O’Neill Healthcare

Opportunity

Founded in 1962, O’Neill Healthcare operates five care facilities across Cleveland’s west side, offering varying levels of support from independent living to Alzheimer’s care to outpatient services. To create a home-like feel for residents, many areas throughout the buildings are carpeted including resident rooms, dining areas, and hallways.

Long-term care carpet faces a demanding range of stains and odors that are difficult to fully remove and that can return after cleaning if the right method is not used. Carpet replacement would have been not only costly but disruptive for residents and 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.”

Solution

O'Neill Healthcare turned to Whittaker to help revive the appearance of its carpet. Whittaker came to O'Neill's Lakewood facility to demonstrate how the Smart Care® TRIO removes set-in stains and keeps them from returning after the carpet dries.

“We were impressed with how thoroughly the Whittaker machine removed the set-in stains and kept them from reappearing once the carpet dried,” said Jacobs.

O’Neill Healthcare purchased five Whittaker Smart Care® TRIO 20” systems for interim maintenance across every facility. Three counter-rotating brushes lift the carpet pile and agitate CRYSTAL® Chemistry deep into the fiber, removing soils that accumulate both on the surface and within the carpet.

In addition to the machines, O’Neill Healthcare relies on Whittaker’s full CRYSTAL® Chemistry range to address the specific stain types common in long-term care environments: CRYSTAL SPOTTER® as the first line of defense on the new spot, CRYSTAL DRY® EXTRA for routine maintenance, CRYSTAL® QUICK RESTORE for deeper cleaning, CRYSTAL® RED STAIN for coffee and food dye stains, CRYSTAL® OIL & GREASE, CRYSTAL® ORGANIC STAIN for urine and other organic stains, and CRYSTAL® SALT REMOVER during winter months.

Results

Improved carpet appearance

Transitioning to an interim maintenance program keeps carpet consistently clean across all five facilities. O'Neill's teams can now address bodily fluid stains, food stains, salt stains, and odors effectively. Because encapsulation chemistry crystallizes soil as it dries and releases it during vacuuming, stains no longer return after the carpet has been cleaned.

Improved employee satisfaction

Staff find the Smart Care® TRIO significantly easier to use than the extraction equipment it supplemented. The lightweight, ergonomic design allows employees to complete carpet care tasks more efficiently, freeing time for other essential duties throughout the facilities.

Less disruptive cleaning

Previously, with near-constant foot traffic throughout the facilities, it was difficult to keep residents and staff off wet carpet long enough for it to dry. O'Neill even attempted a nighttime cleaning schedule but still encountered issues. The Smart Care® system uses significantly less water and carpets dry in 30 minutes, allowing cleaning to happen during the day without disrupting residents or creating slip hazards.

Cost savings

By restoring carpet to a stain-free appearance consistently over time, the Whittaker system helped O'Neill avoid costly carpet replacement across all five facilities.

"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."

— Jason Jacobs, Director of Ancillary Services, O'Neill Healthcare