Office cleaning and medical cleaning are not the same purchase
The difference is not effort. It's sequence, product, dwell time, and documentation. A crew that cleans your waiting room before your exam rooms has already failed the standard, no matter how good the result looks.
Frequency checklist by room type
- Exam rooms — full terminal clean and touchpoint disinfection every operating day
- Operatories — same, with attention to chair bases, light handles, and delivery units
- Waiting area — seating, check-in counter, kiosks, and door hardware disinfected daily
- Restrooms — full disinfection daily; twice daily in high-volume practices
- Lab and clean utility — daily, cleaned last in sequence with dedicated tools
- Hard floors — damp-mopped daily with a neutral disinfectant; refinished every 12–18 months
- Vents, high dusting, and light fixtures — quarterly at minimum
What EPA List N means and why it matters
List N is the EPA's register of disinfectants approved for use against emerging viral pathogens. Being on the list is only half of it: each product has a labeled contact time, and the surface must stay visibly wet for that full duration. A product wiped on and immediately dried has not disinfected anything.
Ask your vendor two questions: which List N product do you use, and what is its dwell time? If they can't answer both without checking, they aren't managing it.
Documentation to keep on file
- Current SDS for every product used in your building
- Written environmental cleaning protocol by room type
- Service log showing dates and areas cleaned
- Proof of staff training on infection-control basics
- Vendor certificate of insurance, current
- Background-check attestation for anyone with after-hours access
Ten questions to ask any medical cleaning vendor
- Which EPA List N disinfectant do you use, and at what dwell time?
- What is your room cleaning sequence?
- How do you separate restroom tools from exam room tools?
- Are your cleaners W-2 employees or subcontractors?
- Is every person entering my building background-checked?
- What infection-control training do crews receive, and how often?
- How do you handle a situation where a crew member encounters patient information?
- Can you produce a service log and an inspection report on request?
- What are your liability and workers' comp limits?
- What is your remedy and response time when something is missed?
Use this before you sign
Print the checklist and run it against your current vendor. If more than three items come back unanswered, you are buying office cleaning at a medical price.