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Terminal cleaning checklist

A checklist for the terminal clean of a hospital patient room, including isolation rooms. Use it as a starting point and adapt it to your facility's protocol. Your approved products, their contact times and the PPE they need come from your protocol and the product labels.

Download the checklist (PDF)
Room
Unit
Date
Started
Cleaned by
Reviewed by

Before you start

  • Confirm the patient has left and the room is released for terminal cleaning.
  • Check the room's isolation status and any signage.
  • Put on the PPE your protocol requires.
  • Gather your approved products and read the contact time on each label.

Clear the room

  • Remove waste and used linen, following your facility's policy.
  • Remove or change the privacy curtain if your protocol requires it.
  • Remove used disposable items left in the room.

High-touch surfaces

Keep each surface visibly wet for the full contact time on the product's label, and apply more if it dries.

  • Bed rails, bed controls and call button
  • Overbed table and bedside table, including drawers and handles
  • Light switches and door handles, inside and out
  • Chairs, especially the arms
  • Telephone, TV remote and other handheld items
  • IV poles and any equipment your facility assigns to EVS

Bed and mattress

  • Mattress surfaces your protocol lists. Check the cover for tears or damage, and report any.
  • Bed frame and wheels, if your protocol includes them.

Bathroom

  • Sink, faucet and handles
  • Toilet, seat, flush handle and grab bars
  • Shower or tub, and any shower chair
  • Soap and towel dispensers
  • Door handle and light switch

Floors and finish

  • Floor, edges in, working toward the door.
  • Restock supplies to your unit's levels.
  • Final walk-through: check that every step is done.

Isolation rooms: add these

  • Use the product your protocol names for this isolation type. For C. difficile, use the sporicidal product your facility approved.
  • Wear the extra PPE your protocol requires.
  • Complete any added steps your protocol lists.

Record it

  • Note each product used, and confirm its contact time was met.
  • Take photos where your protocol asks for them. Photos are of surfaces, never people.
  • Record any step you couldn't complete, and why.
  • Hand the room to your supervisor for review.

A starting point, not a protocol. Your facility's protocol and your product labels govern how rooms are cleaned.

Why the surface has to stay wet for the full contact time