed to outside grime and dirt.
6. Establish Rules for all Visitors
If it is important for you to keep your home or workplace sterile, you should establish rules that visitors must follow. For instance, make it clear what people can and cannot touch. Moreover, have rules about taking shoes off at the door, leaving outdoor coats in the entryway, or putting on personal protective equipment if these things apply. Post rules on the wall so they are clear and visible.
This has been a simple guide to keeping your surroundings clean at work and at home. If you handle things that can be contagious, work with food for other people’s consumption, tattoo people or have any other job or hobby that requires sterile and pristine conditions, these top tips are just for you. It is recommended to wear disposable gloves and scrubs to limit the risks of contamination.
Moreover, dusting, vacuuming, and bleaching surfaces regularly will reduce dirt and germ exposure. Having indoor and outdoor clothing and keeping them separate is a great way to keep indoor areas spotless. Finally, establishing clear rules about clothing, the use of personal protective equipment, and what people can and cannot touch is essential.