Medical carts have to maintain their sterility, but by designing for clean-ability from the start, the effort into maintaing the cleanliness of the cart can be substantially decreased. The key features to look out for are:
Seamless Surfaces
Dirt and germs thrive in seams and joints. Even the top of a screw can hide grime. Moreover, it’s time-consuming to find a tool that will adequately scour any small area on the cart. 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 or adding a lengthy task to medical personnel. 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 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 overhang will allow the fluids to shed off the top as opposed to running down the sides.
Choose the Right Materials and Finish
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.
Avoid Problematic Features
Medical cart features such as wire baskets and anything covered with a porous material will hinder your cart’s cleanability.
- Wire baskets: The interlocking wires create dozens of small joints and corners that are nearly impossible to sanitize thoroughly. If keeping medical carts clean is a priority, solid-shelf alternatives are a much better choice.
- Porous materials: Foam handle covers and similar soft materials easily absorb liquids and bacteria. Over time, even small tears in these materials become difficult-to-clean cracks that undermine your sanitation efforts.
Design for Cleanability from the Start
At HUI, designing and building medical carts with cleanability is a core priority. We've seen firsthand which design choices make it easier for users to clean medical carts day in and day out and which ones create headaches down the line.
Have questions about how to design medical carts that are easy to clean? Contact us today!
