An effective cleaning routine is critical for hospital hygiene

Daniel Took, head of product at Kärcher Professional Products, discusses how to ensure year-round cleanliness within the healthcare sector.

MAINTAINING hygiene in hospitals and healthcare facilities is a critical step in the safe operation and management of these establishments. Wards, surgery rooms and treatment rooms must be disinfected between each patient, necessitating immediate, consistent and repetitive cleaning.

Intermediate cleaning ensures that the facilities are constantly maintained to a high standard, making less frequent, intense cleans even more efficient when required. To achieve this the PDIR (Preventative, Daily, Interim and Restorative cleaning and maintenance) cleaning process is an ideal practice for facilities managers.

Preventative cleaning Preventative cleaning focuses on stopping the dirt from outside making its way into corridors, entrances and common walkways. This can reduce the build-up of dirt inside by two thirds. For paths and courtyards with entries into the facility, Kärcher’s walk-behind vacuum sweepers are perfect to target dirt from the source, sweeping through up to 300m 2 with limited dust development.

If dirt does enter the facility, it is essential that the floors are protected, particularly those that are frequently walked on. Kärcher’s FloorPro Wipe Care RM 780 is a powerful cleaning agent for water-resistant floors, offering surface protection to make them more hardwearing.

Daily maintenance cleaning Floorcare maintenance is key to ensuring that the surface remains safe for users. For daily cleaning to extend service life, Kärcher’s compact scrubber dryer range thoroughly removes loosened dirt in a single pass leaving surfaces instantly dry, clean and safe to prevent trips and falls. The walk-behind scrubber dryers are easy to manoeuvre in heavily furnished and highly frequented areas and can be paired with Kärcher’s environmentally friendly FloorPro Multi Cleaner RM 756 to remove the most stubborn grease and mineral stains.

Intermediate cleaning Maintenance cleaning is key for keeping things in order but intermediate cleaning is always required and can save time and costs when it comes to deep cleaning. It is vital to select the right method to minimise disruption to patients and staff and to prevent down-time. For example, using excess water to clean the floors will put them out of access for long periods. Orbital and cylindrical scrubbers are ideal for scrubbing hard floors to remove dirt from the surface without the area being left soaked and inaccessible as a result.

Restoring the original condition Surfaces can become damaged due to the movement of people, operating equipment and wheeling beds. To restore the floor it can need to be stripped and recoated with a new protective layer. Kärcher’s FloorPro Intensive Deep Cleaner RM 752 is an effective solution that can be used in conjunction with its scrubber dryers to powerfully remove care films, wax and polymer coatings, dirt and grease, allowing facilities mangers to recoat the flooring to return it to a ‘like new’ state.

When paired with the PDIR cleaning process, the Kärcher system offers innovative cleaning solutions that improve the overall cleanliness and maintenance of healthcare and hospital facilities.

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