Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is rated as one of the best hospitals in the United States. On a recent tour for cleaning professionals, it was noted that carpeting was installed throughout the facility. Even a large shopping complex in the hospital was carpeted wall to wall. But don’t carpets take more time and money to maintain than hard-surface floors? Doesn’t carpeting trigger respiratory problems?

Apparently, the answer is no on both counts. Regarding costs and time, an IICRC study found:

Hard-surface floors take two and a half times longer to clean than carpeted floors.

Cleaning supplies are approximately seven times more expensive for hard surface floors.

Although up-front installation costs may be higher for carpeting, over its lifetime carpeting is cost effective due to its reduced maintenance costs.

And as to respiratory problems, studies by the Swedish Institute of Fiber and Polymer Research and the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) confirm that where carpets are installed there are fewer, not more, respiratory problems.

However, medical facilities may have special carpet care needs when compared to other locations—not so much because they are medical facilities, although that is a factor, but because they are busy, open 24/7.

However, according to Stephen Hanig, vice president of Sales and Marketing for both U.S. Products and HydraMaster, the implementation of an effective carpet maintenance program can address most of these issues.

Carpet Maintenance: The Fundamentals

Hospital managers should work with carpet care experts, distributors, carpet manufacturers, and cleaning crews to develop a formal carpet maintenance program. This means the program is written down (formalized) and covers what maintenance is needed, when and how often, and by whom. It must also include scheduling, indicating the best times to clean certain carpeted areas using hot-water-extraction methods and how long these areas can be blocked off for safety and proper drying.

The carpet maintenance program should also include the following items, says Hanig:

Exterior maintenance: The proper upkeep of the medical facility’s sidewalks, building entries, parking lots, and other outdoor areas plays a significant role in how well carpets are maintained.

High-performance matting systems: These should be placed at all building entries to “hide and hold” soil and contaminants.

Sectioned-out vacuuming: Vacuuming is the most important step in a carpet maintenance program. However, scheduling is necessary. Frequently referred to as “sectioning out” the carpeted areas of a facility, this facilitates proper work loading, allowing more time and effort to be placed on the busiest areas of the facility and less where not needed.

Carpet spotting: Carpet spotting is essential to keeping carpets clean and healthy. Spots, stains, and spills should be cleaned as soon as possible, which makes them easier to remove. For liquid spills and stains, first try to determine what the stain is; this can affect what type of spotting product is necessary to remove the stain.

Spots and stains are always easiest to remove when they are relatively fresh. In light of this, Dartmouth-Hitchcock has an OOPS (6677) Hotline posted at major phone banks throughout the facility. Calling the OOPS line right away allows housekeeping personnel to attend to spots quickly, making spot- and stain-removal procedures more effective.

Proper carpet extraction equipment: Portable hot-water extractors are often used in hospital facilities. Select extractors that are Gold certified by CRI, the highest rating in the Seal of Approval program for independently tested, proven cleaning performance.

Special Needs of Medical Facilities

According to Hanig, one special need of medical facilities is carpet extractors that heat the cleaning solution/water to more than 200º F for more thorough cleaning. “Heat improves the effectiveness of cleaning chemicals so that they can better remove soils and contaminants deeply embedded in carpet fibers,” he says.

Additionally, Hanig recommends the use of low-moisture carpet extractors. These extractors have powerful vacuum systems and use less than a gallon of water per minute during the extraction process. Carpets should dry within two hours. This minimizes the amount of time an area must be blocked off, a pressing issue in a medical facility.

Finally, don’t underestimate how important worker training is to properly maintain carpets, especially in a hospital or similar facility.