A hospital is a facility where a large number of individuals stay or visit on a daily basis. Floors are the main communal surface that is walked upon by all patients, staff and visitors. With hospital floors receiving such high traffic, a regular cleaning program needs to be put into place.

Unlike other industries, hospital floors require a specialised cleaning program. Mops and buckets are highly inadequate for the cleaning of hospital floors in the 21st century. Anti-biotic resistant bacteria are growing at a rapid pace and therefore healthcare cleaning programs need to be of the highest standard.

It’s not only the type of equipment that is used that is of importance here. Hospital environmental services management and their teams need the right education and training in order to implement the right workflow when using hospital cleaning equipment. It is also necessary to have effective infection control cleaning procedures. Equipment, training and procedures all need to work hand in hand in order to see the correct infection control outcome.

Hospital floor cleaning requirements needs to take into account different types of flooring, spills, stains and cleaning types such as outbreak cleaning or terminal cleaning.

In order to select the right floor cleaning equipment for your hospital’s needs, the following guidelines can be useful:

• A mop and bucket cannot adequately clean hospital floors, in any room or area. Ensure these products are no longer used or stored in a hospital. If these items are stored then they will subsequently get used.

• Ensure your floor cleaning equipment is easily transportable from room to ward or level. An appropriate trolley should be able to easily transport equipment.

• Quality is important. Ensure your floor cleaning equipment doesn’t need to be replaced every year, but rather receives a once a year service to keep it running at optimal performance.

• Floor cleaning equipment should emit “high-temperature steam vapour” at +120 degrees Celsius. Steam at this temperature will disinfect and kill bacteria living on floors surfaces. Floor cleaning should be part of a hospital’s steam infection control procedure.

• Floor cleaning equipment should be able to wash, scrub, steam and dry all types of floors in a single pass. This will allow your staff the versatility to go from different locations with ease.

• Ensure your floorcleaner emits “dry steam”. This will prevent wet floors and safeguard against slips and falls.

• Adequate floor cleaning should get deep within floor grout lines.

• Take into account the maneuverability of a floor machine. It should easily clean where floors meet walls and go around furniture and obstructions with ease.

To find out more about healthcare floor cleaning machines, take a look at Duplex Healthcare’s dedicated product page.