HI, does anyone else have any thoughts on the I am clean stickers ? Many hospitals use them, are they fit for purpose, I've noticed non of them say a frequency date on them, unless anyone else has come across this, so does that make them effective as in daily, weekly, monthly cleaning if you don't know how often they should be cleaned anyway ? appreciate your thoughts on this :)
I am clean stickers
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I am writing to express my concerns about the green "I am Clean" stickers currently in use. While the intention behind these stickers is commendable, they are proving to be more problematic than beneficial. I advocate for the implementation of structured cleaning schedules as a more reliable assurance of cleanliness.
The issues with the stickers include:
- They often become messy and outdated.
- Many stickers are not removed in a timely manner.
- Multiple stickers on the same item or device display conflicting dates.
- Some records on the stickers are illegible.
- The use of these stickers contributes to increased plastic waste (Baldwin, 2023).
I believe that adopting consistent cleaning schedules would provide a more effective and environmentally friendly solution (Zadeyan, 2024).
Baldwin, A. (2023). Are Stickers Bad for the Environment? The Surprising Impact of Small Adhesives. [online] Green Chi Cafe. Available at: https://greenchicafe.com/are-stickers-bad-for-the-environment/ [Accessed 14 Mar. 2025].
Zadeyan, A. (2024). The Importance of Consistent Cleaning Schedules. Green Earth House Cleaning. Available at: https://greenearthhousecleaning.com/blog/consistent-cleaning-schedules/.
If I had my way, I would do away with them altogether. I don't think there is a legal requirement for them. And to be fair, the only way you know something is clean is to visually check it 🙂
I feel the same
We've removed them from most areas at my Trust (Great Western Hospitals in Swindon) with just theatres and outpatients still using them. There is definitely no legal requirement. It can be something that CQC look for but we made sure to mention the change in our engagement sessions with our local CQC liaison. We've had a CQC visit since the change and they expressed no concerns.
Our standard is now "is it clean?" rather than "does it have a green sticker on it?" Our assurance that it was also clean yesterday, or two weeks ago, comes from a daily checklist of cleaning tasks.
Hi Graham, great to hear you've had success largely removing the stickers from use at your Trust. Our IPC team advised that the stickers would need to stay as they are the 'gold standard' nationally. Did you have any similar concerns from IPC at your Trust, and were there any concerns prior to CQC visiting?
We did manage to switch over to the paper-based Clinell stickers which can be recycled in DMR waste stream so at least reducing our plastic slightly.
Caroline Lloyd I'm actually the IPC lead for my Trust :-)
Previous CQC visits had shown that the stickers weren't working (stickers on equipment that was dirty, stickers with dates long in the past) so the Trust were keen to try something different. Our current system isn't perfect either, but at least we're not also littering the planet with little green squares.
Graham Pike Amazing, I'll see if we can test something similar! Thank you
Hi, these stickers sit within, 'Wipes for cleaning and disinfectant' framework- I am currently writing the specification for these stickers and I have also raised the question is there a need for this. I am having round in circles conversations about this. And Graham Pike I think you have made a very good point! The whole discussion in general is so important for saving money and our environment. More importantly the patient is at the heart of this and are we using clean equipment or equipment with a sticker on! I will raise this again and come back and let you know if I get anywhere with this.
Excellent , thank you :)
Thank you - really interesting to read all your thoughts. I have shared with our Trust's infection control team.
Our green champions at Imperial NHS Trust pioneered switching to paper Clinell notes instead of the plastic ones, which is an improvement.
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