Let’s look at some features that make for the best cleanable healthcare furniture.
It is easy to talk about office furniture. While there are dozens of different styles, options, and manufacturers for each type of office furniture, you’re usually buying based on comfort, looks, ergonomics, and cost when you come down to it. When you’re looking for healthcare furniture for a medical practice, there is an additional feature that you need to be aware of: cleanability. Sure, all furniture needs to be neat because dirty furniture is gross, looks terrible, and no one wants to use it. But healthcare furniture doesn’t just need to be clean. You also need to sanitize it regularly. The factor of cleanability will impact how difficult a piece of furniture is to get cleanability if it genuinely can be clean between patients and how much work and cost there is to make that happen. Let’s look at some features that make for the best cleanable healthcare furniture.
Material Construction
Many furniture constructions rely on particle board substrate with a PVC or vinyl overlay that joins together. In most furniture, there are seams or points of connection where the overlay has a weakness or is completely non-existent. For instance, when constructing furniture, the side where two boards come together does not have any vinyl overlay because that side never shows. Cleaning solution, bacteria, and other matter can slide into the crevice and contaminate the furniture. Likewise, the seams on a single board where the overlay joins at a corner can also allow liquids to seep into the particle board underneath and damage the furniture. To avoid this, choose furniture made from solid surfaces, either metal, acrylic, plastic, or something similar.
Touch-Free Properties
Choose furniture that doesn’t create more touch points and leads to more opportunities to spread germs. This could mean your faucets have sensors, your trashcans open on their own, or your chairs lean back without a lever. Foot-operated hospital beds are another excellent example of how we can limit hand-touching.
Self-Disinfecting
Finally, some surfaces can be made with integrated disinfecting qualities, such as those made from anti-microbial materials or those with integrated UV light disinfecting. These are great, as long as they accompany (not replace) cleaning procedures.
Choose Edwards & Hill for Your Office Furniture and Design Needs
Are you ready to redesign your office to maximize productivity and creative thinking? Edwards & Hill can help you design and install the perfect designs for your business. Edwards & Hill is a leading office, education, medical, and hospitality furniture provider with high-quality design and installation services for any style or scale. We have our headquarters in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, and another convenient office location in St. Louis, Missouri. If you are ready to get your office design started, contact us online or give us a call at 301-317-4250. For the St. Louis office, please call 314-797-5077. For more furniture design tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Flickr, and YouTube.
EDWARDS & HILL WAS RECOGNIZED BY LIVE! CASINO & HOTEL & THE MARYLAND WASHINGTON MINORITY COMPANIES FOR OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY!