Dental offices should implement comprehensive cleaning practices that go beyond visible patient areas to include often-overlooked spaces like door handles, baseboards, cabinet interiors, and equipment undersides, which collectively communicate attention to detail and infection control while building patient trust and confidence.
- Hidden areas matter: Patients subconsciously notice cleanliness in spaces they don't consciously see, including baseboards, door frames, light switches, and cabinet edges.
- Infection control impact: Overlooked surfaces like drawer interiors, high-touch fixtures, and break room areas can harbor pathogens and compromise sterilization efforts.
- Downtime strategy: Use schedule gaps as cleaning opportunities by assigning team members different zones weekly and rotating responsibilities to prevent missed areas.
- Comprehensive checklist: Prioritize operatory areas, reception spaces, front office, sterilization lab, break rooms, and restrooms with detailed attention to often-missed spots.
I was recently on a cruise ship, and I became mesmerized by something going on all around me. No, it wasn’t the crazy lines at the buffet or the incredible amounts of alcohol being consumed. It was the crew who gave a master class on cleaning.
They cleaned constantly, with invisible diligence in areas that no one even noticed. Someone was wiping down a handrail. Someone was cleaning a window. Someone was polishing an elevator door. Someone was sweeping a corner that most passengers probably never noticed was dirty.
Denise Ciardello.
They wiped railings, polished hidden fixtures, vacuumed under furniture, disinfected high-touch surfaces guests rarely notice, took every book off every shelf, and wiped down the book and the shelf.
On the last day on the ship, it was pouring rain outside, and yet there was the crew, getting on ladders and cleaning the tops of poles and posts that are clearly impossible to see with both feet on the deck.
Although the goal seemed to be cosmetic perfection alone, it was also preventing the rapid spread of illness in a confined, high-traffic environment and protecting the experience of every person on board.
As always, this got me thinking about dental offices. Don’t our patients arrive in close quarters for procedures that generate aerosols, where the stakes for infection control are high?
We are pretty good at cleaning the areas patients obviously see. The reception area gets straightened. The treatment rooms are disinfected. The instruments are thoroughly sterilized. The bathrooms are checked. The floors get vacuumed.
What about everything else? Like a cruise ship, a dental office has hundreds of little areas that patients may not consciously notice, but they absolutely can feel when an environment is clean, cared for, and organized.
Let’s take a quick tour of a typical office to see where we can better protect our patients, and ourselves, from all those little germs that we know are lurking around, spreading between staff and patients.
☐ Door handles
☐ Light switches
☐ Door frames
☐ Windowsills
☐ Computer keyboards
☐ Mouse pads
☐ Phones
☐ Pen holders
Let’s keep going: The undersides of chairs in all rooms, baseboards, cabinet edges, cabinet fronts, and the floors beneath equipment trap debris and pathogens.
Let's look closer at:
- Sterilization: Instrument drawers and storage areas require equal attention; a contaminated drawer can reintroduce organisms to “clean” instruments.
- Restrooms: These areas demand more than surface wiping. Fixtures, dispensers, and floors must be addressed thoroughly.
- Break room: Staff lockers matter. An ill team member can compromise the entire practice. And, honestly, when was the last time that area was thoroughly wiped down and disinfected? I won’t even go into the refrigerator or microwave.
- The lab. Organize supplies.
- The supply closet. Check for expired items; organize to prevent overordering.
- The front office. Have you looked behind the printer lately?
All these areas tell a story. A clean office communicates something without saying a word. We pay attention to details. We take pride in our environment. We care about your experience.
Like a ship that never stops its cleaning cycle, a dental practice benefits from treating downtime as an opportunity rather than wasted time. The best-run environments don’t clean only when someone notices. They create a habit of looking for what others might miss. Sometimes it’s the little things that patients never mention that make them feel “Wow ... this office is really nice.”
My lesson from this cruise ship? Don't wait until something looks dirty to clean it.
My first job was at a fast-food restaurant. Our manager constantly told us, “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” I have created a printable checklist for you to use during downtimes or gaps in the schedule. Ownership can be assigned, although it should be an office motto to maintain all areas. If you find areas to add to the list, let me know.
Dental office downtime cleaning challenge
Because “clean” means more than what the patient can see! When the schedule has downtime, don’t just wait for the next patient. Look around. Find it. Clean it. Fix it.
Operatory and clinical areas
☐ Dental chair base and underneath chair
☐ Delivery system, hoses, and cords
☐ Light handles and switches
☐ Cabinet fronts and handles
☐ Shelves and supply containers
☐ Computer screen and keyboard
☐ Baseboards and corners
☐ Doors and door frames
☐ Walls checked for fingerprints/marks
☐ Equipment exteriors cleaned as appropriate
Reception and waiting area
☐ Chair surfaces and crevices
☐ Baseboards and corners
☐ Door handles and frames
☐ Windowsills and blinds
☐ Reception desk and drawers
☐ Phones and keyboards
☐ Picture frames and décor
☐ Magazines/brochures -- remove outdated items
☐ Trash cans -- inside and outside
☐ Check for clutter
Front office
☐ Desk drawers organized
☐ Filing/storage areas straightened
☐ Printer/copier area cleaned
☐ Phones and keyboards
☐ Supply cabinets
☐ Countertops
☐ Baseboards and corners
☐ Remove unnecessary clutter
Sterilization/lab
☐ Shelving and cabinet fronts
☐ Cabinet interiors
☐ Equipment exteriors
☐ Counter edges and backsplash
☐ Floors and corners
☐ Supplies organized
☐ Remove expired/unneeded items
☐ Check for areas that are easy to overlook
Break room
☐ Refrigerator -- remove expired food
☐ Microwave inside and outside
☐ Cabinet fronts and handles
☐ Coffee station
☐ Sink and fixtures
☐ Tables and chairs
☐ Floors and baseboards
☐ Trash/recycling area
Restrooms
☐ Mirrors
☐ Door handles and edges
☐ Behind/around toilet
☐ Sink and fixtures
☐ Under sink
☐ Baseboards
☐ Vents
☐ Trash can
☐ Floors and corners
The 'cruise ship' test
Walk through your area as if you were a first-time patient. Ask yourself, “What would I notice if I were seeing this office for the first time?”
☐ I found something that needed attention that wasn't on this list!
The goal
Don't just clean what patients see. Clean what tells them you care.
Tip for implementation: Print several copies and keep them on a clipboard labeled “Downtime Challenge.” When the schedule opens up, assign each team member a different zone. Rotate zones weekly so the same areas don't get overlooked.
Denise Ciardello is co-founder of Global Team Solutions, a practice management consulting firm. Ciardello’s book, The Human Side of Business, is a guide to building a cohesive team while creating a successful, productive practice. She can be contacted at [email protected].
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
