If consistent cleanliness matters for any facility, it’s healthcare facilities. This isn’t to say that maintaining sanitary surfaces isn’t important for other entities, of course. When it comes to clinics, hospitals, and other similar environments, maintaining the health and safety of all patients, employees, and guests is paramount and sometimes more challenging than it is in other places. As such, there are numerous cleaning guidelines for healthcare facilities that must be followed. Floor maintenance is an essential aspect of these cleaning protocols as floors can harbor numerous germs and other contaminants that may put those inside at greater risk of disease.

With that in mind, let’s go over the best flooring maintenance options for keeping hospitals safe and clean.

Choosing the Right Floors for the Job

Before discussing healthcare cleaning and maintenance strategies, it’s important to note that different types of floors are better suited for different areas of a hospital -- and different kinds of floors will require different kinds of maintenance. Still, all hospital floors should prioritize similar features: slip-resistance, strength, sanitation, noise absorption, flexibility, visibility, and pleasant appearances. Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a common choice for hospital entrances, corridors, and clinical rooms for its durability, cleanability, and aesthetic benefits. Sheet tile, linoleum, rubber, and bio-based tile (BBT) are other strong choices for various areas of a hospital. Porous materials like wood or bare concrete are not recommended for hospital flooring as these surfaces are more difficult to maintain overall. Flooring experts with experience in medical settings can provide more information on choosing the best floors for different rooms.

Selecting the Proper Frequency of Floor Maintenance

In large, complex facilities such as hospitals, a task like floor maintenance must be thoroughly prioritized based on key factors. Otherwise, it won't be easy to keep every area safe and clean with any consistency. Maintenance programs can be divided into four basic categories from the most to least frequent: regular/routine, periodic, interim, and restorative.

When it comes to cleaning hospital rooms, entrances, lobbies, and other high-use areas, floors should receive attention on a regular basis (i.e. at least daily) via sweeping, mopping, and disinfecting as necessary. Periodic floor maintenance involves more substantial cleaning efforts, such as buffing, burnishing, and scrubbing -- these tasks may also be completed daily in the highest traffic areas like entrances and exits, but somewhat less frequently (i.e. once or twice weekly) in other areas. As for interim maintenance, this process consists of scrubbing and recoating floors at longer intervals or on an as-needed basis to thoroughly remove contaminants embedded into the floor’s topcoat over time. And finally, restorative maintenance is the last resort measure that must occur when a floor’s finish has deteriorated and new coatings must be applied.

Using the Right Materials and Methods for Floor Maintenance

Once you’ve established an optimized floor maintenance schedule based on your facility’s needs, you must gather the right materials for your various types of hospital flooring and employ the proper methods for keeping each type of floor clean and sanitary. The products and process you use to clean carpeting, for instance, will differ from those you use to maintain your LVT floors. Professional healthcare cleaning services can provide the best EPA-approved chemicals for the task at hand (such as quaternary ammonium, meant for hard surfaces), as well as the best equipment for various floor maintenance duties (i.e. scrubbing, buffing, burnishing, recoating, etc.).

Seeking Professional Recommendations and Help

Indeed, the best way to cover all your bases when it comes to hospital flooring maintenance is to partner with experienced commercial floor cleaning services who can deliver the information and resources your facility requires. Here at The Budd Group, our floor cleaning experts stay up to date on the many cleaning standards in healthcare to ensure that our clients remain compliant with all regulations and to keep their people as safe and healthy as possible day in and day out. To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!