You can probably think of a few items in your home that you hate cleaning. You might even feel bad about using those items because you know how annoying they are to clean. However, many of these products are necessities, so we can’t avoid them. Medical carts could easily fall into this category because they have to maintain their sterility, but you can avoid provoking negative feelings about your product by designing your medical carts for cleanablity. To help you accomplish this we’ve put together some ways to ensure your medical carts are easy to clean.
Seamless
Dirt and germs thrive in seams and joints. We don’t generally give too much thought about cleaning the crevices in our faucets, but if you’ve ever taken the time, you’d know how much buildup collects in that tiny space. Moreover, it’s time-consuming to find a tool that will adequately scour the area. Obviously, a medical cart, especially one used primarily in a sterile environment, needs to be easy and quick to clean to avoid compromising the sterility of the room. Therefore, carts with fewer seams will have an enhanced sense of cleanability because it provides a smooth surface.
Rounded Corners
Similar to seams, the inside of a sharp corner has a tendency to collect everything. It’s easy to clean a drawer without thinking twice about what’s getting caught in the corners. In addition to cleanability, the rounded corner will also enhance your medical cart’s aesthetics. In some cases, cutting out the corners entirely is just as effective, as shown in the picture above.
Overhang
Some medical cart design options are great for controlling how surfaces handle contact with fluids. If you’ve ever spilt water or juice on the counter, you know the liquid doesn’t just fall to the floor. It travels down the side, under the cabinet doors and into drawers. Medical cart surfaces with some sort of overhang will allow the fluids to shed off the top as opposed to running down the sides.
Features
Medical cart features such as wire baskets along with anything covered with a porous material will hinder your cart’s cleanability. Wire baskets have small joints and corners that are tedious to clean and difficult to keep clean. Medical carts with porous materials, for example foam covers over the handles, easily absorb liquids. The foam can also become a problem when there is a tear in the material because it gets difficult to clean those newly developed cracks and gaps.
Cart Materials and Paint
It’s important to make sure the materials and paint you choose will withstand any cleaning process the cart will go through. The setting the cart is used in often determines how the cart gets cleaned. Many facilities use bleach wipes or other manual wipe down products. However, some may run their carts through a cart washer. Knowing ahead of time how the end users will be cleaning your cart helps us determine the right material choices for the cart design.
At HUI, we’ve gained our knowledge about designing medical carts for cleanability through our 16 years of experience developing and building medical carts. We’ve learned what to look out for because we’ve seen what works well for our customers. That’s why we know you want your end user to have a pleasant experience with your cart from start to finish. Even when it comes to cleaning, so keep this advice top of mind next time you want to design a cart that people will love.
If you have additional questions about designing medical carts for cleanability, please comment below. If you need help designing a cart that’s easy to clean, please contact us today!
