Cleanliness in care homes is critical to the well-being of residents, preventing infection and maintaining high standards of care. Well-trained housekeeping teams reduce risks and keep the care home environment hygienic. Proper training in cleaning methods, PPE use, and sustainability improves cleanliness while controlling expenses and reducing waste.
Practical Tips for More Effective Cleaning
1. PPE: Right Gear, Right Time
Ensuring staff know when and how to use PPE will improve safety and hygiene.
- Gloves: Use the right gloves for the task. Blue gloves should be used for food preparation, as they are tested for food safety. Cleaning gloves should be used for cleaning tasks, ensuring they provide proper protection against chemicals and biohazards. Always change gloves between tasks to prevent cross-contamination.
- Aprons: Wear the appropriate apron for the task at hand. Disposable blue plastic aprons should be used when handling food or cleaning, changing them between different activities where necessary to avoid cross-contamination.
- Masks and Eye Protection: Use masks and eye protection when working with stronger chemicals or when infection control is required.
- Proper Disposal: Dispose of PPE correctly to avoid contamination risks.
2. Cleaning Smarter, Not Harder
By systematising processes, companies can reduce waste and create consistency.
Here are a few efficiency-boosting steps:
- Using concentration solutions dosed correctly in trigger bottles reduces plastic waste while ensuring proper cleaning strength and efficiency.
- Regularly including deep cleans in your schedule can boost long-term cleanliness, while daily checklists ensure consistently high standards.
3. Cost Control & Chemical Safety
If chemicals are used incorrectly, not only will your cleaning efforts be ineffective, but it also causes more waste and could increase costs. Staff should be trained to:
- Know the dilution ratios to prevent overuse and risk exposure. Have dilution charts readily available at cleaning stations
- Store cleaning chemicals in a cool, dry place, away from heat and direct sunlight.
4. Eco-Friendly Cleaning Practices
Sustainability in cleaning benefits both the environment and your budget. Become more sustainable by:
- Using concentrated products reduces plastic waste and improves product efficiency.
- Using efficient mopping and washable mop heads and cleaning techniques will not only save water but reduce plastic waste.
- Maintaining a minimum stock list to prevent overordering and product wastage, ensuring essential supplies are kept in stock.
Acticare is certified with Planet Mark and our aim is to help care homes reduce their product usage instead of simply switching to sustainable eco variants, which often don’t perform to the required standard. By prioritising reduction—the first and most impactful step in the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle framework—care homes can significantly lower their environmental footprint while maintaining high cleaning standards. Implementing these principles can help care homes achieve sustainability goals while keeping costs down.
Standardising Cleaning for Better Efficiency
One of the challenges for Care Home Groups is the inconsistency of cleaning methods and products being used between homes. The benefits of standardisation can:
- Reduce spending by cutting out product duplication and overuse.
- Uniform cleaning procedures lead to better hygiene.
- Better stock control – reducing waste and the need for last-minute buying.
Acticare offers comprehensive reports on product usage to help care homes monitor both efficiencies and spending while delivering high standards of cleanliness.
Choosing the Right Cleaning Supplies
Finally, you can provide all of the necessary training, but if your employees use poor-quality cleaning products, they will get ineffective results. Using high-quality care home cleaning products ensures effective infection control and reduces the need for excess chemicals. Acticare offers high-quality cleaning solutions for care environments, from disinfectants to laundry detergents, designed to maintain hygiene and safety.
A well-trained housekeeping team paired with high-quality cleaning products is critical for maintaining high cleaning standards, reducing costs, and ensuring long-term viability in care homes. Contact our team today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your cleaning and sustainability goals.