Infection Control Services for Aged Care

We provide infection control cleaning services specifically designed for aged care facilities across Sydney, and our experience in this sector has taught us that effective infection prevention starts with the cleaning team doing their job properly every single day. Our aged care cleaning services in Sydney are grounded in evidence-based infection control protocols because we understand that the residents we are protecting are among the most vulnerable people in our community. Our team works across facilities in Lidcombe, Auburn, and Berala where infection control is not just a compliance requirement — it is a daily responsibility that directly affects resident health outcomes.

For more insights, see our guide on aged care cleaning services.

The Role of Environmental Cleaning in Infection Control

We emphasise to every facility we work with that environmental cleaning is one of the most effective frontline defences against healthcare-associated infections. Our team understands that pathogens survive on surfaces for hours or even days depending on the organism, and that contaminated surfaces become transmission vectors when residents, staff, or visitors make contact. We have seen the data from Australian aged care outbreak investigations and the evidence consistently points to environmental contamination as a contributing factor in the spread of gastroenteritis, influenza, and antibiotic-resistant organisms within facilities.

We approach surface cleaning as a clinical intervention rather than a housekeeping task. Our protocols specify which surfaces require cleaning and disinfection, the products to be used, the contact times required, and the frequency of cleaning for different risk zones within the facility. We have implemented these protocols across aged care homes in Lidcombe where the infection rates dropped measurably after we took over the cleaning contract, and the facility management attributed the improvement directly to our more rigorous environmental cleaning standards.

Clinical Waste Management

We manage clinical waste in aged care facilities in accordance with AS 3816.1, the Australian Standard covering the general requirements for management of clinical and related wastes. Our team segregates waste into the correct stream at the point of generation — clinical waste into yellow bins, cytotoxic waste into purple bins, pharmaceutical waste into designated containers, and general waste into standard receptacles. We have found that waste segregation errors are one of the most common compliance failures in aged care facilities, and our training program specifically targets this issue with regular refresher sessions for all cleaning staff.

We handle sharps containers, contaminated dressings, incontinence products, and other clinical waste materials following strict protocols that protect both our staff and facility residents. Our team uses appropriate personal protective equipment for every waste handling task and we never compress clinical waste bags by hand because this creates a needlestick and contamination risk. We have audited our waste management processes in Auburn aged care facilities against the requirements of the relevant state regulations and our compliance rate sits consistently above ninety-five per cent across all waste categories.

Aged Care Facility Cleaning Standard Comparison

Outbreak Response Protocols

Aged Care Facility Cleaning Standard Comparison requires specific protocols that we tailor to each facility based on its layout, traffic, and compliance requirements. We maintain a documented outbreak response plan that we activate whenever a facility reports a suspected or confirmed infectious disease outbreak. Our team escalates cleaning frequency on all high-touch surfaces to multiple times per day, switches to sporicidal disinfectants when the causative organism requires it, and implements enhanced PPE protocols for all cleaning staff entering affected areas. We have responded to gastroenteritis outbreaks in Berala aged care facilities where our rapid escalation helped contain the spread to a single wing rather than allowing it to move through the entire building.

We coordinate our outbreak response with the facility infection control practitioner and the local public health unit to confirm our cleaning actions align with the broader containment strategy. Our team keeps detailed records of every cleaning action taken during an outbreak including the time, the areas cleaned, the products used, and the staff involved. We have found that this documentation is invaluable during post-outbreak reviews and it helps the facility demonstrate to regulators that appropriate environmental cleaning measures were in place throughout the event.

High-Touch Surface Disinfection

We identify and prioritise high-touch surfaces in every aged care facility because these are the points where pathogen transmission is most likely to occur. Our list includes door handles, light switches, bed rails, call buttons, handrails, lift buttons, toilet flush handles, tap handles, dining tables, and shared equipment such as wheelchairs and walking frames. We clean these surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant at least twice daily during normal operations and increase to four or more times daily during outbreak periods.

We use pre-impregnated disinfectant wipes for high-touch surface cleaning because they deliver a consistent dose of disinfectant and eliminate the dilution errors that occur with bucket-and-cloth systems. Our wipes are effective against the pathogens most commonly encountered in aged care including norovirus, influenza, MRSA, VRE, and C. difficile. We have measured the bacterial reduction achieved by our wipe-based system on high-touch surfaces in Lidcombe facilities and the results consistently show greater than 99.9 per cent reduction in viable organisms after a single wipe with appropriate contact time.

Staff Training and Competency

We invest heavily in training because the effectiveness of our infection control cleaning depends entirely on our staff executing the protocols correctly every time. Our training program covers the chain of infection, standard and transmission-based precautions, hand hygiene, PPE donning and doffing, colour-coded cleaning systems, chemical safety, and outbreak response procedures. We assess competency at induction and through annual practical assessments where our supervisors observe each cleaner performing their tasks and provide feedback on technique and compliance.

We also provide facility-specific training that covers the particular infection risks, resident populations, and layout considerations of each aged care home we work in. Our team in the Auburn and Berala area receives additional training on managing cleaning in dementia-specific units where residents may interfere with cleaning equipment or products, and our protocols include safeguards to prevent resident access to chemicals and cleaning tools during service delivery.

Pricing and Service Agreements

Pricing and Service Agreements focuses on specific protocols that we tailor to each facility based on its layout, traffic, and compliance requirements. We price our infection control cleaning services based on the facility size, the level of care provided, and the cleaning frequency required. Our standard daily cleaning contract for a 100-bed aged care facility in the Lidcombe area starts from around $3,270 per month including all labour, equipment, chemicals, and consumables. We offer flexible contract terms and we include outbreak response cleaning at no additional charge because we believe that escalating costs during an outbreak creates a perverse incentive for facilities to delay calling for additional cleaning support.

We work closely with facility managers who are also looking at disability support cleaning standards, and our team recommends exploring our dedicated disability support cleaning guide for facilities that provide services to younger residents with disability alongside their aged care population.

Frequently Asked Questions

What infection control standards do you follow in aged care?

We follow the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare and align our waste management with AS 3816.1. Our protocols cover standard precautions, transmission-based precautions, and outbreak response procedures specific to aged care environments.

How do you handle clinical waste in aged care facilities?

We segregate clinical waste at the point of generation into the correct streams — yellow for clinical waste, purple for cytotoxic, and designated containers for sharps and pharmaceuticals. Our staff use appropriate PPE for all waste handling tasks and we never compress clinical waste bags by hand.

What happens during an infection outbreak?

We activate our outbreak response plan immediately, escalating cleaning frequency to multiple times daily, switching to sporicidal disinfectants when required, and implementing enhanced PPE protocols. Our outbreak response is included in our standard contract at no additional charge.

How often are high-touch surfaces cleaned?

We clean high-touch surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant at least twice daily during normal operations and four or more times daily during outbreak periods. Our high-touch surface list includes door handles, bed rails, call buttons, handrails, and shared equipment.

How much does infection control cleaning cost for aged care?

We price based on facility size, care level, and cleaning frequency. Our standard contract for a 100-bed facility in the Lidcombe area starts from around $3,270 per month including all labour, equipment, chemicals, and consumables.

Do your cleaners receive infection control training?

We train every team member in the chain of infection, hand hygiene, PPE use, colour-coded cleaning, chemical safety, and outbreak response. Our staff complete annual competency assessments and receive facility-specific induction training for each aged care home we service.

What disinfectants do you use in aged care facilities?

We use TGA-listed hospital-grade disinfectants effective against norovirus, influenza, MRSA, VRE, and C. difficile. Our products are selected based on the target pathogen and we switch to sporicidal formulations during outbreaks involving spore-forming organisms.

Can you provide infection control cleaning for outbreak situations on short notice?

We maintain surge capacity specifically for outbreak response and can deploy additional staff within 24 hours of notification. Our outbreak response is included in our standard service agreement so there is no additional cost or contract negotiation required during a crisis.

About Clean Group

Clean Group is a Sydney-based commercial cleaning company with over 25 years of industry experience. Founded by Suji Siv, our team of 50+ trained professionals services offices, warehouses, medical centres, schools, childcare facilities, retail stores, gyms, and strata properties across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

We are active members of ISSA and the Building Service Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA). Our operations align with ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management), and ISO 45001 (Workplace Health and Safety) standards. We hold membership with the Green Building Council of Australia and use eco-friendly, TGA-registered cleaning products wherever possible.

Every Clean Group cleaner is police-checked, fully insured, and trained in safe work procedures under SafeWork NSW guidelines. We operate 7 days a week, including after-hours and weekend services, to minimise disruption to your business.