Steps to achieving cleaner floors in healthcare environments
May 1st 2005

Can floorcare equipment can aid in the fight against MRSA in hospitals? Simon Collins,national sales manager,Truvox International suggests that indeed it can

There has been much recent parliamentary debate concerning hygiene and MRSA levels within hospitals, care and nursing homes.Although there has been significant improvement, with recently released figures from the Health Protection Agency showing a fall in MRSA cases of 6%, from 3744 between April and September 2003 to 3519 cases in the same period for 2004, there can be no room for complacency. It is tough for facilities and estate managers trying to keep high traffic areas spotlessly clean and free of infectious bacteria, but they need to adopt a culture of regular thorough cleaning if dust, grit and dirt is to be effectively tackled and not given the chance to escalate.This must start at the ground level, as neglected floors quickly become a hotbed for attracting germs and bacteria that pose a threat to human life.

When selecting floorcare equipment, healthcare facility managers must juggle the dual demands of ensuring each machine cleans effectively and productively, yet is cost-effective enough in price to keep them within tight budgetary constraints. With the sheer number and range of machines available, each with their own particular strengths the specification process can be quite daunting.This can be simpler if managers evaluate their cleaning needs first, taking into account factors such as the flooring surface, footfall and location where the machine will be used.

Clearly the standards of cleanliness expected for flooring surfaces within healthcare establishments must be more stringent than in many other locations, due to the risk of spreading infections to patients.Consequently there has been an increase in the use of scrubber/dryers, replacing more traditional equipment like mops and buckets which despite leaving floors looking clean struggle to remove those scuffs and scratches which harbour harmful germs and bacteria.

The latest scrubber/dryer machines are quicker, more thorough and offer the improved performance necessary to meet these higher standards of cleanliness.The new Multiwash 440 from Truvox for example, combines two contra-rotating brushes with a cleaning width of 44cm to remove dirt, water and grime through washing, mopping and scrubbing of flooring surfaces before totally drying them, all achieved in a single pass. It leaves floors looking visibly much cleaner, which provides a more accurate indicator of the surfaces cleanliness.

Versatility is critical for those having to tackle a wide range of flooring surfaces (both hard and soft) on a daily basis, but without the income to purchase several specialist machines.The Multiwash offers excellent versatility achieving outstanding results on most types of hard floorcovering including wood, vinyl, linoleum, marble, profiled ceramic floors and non-slip safety floors. It can also be used on soft floorcoverings including woven and non-woven shortpile carpet, carpet tiles, and can even be used on escalators or entrance matting.

Where performance is the key requirement, the Truvox Solaris scrubber/dryer offers a particularly attractive option due to the exceptional cleaning performance it achieves by means of its highpressure cylindrical brush. With its vacuum switch which offers a ‘double scrubbing’ option it enables floors in high traffic locations or awkward surfaces like textured flooring to be double scrubbed, substantially boosting cleaning effectiveness.

In many healthcare establishments the initial price of a machine is a key determinant in its selection.Yet equally important to consider are the cost savings a particular piece of equipment can generate over its lifecycle.Many scrubber/dryers now offer single pass cleaning, which increases productivity and saves water and cleaning solution costs by eliminating the need to go to and fro over unwashed areas.

After cleaning some machines leave damp floors behind them, which can become slippery or susceptible to re-attracting dirt.The Solaris machine has been specifically designed to ensure effective single pass cleaning. It employs twin squeegees that work forwards and backwards and features a powerful vacuum motor to collect solution and leave floors completely dry and safe to walk on immediately after cleaning.

Further cost savings can be realised by examining the relationship between a machine’s solution tank size and the area of floor that can be cleaned with it. For example, the Solaris incorporates an advanced solution feed control feature, which allows it to clean large areas in one visit, without requiring its 15-litre tank to be refilled.The Solaris can clean up to three times as fast as an experienced cleaner using a traditional mopping technique.

Rotary machines provide another effective and widely used alternative for the cleaning of hard floor surfaces. Extremely efficient on high gloss vinyl surfaces, they are excellent at creating ultra-smooth surfaces, which in turn attract less dirt.The single disc Truvox Orbis UHS 1500 provides a perfect example.

Traditionally 1500rpm machines have only been used for burnishing, but with the addition of a spray cleaning kit the Orbis UHS becomes a first class spray cleaner capable of removing scuffs and marks from the floor as well as delivering a high quality gloss finish.

The ability to clean at any time of the day is also important, particularly in the high traffic, twenty-four hour environments of hospitals, where dust and grime quickly build-up if not removed. A new generation of cordless floorcare machines including the Truvox Orbis UHS Battery Bunisher have been specifically developed to meet the needs of twenty-four hour cleaning.The Orbis Battery Burnisher incorporates both cordless design and whisper quiet operation, which minimises both danger and disturbance to patients and staff alike.

To maintain the highest levels of hygiene possible with the limited resources available to them, facilities and estate managers need to select the right floorcare machine, the correct detergents and cleaning chemicals, offer appropriate training and ensure the right cleaning practices are in place. All these factors together will enhance productivity, keep floors cleaner, help to cut healthcare-acquired infections and ultimately improve the life of both staff and patients.

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