EXPERT ADVICE
THE HEALTH AND EFFICIENCY FACTORS
Special demands and expectations apply to floorcare in a healthcare setting. Stephen Pinhorne, UK Sales Manager of Truvox International, looks at the factors involved in delivering high standards of efficiency as well as cleanliness.
Floor cleaning is a constant challenge in any intensively used building where users expect high standards. In a healthcare setting the bar is set higher, and the patterns of use can be particularly testing. Heavy traffic from feet, wheeled equipment, beds and trolleys, not to mention spills, all take their toll.
The cleaning regime must meet the expectations of staff, patients and their families, while the pressure on hospital and home care budgets is, if anything, also rising.
Efficiency is as vital as effectiveness, so the cleaning team must be well-equipped and trained to deliver consistently high standards of cleanliness.
Most floors in healthcare environments tend to be hard, impervious surfaces that repel spills and speed cleaning. Some are likely to be non-slip. Tiling is also often used in kitchens, washrooms and toilets. But carpeting may be present too in waiting areas, lounges or family rooms, and more widely in care homes.
When determining what the most cost-effective cleaning operation is, the scale, layout and proportion of these areas need to be considered. For example, whether dedicated specialist floor polishing machines are more cost- effective than a multi-purpose unit that can tackle hard and soft floors.
Cleaning frequencies and the specification of chemical solutions must also be factored into decision- making before finalising the choice of equipment.
Powerful cleaning agents that disinfect may be harmful or allergenic and must be avoided. For this reason also, high standards of
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filtration are essential on vacuums when maintaining carpets. Devices without the necessary HEPA filtration or separate ducted systems will recirculate micro-organisms in the air.
Neutral detergents and taurnine-based products are often specified as an alternative to stringent chemicals for cleaning safety flooring in particular. But these need to be applied by a machine to be truly effective.
“The cleaning regime must meet the expectations of staff, patients and their families, while the
pressure on hospital and home care budgets is, if anything, also rising.”
Hand-mopping is out of place in an efficient cleaning regime, especially in healthcare. Even with microfibre mop heads, soils and pathogens in the bucket will be re-circulated on the floor. Operatives wielding mops can’t put enough pressure on the floor to remove embedded dirt or clean in crevices, whereas a rotary or scrubber dryer will apply sufficient force and agitate the floor’s surface, cleaning to a far higher standard.
Even where mechanised cleaning is preferred, mopping often persists in toilets and bathrooms. This is a dangerous oversight where the risks posed by pathogens and cross- contamination are high. Bacteria can thrive and multiply in the grout lines of tiled floors, for example, where mopping will be ineffective. Mopping also poses the additional risk of slips on damp floors.
Taking account of all these factors, an advanced scrubber dryer is often one of the most effectively utilised pieces of equipment in the daily cleaning of hospitals, clinics and care homes. A machine like the Multiwash mops, scrubs and dries floors in a single pass, and is comfortable to operate even on a long shift.
A quick change of brushes caters for a variety of hard floors, including rubber- studded and other safety floors, and also for the different requirements of daily, maintenance cleaning and intensive scrubbing.
The brushes’ counter-rotating action at high speed saves on water and chemicals. Removing even stubborn scuff marks is effortless.
Grout lines are also cleaned thoroughly as the brushes scrub down into grout lines and recesses. A compact scrubber dryer also has the power and manoeuvrability to clean in confined spaces, while the risk of cross- contamination is easily managed with colour-coded brushes.
Cordless versions, like the Multiwash 340/Pump Battery, add further flexibility. Battery power removes the risk of trips due to trailing cables. In a healthcare setting, its quieter operation is also a major benefit as patients and residents tend to be noise-sensitive.
As well as hard floors, the Multiwash even takes escalators and low-pile carpets in its stride.
The floor care demands in a healthcare environment are challenging. Whatever the mix of equipment, a multi-purpose scrubber dryer should boost the efficiency of the cleaning team.
www.truvox.com Tomorrow’s Cleaning Floorcare Supplement | 31
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