Build your own checklist for laboratory cleaning: Tutorial and free checklist generator

A well-crafted cleaning checklist in a laboratory setting can prevent errors and ensure a safe, compliant, and efficient working environment. We made a completely free checklist generator for your lab.

Todays topics:

1. Gathering essential protocols

2. Implementing a schedule in your lab

3. The future of checklists and quality assurance with LabQCPro

Creating and implementing cleaning checklists is critical to operations and maintains a standard even when supervisors or high performing technicians are not there to help.

It is also essential to note cleaning on daily and weekly QC forms in order to stay compliant with most regulatory and accrediting bodies.

There is no ‘ultimate guide’ or golden rule of thumb for these checklists so most supervisors or managers end up eyeballing it and making changes as they go.

The latter is a good way to do business, but reducing headway and mistakes the first time is why you’re reading(my guess). Getting it right the first time increases the odds of not having to deal with bad cleaning SOP’s, experiment malfunctions, and regulatory compliance. We even curated a free checklist generator so you can implement changes immediately. (Continue reading below for article)

Gathering essential protocols

The comprehensive laboratory maintenance and cleaning checklist

Checklists are supposed to be a standard, so having a general cleaning checklist is a great step towards a more compliant and functioning lab. A more comprehensive list should include:

A. Daily cleanup of surfaces and disposal of waste.

B. Weekly calibration and equipment checks.

C. Monthly review of inventory, including refrigerators and freezers.

D. Quarterly inspection of emergency equipment.

E. Annual deep cleaning of all lab areas, including specialized equipment.

Ideally, multiple lists should be used and monitored for completion periodically. If you are a clinical laboratory, all checklists need reference ranges specified in the question for all fields.

In a If lab temperature is recorded, the question should resemble

“Lab Temperature(20°C-32°C)”

And if you are using any modern machines (if you are here, you most likely are), most of the QC is done from the inside of the machine with computers. Most of the time, there is also QC that needs to be done to the machine that is not tracked by the machine like cleaning, reagent expiry date, and other things like that…

This information should be on your daily/weekly checklist as well.

Other laboratory protocols like sanitation or equipment maintenance logs

This is important for all laboratories, and should be defined in your policy book either on paper or through a document manager like medialab. In addition, the CAP requires monthly and daily logs for your equipment maintenance QC so having a good way to log that is important.

Implementing a schedule in your lab

To ensure the checklist schedule sticks, start by setting clear timelines. For instance, daily tasks should be completed by the end of each day, while weekly tasks should be reviewed every Friday.

Monthly reviews can occur on the first Monday of each month, and quarterly inspections at the beginning of each quarter.

If you can find a way to assign specific responsibilities to team members and use digital reminders to keep everyone on track, that would be even better. There are services that can do this, like zapier.

The future of checklists and quality assurance with LabQCPro

LabQCPro can help supervisors streamline equipment maintenance logs and QC through automated alerts and real-time data validation. This integration facilitates seamless audits and ensures compliance without the hassle of manual tracking.