How to Keep Flooring Clean in Healthcare Facilities
According to the EPA, carpet “acts as a reservoir for dust, dirt, pollen, mold spores, pesticides and other materials which may originate indoors or be brought into the indoor environment from outside.”
Not exactly something you’d want in a healthcare facility, right?
Beyond that, according to the CDC, “on any given day, about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection.”
It’s easy to think that the floor may not play a factor in this number, but it’s important to consider the fact that “a variety of high touch objects like clothing, cell phone chargers, call buttons, blood pressure cuffs and linens end up on the floor.”
While following a proper floor maintenance schedule is important for health in any industry or facility, it’s crucial in the healthcare industry, where patients and tenants need a clean, safe facility.
But don’t just take our word for it. This is something property managers recognize too, as evidenced time and time again in our Meet the Manager series:
“Clean buildings are healthy buildings. You do not want to go to a filthy hospital when you are sick, and you do not want to go to a filthy office when you are working.”
– Frank Proctor, Pointe Property Group“…our standards for cleanliness are much higher than standard office buildings…Hospitals receive patient feedback regarding their entire experience and our buildings are involved in their responses. If our facilities are not cleaned and maintained, the impression to patients is that the hospital is also not well kept.”
– Jeff Rutherford, Meadows & Ohly“Physician offices must be very clean and sterile for the patients. It is probably one of the more difficult parts of my job to oversee the janitorial/environmental services.”
– Holly Sparks, Realty Trust Group
While we love to see a clean facility no matter the industry, we are inclined to agree that the stakes are raised in the healthcare field!
So—how exactly should you keep the floor clean in a healthcare facility?
One option we’d suggest is our SaniClean™ process, which has been scientifically proven to deliver results.
We had a test performed on carpet both before and after performing the SaniClean™ process.
The results?
Bacteria levels were reduced by over 99% and fungi levels were reduced by over 93%.
Beyond that, we recommend working with a professional floor cleaning company to develop a preventative maintenance plan, as these professionals will have knowledge regarding the best way to clean the flooring materials in a healthcare facility.
For example, while it might seem beneficial to disinfect synthetic hard-surfaced floors with harsh chemicals on a regular basis, this can actually “damage and open the pores of the floor so that it becomes a breeding ground for pathogen growth.”
Our point is this:
While keeping a floor clean might seem simple at face value, if you want to be certain it’s done correctly (which is imperative in a healthcare facility), we recommend working with a professional.
If you’re looking for a professional to clean your facility’s floors or help you develop a preventative maintenance plan, just click here to contact us. We’d love to help.