What does environmental cleaning mean?
Environmental cleaning means cleaning the surroundings people use, rather than the people or the equipment they use for treatment. That covers floors, walls, ceilings, touch points, fittings, plant and the air spaces around them. Its aim is to remove dirt and reduce germs, so the space is safe to use.
The term is used most often in healthcare, and that’s where the standards are clearest. NHS England’s National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness set out how cleaning is planned, how often it happens and how the results are checked. Outside healthcare, it usually means a specialist clean of a commercial or industrial space, often after contamination.
Which type of clean do you need?
Most environmental cleaning falls into one of four types. They can overlap on the same site.
| Type of clean | What it’s for | When you’d use it |
|---|---|---|
| Routine | Keeping germs and dirt under control | On a regular schedule, in areas with a higher risk |
| Deep clean | Reaching the places a routine clean misses, such as high level surfaces and behind fittings | Before an audit or inspection, after building work, or when a unit changes hands |
| Decontamination | Removing or making safe a known contaminant | After exposure to a disease, human waste or a hazardous substance |
| Emergency | Making an area safe at short notice | After a leak, a spill, a sewage problem or an incident on site |
How is it different from ordinary cleaning?
Ordinary cleaning deals with what you can see. Environmental cleaning starts by asking what the risk is, then chooses the method and products to deal with it.
In practice, that means:
- A risk assessment first: hazards are identified before anyone starts.
- The right disinfectant: chosen for what’s on the surface, and used at the right strength for the right length of time.
- Protecting the people doing the work: with suitable PPE, training and a safe way of working.
- Dealing with the waste: contaminated material has to be classified and removed properly.
- Records: you get paperwork showing what was done and where the waste went.
When do you need environmental cleaning?
You may need it if:
- staff or visitors have been exposed to a disease, or you’ve had an outbreak of illness
- human waste, sewage or bodily fluids have reached a work area
- needles or other drug-related items have been found
- pigeon guano has built up in a working or storage area
- a chemical or hazardous substance has leaked or spilled
- you’re preparing for a hygiene audit or an inspection
- a long-empty building is being brought back into use
What does the law say?
The main duties are general, so they apply in most workplaces:
- Keeping the workplace clean: the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 say every workplace, and its furniture and fittings, must be kept sufficiently clean.
- Controlling hazardous substances: the COSHH Regulations cover biological agents as well as chemicals. Employers have to assess the risk and control exposure, whether they use their own staff or a contractor.
- Dealing with waste: you have to classify your waste and check that your carrier is registered.
Some sectors have rules of their own on top of these. If you run a food business, a care setting or a healthcare site, check what your regulator expects to see.
What happens during a professional clean?
Every job is different, but ours follows the same order:
- Free site survey: we look at the area, what has happened and how you need to use the space. In an emergency, we can start by phone.
- Risk assessment and method statement: you get a written plan, including the products we’ll use and how we’ll protect your staff.
- Making the area safe: we close it off and remove any contaminated material first.
- Cleaning and disinfection: surfaces are cleaned first, then disinfected with certified and approved products.
- Records: you get a report and the waste paperwork for your files.
Read more about our environmental cleaning services, or see biohazard cleaning if the contamination is from human waste, blood or sewage.
