Dental and medical office cleaning: what should a cleaning company do, and not do?
A commercial cleaning company typically handles the non-clinical areas: waiting room, front desk, offices, break room, restrooms and hallway floors. Clinical contact surfaces, instruments, sharps and regulated medical waste stay with your trained clinical staff and a licensed medical waste service. Write that line into the scope so nobody assumes the other side has it covered.
What is the difference between clinical and housekeeping surfaces?
The CDC's dental infection-control guidance separates two kinds of environmental surfaces. Clinical contact surfaces, such as light handles, bracket trays, switches on dental units and computer equipment in the operatory, can be contaminated by spray or spatter during procedures; the CDC says they should be barrier-protected or cleaned and disinfected between patients. Housekeeping surfaces, such as floors, walls and sinks, do not touch patients or instruments and carry limited risk; the CDC says they can be cleaned with soap and water, or disinfected if visibly contaminated with blood. Between-patient work happens during the clinical day, by your team. An after-hours cleaning crew belongs on the housekeeping side.
What should a cleaning company do in a medical or dental office?
| Should (when written in the scope) | Should not |
|---|---|
| Waiting room seating, tables, door handles | Wipe down dental units, chairs or treatment equipment |
| Front desk counter (cleared surfaces only) | Handle or move instruments, trays or sterilization equipment |
| Private offices, break room, staff restrooms and patient restrooms | Empty sharps containers or red-bag waste |
| Ordinary trash and recycling | Clean up blood or body fluids |
| Floors in hallways and non-clinical rooms | Read, move or file patient records |
| Glass doors and interior windows | Claim a disinfection or infection-control result |
Whether a crew enters treatment rooms at all, for example to mop floors after clinical surfaces are done and waste is removed, is a decision for your practice, written down room by room.
Who handles medical waste?
In Massachusetts, 105 CMR 480.000 sets minimum requirements for storing, treating, transporting and disposing of medical or biological waste, and it applies to the generators of that waste. How it applies to your practice is a question for the Department of Public Health or your licensed waste hauler. The practical point for your cleaning contract: sharps and red-bag waste should never be in a cleaner's trash route, so keep those containers clearly marked and out of the regular bins.
Does a cleaning company need a HIPAA business associate agreement?
According to HHS guidance (FAQ 243), janitorial services that clean a covered entity's offices are generally not business associates, because their work does not involve using or disclosing protected health information and any exposure, such as while emptying trash, is incidental. HHS adds that a service doing routine handling of records or shredding would likely be a business associate. Your privacy officer should confirm what applies to your office. Either way, lock records away, keep screens off and use a locked shred bin rather than regular trash.
What should a medical office write into the cleaning scope?
- Each room the crew enters, and each room it does not.
- Who removes waste from which containers, and which containers the crew never touches.
- What products are used where, and who supplies them.
- What staff must do before leaving: clear counters, lock records rooms, close operatories.
- How the crew reports a spill or anything unusual it finds.
What does JCIL do in clinics and dental offices?
We clean the waiting room, front desk, offices, break room and restrooms. JCIL does not clean regulated medical, dental-operatory or laboratory surfaces to a clinical or infection-control standard, and biohazard and medical waste are not part of our service. Where a disinfectant product is listed in the scope, we apply it according to its label, without promising any health or disease-prevention result.
FAQ
Can a regular cleaning company clean a dental office?
Yes, for the non-clinical areas. Clinical contact surfaces and instruments stay with the clinical team under the practice's infection-control program.
Should the cleaners empty sharps containers?
No. Sharps and other regulated medical waste go through the practice's licensed medical waste arrangement.
Do we need a business associate agreement with our cleaning company?
HHS guidance says janitorial services are generally not business associates. Confirm with your privacy officer, especially if the vendor would handle records or shredding.
Can the crew mop the operatory floor?
Only if your practice decides so in writing, after clinical surfaces are done and waste is removed.
Sources
- CDC, Dental IPC FAQ: Cleaning and Disinfecting Environmental Surfaces (reviewed May 15, 2024)
- HHS, HIPAA FAQ 243
- Mass. DPH, 105 CMR 480.000
For waiting rooms, front desks, offices and restrooms after you close, see small office cleaning or call (857) 777-0885.