Short answer: High-touch surfaces are the handles, switches, taps, buttons and shared equipment that many people touch every day. On every regular clean we wipe the agreed touch points with our own products, alongside bathrooms, kitchens and floors. Australian healthcare guidelines say frequently touched surfaces should be cleaned at least daily in healthcare settings, so clinics that we clean less often than daily usually keep a quick in-house wipe-down between our visits.
This post lists the touch points worth putting on your checklist, explains what the guidelines do and don't say, and shows how to split the job between your team and your cleaner. Bathrooms and kitchens have their own posts: bathroom cleaning standards and workplace kitchen hygiene.
Why high-touch surfaces matter
A door handle or lift button gets touched by everyone who comes through, often dozens of times a day. Surfaces like that are where cleaning effort makes the biggest difference to how clean a workplace feels and how well it's kept.
What the guidelines actually say
The NHMRC's Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare include a good practice statement to clean frequently touched surfaces with detergent solution at least daily, when visibly soiled and after every known contamination, and to clean general surfaces and fittings when visibly soiled and immediately after spillage[1]. Environmental cleaning is part of standard precautions in those guidelines[2].
Two things matter here:
- These are healthcare guidelines. They apply to clinics, dental practices and allied health, not to ordinary offices.
- "At least daily" is a healthcare benchmark. If we clean your clinic two or three times a week, your team covers the in-between days with a simple wipe-down of key touch points, and your practice's own infection prevention procedures always apply.
For offices, the relevant rule is broader. Queensland's Work Health and Safety Regulation requires facilities such as toilets, washing and eating facilities to be kept clean, safe and accessible, so far as is reasonably practicable[3], and Safe Work Australia's model Code says cleaning should reflect the likelihood of contamination and the number of people using facilities[4].
The touch-point checklist
Entries and common areas - Front-door handles and push plates - Intercom buttons and visitor sign-in pens or screens - Reception counter and EFTPOS area - Lift buttons inside your tenancy, stair rails
Work areas - Light switches - Shared phones, meeting-room tables and chair arms - Printer and copier control panels - Shared desk surfaces in hot-desking areas (we work around anything left on desks)
Kitchens - Fridge, microwave and dishwasher handles - Kettle and coffee machine buttons - Tap handles and cupboard handles
Bathrooms - Door handles and locks - Flush buttons, tap handles and soap dispensers - Paper towel dispensers and hand dryer buttons
Clinics (non-clinical areas) - Waiting-room chair arms and clipboards - Reception counters and payment terminals
Clinical surfaces, clinical equipment and clinical waste stay with your staff. In gyms, we clean the equipment touch points we agree with you.
Good cleaning practice for touch points
A few principles make touch-point cleaning work, whoever does it:
- Detergent first. The NHMRC statement is about cleaning with detergent solution[1]; removing grime is the main job.
- Clean to dirty. Do kitchens and offices before bathrooms, so grime isn't carried between rooms.
- Damp, not wet, on electronics. Keypads, intercoms and printer panels shouldn't be sprayed directly.
- Store chemicals safely. Safe Work Australia's chemicals guidance covers the duty to manage hazardous chemicals, including safety data sheets[5].
We bring our own equipment and products, and we agree the touch-point list with you when we quote.
Splitting the job with your team
- F&L, each regular visit (weekly or more often): full touch-point wipe, plus bathrooms, kitchens, floors and bins
- Your team in clinics, on days we're not on site: a quick wipe of the reception counter, payment terminal and door handles
- Your team in offices, as needed: wipe up spills and clear the sink
Frequency
Most offices are cleaned weekly or a few times a week. Clinics, gyms and busy reception areas usually need more frequent visits. We suggest a frequency after a quick call.
How it works with F&L
- Call 0412 073 637 or get a quote online.
- Quick call about your site, or a short walkthrough for larger sites.
- One flat monthly price for your chosen frequency.
- First clean free, so you can see the standard before you decide.
FAQs
Do you disinfect clinical surfaces? No. Clinical surfaces, clinical tasks and clinical waste stay with your staff. We clean general areas and the agreed touch points.
Do you clean keyboards and phones? Shared phones and common equipment, yes, if agreed. We don't move papers or personal items on desks.
Which areas do you cover? We clean across the Gold Coast and Tweed, from around Labrador down to Kingscliff, including inland spots like Nerang. In Brisbane we cover businesses within about 15 km of the CBD.
Are you insured and police-checked? Yes.
Get a quote
Call 0412 073 637 or get a quote online. Your first clean is free, and after that it's one flat monthly price.
Sources
- NHMRC, Summary of the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2019)Supports: in healthcare settings, clean frequently touched surfaces with detergent solution at least daily, when visibly soiled and after every known contamination (Practice Statement 9).
- NHMRC, Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2019)Supports: environmental cleaning as part of standard precautions in healthcare.
- Queensland Government, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld), section 41: Duty to provide and maintain adequate and accessible facilitiesSupports: a business must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that toilets, drinking water, washing and eating facilities are in good working order and clean, safe and accessible, having regard to the nature of the work, the size and nature of the workplace and the number of workers.
- Safe Work Australia, Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities (updated December 2025)Supports: workplaces and facilities should be cleaned regularly, taking into account the type of work, the likelihood of contamination, the number of workers using them and the type of facility; consumables such as soap and toilet paper should be replenished regularly.
- Safe Work Australia, ChemicalsSupports: duties to manage hazardous chemicals at work, including safety data sheets.