Whenever you have a large amount of people living in one space, you're likely to find germs. Since elderly people can become ill so easily, it's important to clean their nursing-home rooms thoroughly at every opportunity. Focusing on the places that are most likely to be dirty and using appropriate products can help you keep the room as sanitary as possible. Avoid using harsh chemicals or strongly scented products so that you don't injure or irritate the room's resident.

Things You Will Need

  • Laundry baskets

  • Odorless glass cleaner

  • Paper towels

  • Odorless antibacterial surface cleaner

  • Dish soap

  • Sponge

  • Powdered shower cleaner

  • Toilet cleaner

  • Bleach, if needed

  • Floor cleaner

  • Mop

  • Vacuum

  • Wet-dry vacuum

Remove any dirty laundry and set it aside to be washed. Strip the linens from the bed and set them aside. Put away anything that shouldn't be on the floor so that the resident doesn't trip over his or her belongings.

Clean the windows with an odorless glass cleaner and paper towels. Although something simple such as vinegar can clean glass in other circumstances, the harsh smell may irritate an elderly resident's nostrils.

Sanitize the places that the resident is likely to have touched, using an odorless antibacterial cleaner. Include buttons on remotes or on electronics. You do not need to rinse most cleaners, but for best results follow the instructions on the product you choose.

Remove any dirty dishes. Wash all counters and bedside tables with an odorless antibacterial product.

Wet the shower and shower walls. Sprinkle a powdered shower cleaner on the tub and walls and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Use a sponge to scrub the powder into the tub and walls--you should remove any trace of soap scum, hair or dirt. Rinse completely.

Scrub the toilet with a brush and toilet cleaner. Wipe all outer surfaces on the toilet with your odorless antibacterial product. Scrub the interior of the sink with the powdered tub cleaner and rinse to remove the cleaner. Use your glass cleaner and paper towels to clean the mirror.

Clean the floors. If they're tile or wood, sweep and mop them. Use a floor cleaning product that disinfects while removing dirt, and mix it according to the directions on the label. If it's a carpet, steam-clean it once every two months and vacuum between steam cleanings. Too much steam cleaning can cause mold to grow in the wet carpet fibers, impairing the elderly person's health.

Allow the floor to dry. Remake the bed, put away the dishes and hang up the clothes that have been washed. Open the windows if the season is temperate to allow fresh air in and help remove any lingering smells from the cleaning products.

Tip

Create a mixture of 1 cup bleach to 5 gallons of water to sanitize surfaces, if needed. Use the bleach once you've already cleaned the surface with another cleaning product. Do not mix products containing ammonia with your bleach mixture. After you've wiped the area down with bleach, allow it to air dry.

If the resident has been sick or if there is an illness going around, use bleach on any surfaces that get a lot of contact before you use the antibacterial cleaners.

Use a hydrophilic absorption product to sop up blood or an excess of other biological fluids. Use a broom to sweep up the product once it has absorbed the liquid and then clean the area with bleach and antibacterial cleaners.

Warning

Always wear thick rubber gloves rated for hazard work when cleaning any mess that involves blood or other biological fluids. If you only have latex gloves, consider wearing two pairs if you're working directly with blood. Wear a mask that covers your mouth to limit your respiration of cleaning products and human waste.