The Complete Hospital Cleaning Checklist
A practical daily, weekly and monthly environmental cleaning guide for New Zealand hospitals and healthcare facilities
Cleanliness is essential in every hospital. Effective environmental cleaning helps reduce the spread of infections, protects patients, visitors and healthcare workers, and creates a safer, healthier environment for everyone.
This checklist is suitable for public and private hospitals, surgical centres, day-stay facilities and specialist healthcare providers.
Daily Hospital Cleaning Checklist
Main Entrances & Reception
☐ Vacuum or mop entrance floors
☐ Clean entrance doors and glass
☐ Wipe reception desks and counters
☐ Sanitise reception counters
☐ Clean self-service kiosks and touchscreens
☐ Sanitise EFTPOS terminals
☐ Empty rubbish and recycling bins
☐ Restock hand sanitiser stations
☐ Remove fingerprints from glass and stainless steel
☐ Check entrance mats
Waiting Areas
☐ Vacuum seating areas
☐ Mop hard floors
☐ Wipe chairs and armrests
☐ Clean coffee tables
☐ Sanitise high-touch surfaces
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Clean children's play areas (where applicable)
☐ Clean information stands
☐ Clean drinking fountains
Patient Rooms
☐ Clean patient beds (where appropriate and in accordance with facility procedures)
☐ Wipe bedside tables
☐ Clean over-bed tables
☐ Clean bedside chairs
☐ Sanitise call buttons
☐ Clean light switches
☐ Clean door handles
☐ Wipe window sills
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Mop floors
☐ Spot clean walls where required
☐ Restock consumables
Nurses' Stations
☐ Clean work benches
☐ Sanitise desks
☐ Wipe telephones
☐ Clean keyboards and computer mice
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Mop floors
☐ Sanitise shared equipment
Public Toilets
☐ Clean toilets and urinals
☐ Sanitise toilet seats
☐ Clean basins
☐ Clean taps
☐ Polish mirrors
☐ Refill soap dispensers
☐ Refill paper towel dispensers
☐ Restock toilet paper
☐ Empty sanitary bins
☐ Mop floors
☐ Check odours
Patient Bathrooms
☐ Clean toilets
☐ Clean showers
☐ Clean hand basins
☐ Sanitise grab rails
☐ Clean mirrors
☐ Remove soap residue
☐ Clean drains
☐ Refill consumables
☐ Mop floors
Treatment Rooms
☐ Clean benches
☐ Wipe work surfaces
☐ Sanitise high-touch areas
☐ Clean sinks
☐ Mop floors
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Clean storage cupboards externally
☐ Restock cleaning supplies
Staff Rooms
☐ Clean tables
☐ Wipe benches
☐ Clean sinks
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Vacuum or mop floors
☐ Clean refrigerator handles
☐ Clean microwaves
☐ Restock paper towels
Corridors & Public Areas
☐ Sweep or vacuum floors
☐ Mop hard floors
☐ Clean handrails
☐ Clean lift buttons
☐ Clean lifts
☐ Remove marks from walls
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Spot clean glass
Throughout the Day
☐ Clean high-touch surfaces regularly
☐ Respond immediately to spills
☐ Patrol public toilets
☐ Empty bins before they overflow
☐ Restock soap and paper products
☐ Maintain hand sanitiser stations
☐ Remove trip hazards
☐ Record completed cleaning inspections
Weekly Cleaning Tasks
☐ Machine scrub hard floors
☐ Deep clean waiting areas
☐ Clean skirting boards
☐ Dust high surfaces
☐ Wash internal glass
☐ Clean ventilation grilles
☐ Wash rubbish bins
☐ Remove marks from walls
☐ Deep clean staff kitchens
☐ Clean storage areas
☐ Deep clean seating
☐ Clean doors and door frames
☐ Inspect dispensers
Monthly Cleaning Tasks
☐ Deep clean carpets
☐ Pressure clean external entrances where appropriate
☐ Machine scrub public foyers
☐ Deep clean washrooms
☐ Inspect flooring
☐ Review chemical stock
☐ Inspect cleaning equipment
☐ Service vacuum cleaners
☐ Service floor scrubbers
☐ Review environmental cleaning procedures
☐ Audit consumable stock
☐ Inspect emergency exits
☐ Inspect ceilings and ventilation systems
High-Touch Surface Checklist
These surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected frequently throughout the day.
☐ Door handles
☐ Push plates
☐ Lift buttons
☐ Handrails
☐ Reception counters
☐ Touchscreens
☐ Telephones
☐ Computer keyboards
☐ Computer mice
☐ Light switches
☐ Patient call buttons
☐ Bed rails
☐ Chair armrests
☐ Tap handles
☐ Flush buttons
☐ Shared medical equipment (following facility procedures)
Hospital Cleaning & Infection Prevention Tips
✔ Always follow your hospital's infection prevention and control policies.
✔ Use approved healthcare-grade cleaning and disinfecting products appropriate for the surface and level of risk.
✔ Clean from cleaner areas towards dirtier areas to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
✔ Follow the recommended contact time for disinfectants.
✔ Use fresh cloths and mop heads as required to prevent spreading contamination.
✔ Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the task being performed.
✔ Report spills of blood or body fluids immediately and manage them according to facility procedures.
✔ Empty waste containers before they become full.
✔ Keep hand hygiene stations fully stocked and easily accessible.
✔ Record completed cleaning tasks in accordance with hospital quality systems.
Recommended Colour-Coding System
Red – Toilets, bathrooms and sanitary areas
Yellow – Patient bathrooms and wet areas
Blue – General patient areas, waiting rooms, offices and public spaces
Green – Kitchens, food preparation and staff dining areas
Separate cloths, mops and buckets should always be used for each area to minimise cross-contamination.
Recommended Cleaning Equipment
- Microfibre cleaning cloths
- Colour-coded cleaning cloths
- Colour-coded flat mops
- Commercial vacuum cleaners
- Wet & dry vacuum cleaners
- Walk-behind floor scrubbers
- Hospital-grade disinfectant
- Neutral floor cleaner
- Glass cleaner
- Washroom cleaner
- Food-safe sanitiser (for kitchen areas)
- Hand soap
- Alcohol hand sanitiser
- Paper towels
- Toilet paper
- Bin liners
- Medical Waste Bin Liners, Bio Hazard
- Disposable gloves
- PPE as required by facility procedures
- Wet floor signs