National Clean Up Your Room Day, an observance devoted to spring cleaning, is a good reminder that few things are more important to safe and comfortable surroundings than cleanliness. Once you’ve scrubbed, dusted and decluttered, the results are worth it: tidy, healthier living spaces.

At Aultman, cleaning and disinfection are essential to providing high-quality healthcare. The Environmental Services team plays a vital role in maintaining a safe and sanitized healthcare environment for patients, staff and visitors.

Here are four facts to know about Aultman Environmental Services.

• The Environmental Services team is made up of more than 200 employees across three Aultman hospitals. They work around the clock to uphold the highest standards of cleanliness and infection prevention.
• Over a year’s time, the team cleans and disinfects 255,700 patient rooms. They take a comprehensive approach to cleanliness, from thorough room cleaning to the use of advanced disinfection technologies.
• Environmental Services uses “robots” with advanced ultraviolet technology to disinfect operating rooms, patient rooms and bathrooms – a total of more than 17,000 rooms per year. These portable ultraviolet disinfection systems are effective against hard-to-kill pathogens in hard-to reach places.
• Members of the leadership team at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Aultman Orrville Hospital and Aultman Alliance Community Hospital have earned or are currently completing their Certified Health Care Environmental Services Technician designation from the Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE), a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association. They have received comprehensive education in training staff on healthcare environmental services, including infection prevention, disinfection, communication, safety, waste and linen handling and floor care.

These stats may sound impressive, and they certainly are, but as with most cleaning routines, regular repetition is the key to keeping rooms clean and comfortable. Celebrate National Clean Up Your Room Day by scrubbing, dusting, disinfecting and thoroughly cleaning the rooms in your life.