O’Neill Healthcare Creates Welcoming Long-Term Care Facilities with Whittaker’s Carpet Cleaning Systems

Opportunity

Founded in 1962, O’Neill Healthcare operates five care facilities across Cleveland’s west side. The facilities offer varying levels of support, from Independent Living to Alzheimers care to outpatient services. O’Neill Healthcare always aims to provide seniors with quality care and a welcoming environment. To create a “home-like” feel, many areas of the buildings are covered in carpet, including resident rooms, dining areas, and hallways.

However, as is common in long-term care facilities, O’Neill Healthcare was occasionally faced with stains that negatively impacted the look of the carpet. These stains and their odors can be especially difficult to remove through hot water extraction, and carpet replacement would have been not only costly but also disruptive for the resident’s staff. “Everyone wants to live and work in a clean environment,” said Jason Jacobs, Director of Ancillary Services, O’Neill Healthcare. “When visitors and prospective residents walk into our facilities, we have one chance to make a first impression. The facility’s appearance is almost as important as providing quality care.”

O’Neill Healthcare

Solution

To help revive the look of its carpet, O’Neill Healthcare turned to the experts at Whittaker, a trusted leader in low-moisture encapsulation cleaning systems. This type of cleaning relies on solutions that encapsulate sticky and unsightly soils in clear polymer crystals, which are then removed through vacuuming.

“Whittaker came to our Lakewood facility to demonstrate how its machines could clean our dining room carpet,” added Jacobs. “We were impressed with how thoroughly the Whittaker machine removed the set-in stains and kept them from reappearing once the carpet dried.”

O’Neill Healthcare purchased five Whittaker Smart Care® TRIO systems for interim maintenance throughout every facility. The machine is designed to lift the carpet pile and agitate the cleaning solution to thoroughly remove soils deep within the carpet and those that accumulate on the top of carpet fibers.

The TRIO is equipped with three counter-rotating brushes for maximum mechanical action and is available in various widths to meet every facility’s size and budget. To enhance operation, the machine has a low-fatigue machine-mounted solution tank and lite-touch control. It also features a collection hopper for debris pick-up and landing gear to protect the brushes when the machine is not running.

In addition to using Whittaker’s 20-inch TRIO machines, O’Neill Healthcare is relying on the company’s comprehensive CRYSTAL® Chemistry range to easily and effectively remove a variety of stains. O’Neill uses CRYSTAL SPOTTER®CRYSTAL DRY® EXTRA, CRYSTAL® QUICK RESTORE, CRYSTAL® RED STAIN, CRYSTAL® OIL & GREASE, CRYSTAL® ODOR & PROTEIN, and CRYSTAL® SALT REMOVER for the winter months.

Results

O’Neill Healthcare realized the following benefits after implementing Whittaker’s low-moisture encapsulation system:

    • Improved carpet appearance: Transitioning to an interim carpet maintenance program allows the carpet to remain consistently clean. The facilities have been able to tackle bodily fluid stains, food stains, and salt stains with ease, as well as odors. Additionally, encapsulation cleaning avoids wicking that can occur with hot water extraction. No longer do stains return after the carpet has dried.
    • Improved employee satisfaction: Employees feel that it’s much easier to use the Whittaker TRIO machines compared to the hot water extraction equipment, which is typically bulky and takes more time to use. The improved productivity allows employees to focus on other key tasks throughout the facilities.
    • Less disruptive cleaning: Previously, hot water extraction resulted in much water being used to clean the carpet. With near-constant foot traffic throughout the facility, it was challenging to keep residents and staff from walking on the carpet as it dried. This sometimes resulted in soil from their shoes transferring onto the freshly cleaned carpet. O’Neill attempted to switch to a nighttime floor cleaning routine but still encountered issues. Whittaker’s low-moisture method uses much less water and allows the carpet to be cleaned during the day and dry within 30 minutes.
    • Cost savings: By restoring the carpet to a stain-free appearance, the Whittaker machines and chemistry helped O’Neill avoid costly carpet replacement.

    “Whittaker goes beyond simply selling machines and chemistry – their experts helped O’Neill revise its carpet maintenance program, highlighted which products to use for specific stains, and ensured we understood how to properly maintain the machines,” said Jacobs.

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