Nursing Home Cleanliness: Where to Clean in a Loved One's Room that Housekeeping May Miss

When a loved one enters a nursing home, you worry about whether they are getting the care that they need and whether or not they are being treated well, especially since they can't fully care for themselves and you can't be there 24 hours a day to help them. In addition to treatment, one also needs to worry about the cleanliness of the room that they are staying in. If you have ever visited a nursing home, you know that housekeeping (usually) does the best that they can. However, there are some places that aren't always cleaned and sanitized the way that they're supposed to. Since your loved one isn't able to do it, it may be up to you to clean a bit of the room yourself. Here are some key places to check in the room to see if they have been cleaned by housekeeping and some areas that you may have to clean yourself.

The handrails on the bed
These are supposed to be cleaned once a day by housekeeping. However, if your loved one eats in bed they could easily get food on the handrails of the bed after housekeeping has already come in. While it may not seem like a big deal, the food shouldn't sit stuck there for days on end, and it easily could, especially if housekeeping doesn't clean it properly. An antibacterial wipe can be used to clean the railings, however, if the hand railings are incredibly dirty or something especially gross is found on it then make sure you report it to housekeeping.

The remote for the television
The remote is used by your loved one at the nursing home, but it is possible that it wasn't cleaned before it was taken from the last patient that used it. Even if it was cleaned during the transfer, visitors could easily pick up the germs that are sitting on the remote if they go to change the channel considering that the remote ends up everywhere from the bed to the table. Simply take an antibacterial wipe and run it along the remote as well as in between the buttons.