Category: Cleaning Tips

Managing Body Fluid Spills

Today, I had the unfortunate job of cleaning up body fluids. I won’t say what sort of body fluids it was, (or name and shame the individual) but lets just say it was RANK and that person should of known better! 🤢 It needed full PPE to clean that mess up. It lead to a a new radio keyword for cleaning emergencies. If you are in the shop and hear “Code Brown”, you know something needs cleaning.

Put it this way, a strongly worded notice has gone up!

Anyway, lets talk about cleaning up body fluids.

Body Fluids can mean several different things: Urine, Blood, Semen, Saliva and Feces. (Poo) Of course, this is not an extensive list, but you get the idea These body fluids, pose a real risk to our health and should be cleaned up, using the correct procedure.

Think Health and Safety: Always wear the appropriate PPE, when dealing with body fluids. (Apron, gloves, protective eyewear)

The Basics

The basic principles of blood and body fluid/substance spills management are:

  • standard precautions apply, including use of personal protective equipment (PPE), as applicable
  • spills should be cleared up before the area is cleaned (adding cleaning liquids to spills increases the size of the spill and should be avoided)
  • generation of aerosols from spilled material should be avoided.

Using these basic principles, the management of spills should be flexible enough to cope with different types of spills, taking into account the following factors:

  • the nature (type) of the spill (for example, sputum, vomit, faeces, urine, blood or laboratory culture)
  • the pathogens most likely to be involved in these different types of spills.
  • the size of the spill – for example, spot (few drops), small (10cm) 10>
  • the type of surface – for example, carpet or impervious flooring
  • the location involved – that is, whether the spill occurs in a contained area (such as a toilet) or in a larger area, which is open to the public. (For instance, a classroom, or a shop_
  • whether there is any likelihood of bare skin contact with the soiled (contaminated) surface.

Standard cleaning equipment, including a mop, cleaning bucket and cleaning agents, should be readily available for spills management. It should also be stored in an area known to all. This is particularly important in clinical areas.

To help manage spills in areas where cleaning materials may not be readily available, a disposable ‘spills kit’ could be used. (See Below)

Equipment

You will need the appropriate equipment, for dealing with body spills

  • appropriate leak-proof bags and containers for disposal of waste material
  • a designated, sturdy scraper and pan for spills (similar to a ‘pooper scooper’)
  • about five sachets of a granular formulation containing 10,000 ppm available chlorine or equivalent (each sachet should contain sufficient granules to cover a 10-cm diameter spill)
  • disposable rubber gloves suitable for cleaning (vinyl gloves are not recommended for handling blood)
  • eye protection (disposable or reusable)
  • a plastic apron

Procedure for cleaning up Body Fluids

Small Spills

Spots or drops of blood or other small spills (up to 10 cm) can easily be managed by wiping the area immediately with paper towels, and then cleaning with warm water and detergent, followed by rinsing and drying the area. Dry the area, as wet areas attract contaminants.

A strong anti-germicide disinfectant, should always be used.

Larger Spills

Where appropriate, close off the area. (Where large spills (more than 10 cm, or where a spillage have occurred in a ‘wet’ area, such as a bathroom or toilet area) I normally use my closed for cleaning floor sign for this. The spill should be carefully washed off into the sewerage system using copious amounts of water and the area flushed with warm water and detergent.

Where the spill is on the floor: Use a spills kit, to contain the spill. A scraper and pan should be used to remove the absorbed material. Use blue paper towels to scoop up the the granules, which should be put into a yellow clinical waste bag. The area of the spill should then be cleaned with a mop, and bucket of warm water and detergent. The bucket and mop should be thoroughly cleaned after use and stored dry.

Large blood spills should be contained and generation of aerosols should be avoided.

The Use of Bleach

It is generally unnecessary to use sodium hypochlorite (Bleach) for managing spills, but it may be used in specific circumstances. It is recognised, however, that some people may feel more reassured that the risk of infection is reduced if sodium hypochlorite is used. There is no evidence of benefit from an infection control perspective. Hypochlorites are corrosive to metals and must be rinsed off after 10 minutes and the area dried.

However, in many places, a blanket is in place, prohibiting the use of sodium hypochlorite, so it may not be possible to use bleach, depending on the policies n your workplace. We at BHF, are not allowed to use bleach, so a strong anti-germicide disinfectant, is what I will use.

Spills Kits

While spill kits are designed for certain spills, all spill kits usually consist of the same three elements: PPE, sorbents, and clean-up items.

Spills Kits include the following:

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Whether the kit is designed for oils pills or a battery acid spill, there is always some type of PPE included in a spill kit. The most common types of PPE used for spills are eye and face protection, gloves, booties/shoe covers, and chemical spills usually require the use of a disposable lab coat, respiratory protection, and a corrosive resistant apron.
  • Absorbents: These are items like mops, cloths, sponges, loose powder, etc. that are created out of material capable of absorbing and containing a spill. Absorbents in put in kits based upon the type of material they are designed to soak up. For example, all-purpose absorbents are placed in universal spill kits, but a battery acid spill kit is much more likely to contain and absorbent with a chemical neutralizer.
  • Clean-up materials: Spill kits should have a dust pan or scoop to soak up the spill. Kits will also almost always include plastic bags for used PPE items to be put in for disposal. The kit itself should come in a container large enough for the potential spill. In addition to having appropriate supplies to clean the pill, the kit should include disposal materials and instructions for the worker. By properly disposing of spills and the clean-up of spills, it reduces/eliminates the potential for an environmental or public risk hazard.

Sources:

Maintaining your Tub Vacuum Cleaner

Your Vacuum Cleaner is one of the most important tools, in your arsenal of cleaning equipment. Tub Vacs, come in all shapes and sizes, from the Numatic International range of tub vacs, (Henry, Hetty, George etc) to machines that can do wet and dry, shampooing and machines specialising in picking up hazardous materials.

So it is important that we keep our tub vacs properly maintained. If dirt builds up in the machine, it can lose suction power, making it less efficient, or cause it to block or even overheat, which can lead to a fire. A well maintained tub vac is a happy tub vac and will give you years of faithful service, if it is well looked after.

In this guide, we will look at how to maintain your tub vac and keep it at it’s best.

Clean the Filters Monthly

Dust and debris can build up quickly on your vacuum’s filter, reducing its suction power. That’s why it’s important for you to clean it out every month.

If they are washable, rinse them under luke warm water. Do not use any chemicals, as this can damage the filter. If it is non washable, take it outside and give it a hard whack against a wall, to dislodge any debris.

Think Health and Safety: Make sure to wear a dust mask and protective clothing when cleaning non washable filters. The face mask, will stop you inhaling the dust, while the protective clothing, will prevent you from getting dirty!

Clear any Blockages

Tube and/or hose blockages in your vacuum cleaner are another cause of poor suction. Fortunately, it’s easy to clear them.

  • For the floor brush, use a screwdriver to undo the screws holding the brush assembly. Be careful when removing the brush, as the plate is spring loaded. You can then use a flat head screwdriver, to pull the gunk out the neck of the the pipe. On some models, the neck has a clip, which allows you to disassemble it.
  • For the pipes: Disconnect the pipes from your tub hoover and use a hose to wash out the inside. You can feed the hose down the pipe, is it is easier. You can also do this for the telescopic poles too. Make sure to wait for the pipes \ poles to dry, before recaching them to your tub hoover.

Empty the Bag When Full

Your Tub Vac will loose suction, once the bag is full. Once it is full, it will need changing. You risk causing the bag to explode, if you carry on using the tub vac with a full bag. So it is important to stop when the bag is full and swap it for a new bag.

Keep your Tub Vac Clean

I wash out my Tub Vacs once a week. Thankfully, the motor casing, clips onto the top, so I can wash out the tub where the bag sits. This involves removing the motor off the top and removing the bag. Then I wash out the tub out with mild disinfectant and warm water. Once washed out, I tip out the water and use blue paper roll to dry it out, before reattaching the bag and motor casing.

I also give the outside of the casing a wipe, with a damp cloth, making sure to be careful around the switches. Alternatively, cleaning wipes, is another good way to give the outside of your tub vac a good clean.

The wheels are what keeps your tub vac moving and they can also get caked up. I spray mine with a little DW40, to get the gunk loosened and then use my flathead, to remove the grease and gunk from the wheels.

Check the Hoses, Plug and Cabling Regularly

You should check your hoses, to make sure they are not kinked or have tears in them. This can inevitably cause loss of suction. Kinks can easily be fixed, by gently untwisting the hose. Tears on the other hand, will require a replacement hose. This will be something that your supervisor will normally need to order.

It is important to check the cabling, to make sure it isn’t damaged and inspect the plug, to make sure that it is secure, isn’t damaged and the pins are not loose. I also check the cabling for nicks in the sheath and for any damage to the cable itself. I check both my tub vacs, each time I use the Tub Vac. If your machine has a damaged plug or cabling, DO NOT USE IT – Put a Notice on it to warn others not to use it and report it to your supervisor.

The same goes, if the motor is making fully sounds or if you smell burning. In these cases, yank out the plug, alert your supervisor and put a do not use notice on it.

Talking of cabling, it is important not to overstretch the cabling when vacuuming. This can cause the cable to become damaged. It is also important not to allow cables to trail across a room, as this can be a tripping hazard. Where possible, unplug and move to another socket, when hoovering a large space. If this is not possible, put a Cleaning In Progress Sign, over the cable, so people can see you are cleaning.

Make sure to use the cable rewind, if your tub vac has one. If not, make sure to securely wrap the cable round the machine and secure the plug, when storing.

 

The Right Way to Clean Safety Linoleum

Safety Linoleum is very useful in kitchens and toilets, because it is non slip. However, due to the way it is made, it can be a pain to clean. This is due to the surface, which feels abrasive to touch. Normal Linoleum on the other hand, is smooth to touch.

Safety Linoleum, is harder to clean, because of the abrasive surface, which helps your feet grip. Mopping alone, will not get rid of the deep down dirt, which will make the lino look dirty and worn. However, it is not too hard to keep a floor with this kind of covering clean.

The below video, will show you the correct way to clean safety lino, restoring it to it’s former glory. This is the procedure I follow at work, when cleaning the safety lino in our toilets and kitchen. These floors get a deep clean every Sunday.