A vet clinic’s cleaning and infection control protocol plays a vital role in stopping cross-contamination of viruses and diseases. Without the correct product, an effective process, or proper application, you could be leaving your clinic at risk of viruses spreading amongst your patients.
The best disinfection regimes are ones that are easy to understand, execute and repeat day after day – regardless of who is performing the task.
Is your vet clinic’s infection control protocol failsafe? There are three questions you need to ask:
- Are you cleaning before disinfecting?
- Are you using the best and most effective disinfecting products?
- Are you diluting your disinfectant correctly?
Are you cleaning before disinfecting?
Cleaning before disinfecting is an essential step in any infection control protocol. Cleaning reduces the overall microbial load on surfaces, allowing the disinfectant to work more efficiently. This can be particularly important when dealing with highly contagious viruses such as parvovirus or canine cough.
While you don’t need to thoroughly clean your hard surfaces before using a disinfectant, for the best results, we recommend that you use hot soapy water first to remove any visible dirt, debris or organic matter from your hard surfaces. When it comes to your flooring, a quick sweep with a broom before mopping with disinfectant will ensure any organic matter or dirt is removed.
Are you using the right product?
There are many different disinfection products available to purchase. Some of the more common disinfectant products include bleach, ammonia, and products based on alcohol, phenols, or aldehydes. While many of these can be an effective cleaning or disinfecting agent in some circumstances, they can actually be quite harmful to both your staff and animals.
If you are using a disinfectant in a veterinary setting, then it is important to use a product that has been specifically formulated for use around animals. Safe4 veterinary disinfectant is non-toxic and doesn’t contain any harmful phenols, aldehydes, or alcohol, making it safe to use around animals (and people!). It is also non-staining, so you can use it with confidence on all hard surfaces throughout your clinic. Its effectiveness has also been thoroughly tested – and proven – against a range of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, including parvovirus, coronavirus, kennel cough, FIV, E-coli, and MRSA.
Are you diluting your disinfectant correctly?
It’s not a case of “the more the better” when it comes to disinfectant. Like any chemical solution, the dilution of any veterinary disinfectant cleaner is an exact science, and it’s important to follow the instructions provided with your product. Dilute it with too much water and you may minimise its effectiveness. Not enough dilution could result in a solution that is too concentrated and waste money down the drain.
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 infection control protocol, call 1300 661 821 or send us an email.