Insights
Preparing for winter
As the winter months approach, Environmental Services Directors and housekeeping staff play a critical role in preparing healthcare facilities for the increased risk of flu and other seasonal illnesses.
Hospitals often experience higher patient volumes during this period, which makes infection prevention harder at exactly the moment it matters most. The key to reducing the spread of these illnesses lies in diligent planning, targeted cleaning protocols, and continuous education. Here is how your team can prepare.
1. Reassess high-traffic and high-touch areas
Winter brings a heightened need for disinfecting, especially in areas with heavy foot traffic and frequent contact. From waiting rooms and lobbies to patient rooms and staff break areas, surfaces in these spaces can become transmission points for influenza and RSV.
Actionable steps: Conduct a thorough review of high-touch areas — door handles, elevator buttons, bed rails, light switches, handrails. Increase cleaning frequency in these spaces during peak season, and build a schedule that targets them multiple times per shift.
2. Focus on proper disinfection practice
Surface disinfection is one of the most effective ways to limit the spread of infectious agents. Your team already knows to use hospital-grade disinfectants. During flu season, consistency and accuracy become even more critical.
Actionable steps: Re-train staff on proper dwell times for products like Clorox and Diversey. Ensure surfaces stay wet for the full contact time rather than being wiped dry early. Keep ready-to-use wipes available for quick touch-ups in patient rooms and at nurse stations. Review your current disinfectants against common winter illnesses — both Clorox and Diversey offer products with demonstrated efficacy against influenza.
3. Promote hand hygiene
Environmental cleaning is vital, but hand hygiene is equally essential. Staff, patients, and visitors practising it consistently makes a measurable difference to transmission.
Actionable steps: Position sanitizing stations at entrances, in hallways, and near patient rooms. Check regularly that dispensers are stocked and functional, especially during busy periods. Work with nursing staff to reinforce handwashing after patient interactions and before breaks.
4. Staff education and communication
Your housekeeping staff is on the front line of preventing hospital-acquired infections. Equipping them properly is the difference between a protocol on paper and a protocol in practice.
Actionable steps: Host refresher sessions covering how the flu virus spreads and how cleaning interrupts it. Reinforce correct PPE use when cleaning areas occupied by flu patients. Build a culture where staff report supply shortages or contamination concerns immediately rather than working around them.
5. Stay stocked
Higher admissions mean higher consumption. Running short on disinfectant in January is a planning failure, not a supply failure.
Actionable steps: Run an inventory check before winter begins — disinfectants, wipes, gloves, hand sanitizer. Set up recurring deliveries with your distributor so stock arrives without anyone having to remember. Discuss contingency plans for sudden surges in demand before you need them.
6. Collaborate with infection control
Your infection prevention team sees emerging trends before they reach your cleaning schedule. Working with them lets you adjust ahead of a problem rather than behind one.
Actionable steps: Schedule regular meetings to review emerging threats and align protocols. Stay flexible — update cleaning procedures based on new guidance, particularly during an outbreak.
Conclusion
Preparing for flu season is proactive work that reduces strain on hospital resources and protects patients. Focus on high-traffic areas, reinforce disinfection technique, promote hand hygiene, and make sure your staff is trained and your shelves are stocked.
As your distributor, we are here to support that with the products, the training, and the supply reliability it depends on.