Perception is Reality

Improve Your Healthcare Facility Perception

Healthcare facilities have always needed to be clean in order to perform their mission, but today they also need to be perceived as being clean by patients and visitors. This is especially challenging as environmental services departments struggle to find the right balance between not being seen enough while cleaning, and being seen too much.

Fortunately, innovative new products and technologies are available to help improve the cleanliness of facilities, and help them look and feel clean as well.

Rapid drying carpet cleaning equipment featuring microfiber technology enables more frequent interim carpet cleaning with minimal disruption. Quieter machines and carpet dry times of 30 minutes or less, allow cleaning to be performed while patients and visitors are present—making the perception of a clean facility a reality.

“First impressions last, and an orderly, uncluttered space helps project a clean appearance,” says Robert Stein, Crothall Regional Manager, South Division, Durham, N.C. “Patient and employee satisfaction are enhanced in a clean environment with polished floors, and new equipment and better batteries help staff be more productive in order to provide that clean environment.”

Small, high performance walk-behind scrubbers allow congested spaces, including patient rooms and entryways, to be cleaned more frequently. These micro scrubbers also clean much better than the mops and dirty buckets they replace, and project a better, high tech image.

Easy-to-clean solution and recovery tanks can reduce scrubber tank mold, bacteria and odors, further improving the facility’s air quality and cleanliness.

Efficient micro scrubbers also feature excellent water recovery in forward and reverse to enhance safety and reduce the risk of slip-and-fall accidents.

However, facility cleanliness doesn’t start and end at the door. Visitors notice sand, litter and other debris present on the sidewalk or parking ramp. Using sweepers to clean these surfaces improves perceptions of cleanliness, and helps prevent dirt from being tracked into the facility.

Outdoor sweeping also can save money as the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) estimates it costs $600 to find and remove one pound of soil after it has entered an average building. Sweeping exterior areas can significantly reduce the amount of soil tracked into—and ultimately throughout—a facility.