Disinfecting your vet clinic in an effective manner is vital in preventing the cross-contamination of viruses and diseases. Without an effective disinfection regime, you could be risking the spread of illness among your patients.
In this blog post, we highlight our top 6 tips for disinfecting your vet clinic to ensure a clean and hygienic environment for your patients.
Develop a disinfection protocol that is easy to follow
The best disinfection regimes are ones that are easy to understand, execute and repeat day after day – regardless of who is performing the task. Establish a schedule that clearly outlines your disinfecting processes, including the areas that need to be disinfected, how often, and by whom.
Remove organic matter before disinfecting
Do you clean before disinfecting? For best results, it is important that you reduce the overall microbial load on surfaces to allow your disinfectant to work effectively. However, this doesn’t mean that you must scrub your surfaces completely clean. For hard surfaces, simply use some hot, soapy water to remove any visible debris or organic matter. For flooring, a quick sweep with a broom will help ensure any dirt or other debris is removed.
Use the right disinfectant
The most important element when it comes to disinfecting your vet clinic is the choice of disinfectant. By opting for a disinfectant that isn’t made specifically for a veterinary environment, you may not be effectively removing all remnants of viruses and bacteria in your clinic. On top of this, your chosen disinfectant may be harmful to your patients – or yourself, due to the toxic ingredients contained in the product. If you’re concerned about the ingredients that are in your cleaning products, a good test is to check the instructions for usage. If it directs you to rinse off the product, that means it includes toxic ingredients that aren’t safe for people and animals.
Follow your disinfectant dilution instructions carefully
Diluting your disinfectant is an exact science, so it’s important that you follow the instructions provided to you by the disinfectant supplier. If you dilute it with too much water, you may reduce its effectiveness. Not enough dilution could result in a solution that is too concentrated and you’ll be wasting money down the drain.
Use an enzymatic instrument cleaner
It’s not just the surfaces in a vet clinic that need disinfecting every day – your surgical instruments also need to be disinfected after use. While there are a range of surgical instrument cleaners available on the market, enzymatic instrument cleaners have quickly become the product of choice for vet clinics, thanks to fast and effective cleaning processes. Enzymatic cleaners have been shown to improve cleaning efficacy and can be used on a range of materials, including plastics, metals and glass. By opting for an enzymatic instrument cleaner, you are also extending the life of your instruments, as you reduce your need for caustic detergent chemicals and neutralisers.
Monitor and evaluate
It’s also important to regularly monitor the effectiveness of your disinfection regime to ensure that your clinic is the cleanest and most hygienic environment possible. If you detect any deficiencies, make the appropriate adjustments, update your processes and educate your staff.
We have the products to make disinfecting your vet clinic easy
The Safe4 name has become synonymous with highly effective and cost-effective disinfecting products in the veterinary industry.
All of our products are non-toxic and don’t contain any harmful phenols, aldehydes, or alcohol – making them safe to use around animals (and people!).
The Safe4 veterinary disinfectant is also non-staining and a non-irritant, so you can use it with confidence on all hard surfaces and flooring throughout your clinic. Its effectiveness has also been thoroughly tested – and proven – against a range of viruses related to animals, bacteria, and fungi, including parvovirus, coronavirus, canine cough, FIV, E-coli, and MRSA.
The Safe4 triple enzyme instrument cleaner effortlessly removes fats, starches and proteins, and can be used in ultrasonic cleaning baths, tunnel washers and deluge washers. Its unique non-foam formula means cleaning inside fine lumens and other cannulated instruments is also possible.
Need more advice about infection control?
When it comes to infection control in a veterinary setting, the Safe4 team are the experts. If you have any questions about how you can improve your vet clinic’s disinfection regime, call 1300 661 821, send us an email, or visit our booth at the 2024 Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia conference.