Clean technique involves strategies to reduce the overall number of microorganisms or to prevent or reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms from one person to another or from one place to another (WOCN, 2012, p. S30). The aim of the use of clean technique in wound care is to ensure that contamination of the wound, any supplies and the environment is minimized (Heale, 2020, para 6).

Clean technique in wound care involves:

• Consideration of patient and wound factors, care environment, and likelihood of exposure to microorganisms
• Meticulous hand hygiene before initiating care and before/after glove changes
• Use of clean gloves
• Use of sterile instruments, solutions, supplies, and dressings that are maintained as clean
• Preventing direct contamination of materials and supplies
• Avoiding direct touching of the wound or any surface that might come in contact with the wound
• Sterile gloves should be worn if direct contact with the wound is necessary
• Use of a nonporous material to protect the surface under the wound
• Change gloves after removal of old dressing and after cleaning of the wound
• Cutting dressing materials with sterile scissors and storing dry and uncontaminated cut dressing materials in the original package, sealed and labeled in a clean, plastic storage bag

Source: Adapted from Heale, M. (2020, December 11). What you need to know about clean and sterile techniques. Wound Source. [Blog]. https://www.woundsource.com/blog/what-you-need-know-about-clean-and-sterile-techniques; Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN). (2012). Clean vs. sterile dressing techniques for management of chronic wounds. A fact sheet. Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing, 39(Suppl 2), S30-S34.