SPOTTY CLEANING CAN BE PREVENTED – ISSUE NO. 247

Even though temperatures have yet to warm up here in Michigan, I took advantage of a dry day and decided my car was in serious need for a wash. I went to the touch-less car wash that I regularly visit and purchased the "deluxe" wash. The problem was, on that day, the temperature was still below freezing. It was so low that a few of the holes on the arms that revolve around the car to spray water, soap, and wax were frozen shut. It turns out that I wasn't getting the deluxe wash that I paid for. Instead, I left the car wash with a spotty rinse and salt still coated on areas of my car. I realized that a touch-less car wash is a lot like a washer-disinfector in the hospital setting. It is important to make sure that the nozzles on the spray arms are free of debris and the arms are spinning freely. These are just a couple of steps to help ensure that all racks are getting ample water agitation. Making certain your instruments are properly cleaned involves checking a number of parameters. A great way to challenge the performance of your automatic cleaning equipment like a cart washer,sonic or washer disinfector is with Healthmark's test kits. It would have been helpful to know not to use the car wash lane beforehand until it was working properly. My car is far less important, but nobody can afford a spotty wash of medical instruments!