How clean is your work environment?

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I am amazed at how dirty our office is. The staff does our part when there is time, but I honestly don't know what housekeeping does all day/night. Our bathrooms have not been mopped in months. We're lucky to get trash cans emptied, soap dispensers filled, and paper towels stocked. The staff has no access to any of these supplies or we would just fill things ourselves. If you look at the vents in the ceiling you can see the dirt/dust that comes out. Yuck! That just makes cringe when I think about when our waiting room chairs or carpet was really cleaned. I'm wondering how many other people deal with this non-sense.

[amoLucia]

What kind of employment environment are you? You speak of office and waiting room so I'm guessing you're a clinic or doctor office.

It must be SOMEBODY'S job - a contracted outside cleaning agency? If you do have a contract, you're paying for NUTTIN'! Time to call that provider and threaten to hold the check or fire them!

I work LTC and I like it when I visit hospitals as they always seem so much cleaner that the LTC places I've been. I would venture that cleanliness is dependent on a large part of how vigilant Infection Control and Hskpg Dept management are. And the fact that our hskpg dept staff usually go home at the end of day shift.

Some places are better than others. But I've seen 'dust bunnies' so big under beds that you could put a saddle on them. Dust so thick on window sills that you can write your name. Oh, but don't miss those scheduled carbolization rooms!!! Hskpg staff will run like banshees after nsg staff to get the pts out of those rooms. For some reason, there's some universal animosity between nsg & hskg that's older & deeper than the Hatfields & McCoys or the Capulets & Montagues.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

On a scale of zero to 10, I'd say a solid 8.5. Not too shabby at all.

A few years ago I worked at a "major national LTC" chain which came in at a 4. Always wore long sleeves to avoid skin contact with surfaces. Many suspicions on the part of staff of scabies being present several times over the course of 18 months.