Question: How is terminal cleaning done?

Answer passage (source: Australia):
page_title: Cleaning to prevent the spread of COVID-19
section_headers: Cleaning and disinfection
section_content: Cleaning and disinfecting are two different processes:
Cleaning means physically removing germs, dirt and organic matter from
surfaces.
Disinfecting means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. It’s
important to clean before disinfecting because organic matter and dirt can
reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs.
A combination of cleaning and disinfection will be most effective in removing
the COVID-19 virus. Cleaning reduces the soil load on the surface, allowing
the disinfectant to work and kill the COVID-19 virus. Disinfectant may not
kill the virus if the surface has not been cleaned with a detergent first.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This answer is bad because it doesn’t talk about terminal cleaning. The answer only describes regular cleaning methods, which doesn’t answer the question.
This is a summary of cleaning without actually explaining how it is to be done.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Could be Improved

Answer passage (source: Australia):
page_title: Hygiene and cleaning for the health workforce during COVID-19
section_headers: Terminal cleaning
section_content: Terminal cleaning is a procedure to decontaminate an area after discharge or
transfer of a patient with an infectious disease. Terminal cleaning includes
thorough cleaning and disinfection.
To carry out terminal cleaning:

remove medical equipment and items used by the patient
wear PPE — a surgical mask, protective eyewear, gloves and a gown
change bed screens and curtains, including disposable curtains or screens, that are soiled or contaminated
damp dust all surfaces, furniture and fittings
clean windows, sills and frames
clean all surfaces of bed and mattress
mop the floor
remove PPE and perform hand hygiene
clean all cleaning equipment and return it to the cleaners’ room or storage area
discard any waste
perform hand hygiene

You can use either of the following approaches:

2-step clean: clean with detergent and then disinfect
2-in-1 clean: clean with a combined detergent and disinfectant

For the 2-step clean, use either:

Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)-listed hospital-grade disinfectant that acts against viruses
chlorine-based product such as sodium hypochlorite

For the 2-in-1 clean, use either:

combined detergent and TGA-listed hospital-grade disinfectant that acts against viruses
combined detergent and chlorine-based product such as sodium hypochlorite (wipe or solution)

Online training
A 30-minute online module — COVID-19 infection control
training — is
available for care workers across all health care settings.
This training is hosted on an external site, provided by our COVID-19 training
partner Aspen Medical.
Register now
Publications and fact sheets
See our resources for health professionals on hygiene and
cleaning.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources for health professionals, including aged
care providers, pathology providers and health care
managers
A collection of resources for health professionals, including aged care
providers, pathology providers and health care managers, about coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Webinars
View our webinars on the COVID-19 response for the health and aged care
sector.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This answer is excellent because it fully describes terminal cleaning and how it is carried out. Therefore, it fully answers the question.
This is a very detailed explanation of the cleaning process.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: Australia):
page_title: Cleaning to prevent the spread of COVID-19
section_headers: How do I clean?
section_content: Use the following steps to clean an environment:

Wear gloves when cleaning. Gloves should be discarded after each clean. If it is necessary to use reusable gloves, gloves should only be used for COVID-19 related cleaning and should not be used for other purposes or shared between workers. Wash reusable gloves with detergent and water after use and leave to dry. Clean hands immediately after removing gloves using soap and water or hand sanitiser.
Thoroughly clean surfaces using detergent and water. Always clean from the cleanest surfaces to the dirtiest surfaces. This stops the transfer of germs to cleaner surfaces and allows you to physically remove and dispose of the largest possible amount of germs.
If you need to use a disinfectant, clean the surface first using detergent then apply a disinfectant or use a combined detergent and disinfectant (see next section). A disinfectant will not kill germs if the surface has not been cleaned first. Apply disinfectant to surfaces using disposable paper towel or a disposable cloth. If non-disposable cloths are used, ensure they are laundered and dried before reusing.
Allow the disinfectant to remain on the surface for the period of time required to kill the virus (contact time) as specified by the manufacturer. If no time is specified, leave for 10 minutes.


Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This answer needs to be improved because it does describe some rules of terminal cleaning, but does not formally talk about terminal cleaning. Therefore, it doesn’t fully answer the question.
This is a good explanation of the cleaning process.

Reviewer ratings:
Could be Improved
Excellent