Hospitals must be clean. However, it’s important to consider the safety of patients and staff when cleaning hospital floors. It’s also important to prevent disruptions in care. That’s why TouchPoint Support Services, a member of Compass Group, uses AutoVac Stretch™ from Kaivac to clean hard surface floors at Ascension Mercy Hospital in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The move to AutoVac Stretch has been a “gamechanger,” in the hospital, according to Chris Guido, Systems Director for TouchPoint.

“I’ve received feedback that the floors are much cleaner since using Kaivac,” Guido says. “That’s important in a hospital. Of course, clean floors are safer, but image is also important. When people walk into a hospital, they always look down. They feel better when they see a clean building.”

They use AutoVac Stretch for daily cleaning of hard surface floors throughout the 500,000 square foot hospital. That includes VCT flooring in the hallways, Teknoflor in specialized care areas, and vinyl flooring in some of the older areas of the hospital.

“That versatility is big. It helps us clean more floors in less time because we don’t have to change up our process between different locations in the building,” he says. “However, we always get the same results.”

Cleaner Hospital Floors in Less Time

Previously, the team at TouchPoint cleaned the hospital’s hallways with a dust mop followed by an autoscrubber. This took more time, was disruptive to foot traffic, and was not as effective, because it limited the frequency of cleaning each respective floor.  

With its filtered water and chemical recycling function, AutoVac Stretch removes more than 98% of targeted soils from 25,000 square feet in a single fill. That range means fewer trips to the janitor’s closet to dump and refill. Along with the ease of use and maneuverability, Guido says this saves his team about an hour each day, which can be used to clean other areas. That adds up to significant labor savings.

“We’re getting to floors five times per week or more, where we used to clean maybe three times per week,” he says. “Plus, now we can clean all the way to the baseboards where we couldn’t reach with an autoscrubber. We can clean all areas with more frequency and the difference is noticeable. Keeping on it every day makes it easier to keep the floors clean.”

The powerful vacuum on the AutoVac Stretch leaves floors instantly dry, Guido points out. This results in less downtime in high-traffic areas and increased safety for hospital staff and guests. 

A Way to Quickly (and Quietly) Clean Specialized Care Areas 

The AutoVac Stretch also increased access to specialized patient care areas. For example, Guido says they used to need 20 minutes to clean the floors in the cardiac rehab area. After that they would have to wait for the floors to dry before it was safe for patients and staff to enter. The long process limited the number of clinical areas cleaned each morning.

“Now we can get in and out in 10 minutes and the floors are clean and dry,” Guido says. “We can clean specialty areas more often, and we’re hearing positive comments from the staff on the condition of the floors. We know we are making an impact.”

The birthing center poses one of the biggest cleaning challenges for TouchPoint. Some cleaning methods are too disruptive for patients in this area, who need the quiet rest when they can get it. However, AutoVac Stretch runs quietly and is easy to maneuver, which means they can quickly clean the area with less disruption.

“They really didn’t like us going in there with an autoscrubber,” Guido says. “Now we can get in more often, and we’re out quickly without any complaints.”  

Satisfied Customers and Satisfied Employees

The transition to cleaning the hospital floors with AutoVac Stretch was easy, according to Guido. His employee watched a couple videos on the KaiTutor onboard video trainer and was up and running within a couple days.

“He loves it,” Guido says. “He tells me it was really easy to learn, easy to use and, just as important, it’s easy to maintain. This machine is one of the best investments I’ve ever made.”