The Complete Medical Centre Cleaning Checklist
A practical daily, weekly and monthly environmental cleaning guide for New Zealand medical centres, GP clinics and healthcare practices
Maintaining a clean medical centre is essential for protecting patients, healthcare professionals and visitors. Consistent environmental cleaning helps reduce the spread of illness, improves patient confidence and supports a safe, welcoming healthcare environment.
This checklist is suitable for general practices, family medical centres, urgent care clinics, specialist practices and multidisciplinary healthcare facilities.
Daily Medical Centre Cleaning Checklist
Reception & Waiting Areas
☐ Vacuum or mop entrance floors
☐ Clean entrance doors and glass
☐ Wipe reception desks and counters
☐ Sanitise reception counters
☐ Clean EFTPOS terminals
☐ Clean self-check-in kiosks or tablets
☐ Sanitise pens and clipboards
☐ Wipe waiting room chairs
☐ Clean children's play area (where applicable)
☐ Empty rubbish and recycling bins
☐ Restock hand sanitiser stations
☐ Remove fingerprints from glass and doors
☐ Check entrance mats
Consultation Rooms
☐ Wipe consultation desks
☐ Clean examination beds
☐ Sanitise examination couches between patients where required
☐ Wipe patient chairs
☐ Clean keyboards and computer mice
☐ Sanitise telephones
☐ Clean work surfaces
☐ Wipe cupboards externally
☐ Clean sinks and taps
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Mop floors
☐ Restock paper products and consumables
Treatment & Procedure Rooms
☐ Clean benches
☐ Sanitise work surfaces
☐ Wipe treatment trolleys
☐ Clean examination lights
☐ Clean sinks
☐ Mop floors
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Restock cleaning supplies
☐ Check sharps containers are not overfilled
Staff Areas
☐ Clean staff kitchen benches
☐ Sanitise tables
☐ Clean sinks
☐ Empty rubbish bins
☐ Vacuum or mop floors
☐ Clean refrigerator and microwave handles
☐ Restock paper towels
Public Toilets
☐ Clean toilets
☐ Clean urinals (where fitted)
☐ Sanitise toilet seats
☐ Clean basins
☐ Clean taps
☐ Polish mirrors
☐ Refill soap dispensers
☐ Restock toilet paper
☐ Refill paper towel dispensers
☐ Empty sanitary bins
☐ Mop floors
☐ Check odours
Staff Toilets
☐ Clean toilets
☐ Clean basins
☐ Polish mirrors
☐ Refill consumables
☐ Mop floors
☐ Empty rubbish bins
Corridors & Common Areas
☐ Vacuum or sweep floors
☐ Mop hard floors
☐ Clean handrails
☐ Clean door handles
☐ Wipe light switches
☐ Remove marks from walls
☐ Spot clean internal glass
☐ Empty rubbish bins
Throughout the Day
☐ Clean high-touch surfaces regularly
☐ Wipe consultation beds between patients where required
☐ Respond immediately to spills
☐ Empty bins before they overflow
☐ Restock soap, paper towels and toilet paper
☐ Maintain hand sanitiser stations
☐ Patrol public toilets
☐ Remove trip hazards
☐ Record completed cleaning inspections
Weekly Cleaning Tasks
☐ Machine scrub hard floors
☐ Deep clean waiting rooms
☐ Wash waiting room chairs
☐ Dust high surfaces
☐ Clean skirting boards
☐ Wash internal glass
☐ Clean ventilation grilles
☐ Wash rubbish bins
☐ Remove marks from walls
☐ Deep clean staff kitchen
☐ Clean storage cupboards
☐ Clean doors and door frames
☐ Inspect dispensers
Monthly Cleaning Tasks
☐ Deep clean carpets
☐ Pressure wash external entrances where appropriate
☐ Machine scrub foyers
☐ Deep clean toilets
☐ Inspect flooring
☐ Review cleaning chemical stock
☐ Inspect cleaning equipment
☐ Service vacuum cleaners
☐ Service floor scrubbers
☐ Review cleaning procedures
☐ Audit consumable stock
☐ Inspect emergency exits
☐ Clean ceilings and ventilation grilles
High-Touch Surface Checklist
These surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected regularly throughout the day.
☐ Reception counters
☐ Door handles
☐ Push plates
☐ Waiting room chairs
☐ Examination beds
☐ Patient chairs
☐ Light switches
☐ Computer keyboards
☐ Computer mice
☐ Telephones
☐ EFTPOS terminals
☐ Check-in kiosks
☐ Tap handles
☐ Flush buttons
☐ Handrails
Medical Centre Cleaning & Infection Prevention Tips
✔ Encourage good hand hygiene for staff, patients and visitors.
✔ Use healthcare-grade cleaning and disinfecting products suitable for the surfaces being cleaned.
✔ Clean from lower-risk areas to higher-risk areas only when following your facility's infection prevention procedures.
✔ Follow the manufacturer's recommended contact time for disinfectants.
✔ Use fresh cloths and mop heads regularly to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
✔ Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the cleaning task.
✔ Respond immediately to spills of blood or body fluids in accordance with your practice's procedures.
✔ Keep waiting rooms clean and welcoming throughout the day.
✔ Ensure soap, paper towels and hand sanitiser are always fully stocked.
✔ Maintain cleaning records where required by your quality systems or accreditation programme.
Recommended Colour-Coding System
Red – Toilets and sanitary areas
Yellow – Treatment rooms, consultation rooms and clinical wet areas
Blue – Reception, waiting rooms, offices and general public areas
Green – Staff kitchens and food preparation areas
Separate cloths, mops and buckets should always be used for each colour-coded area to minimise the risk of 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