Tennant Company and IPC are redefining healthcare hygiene with integrated mechanised cleaning solutions that combine infection prevention, specialised sanitisation technologies and intelligent automation, helping healthcare facilities create cleaner, safer and more sustainable care environments.

Healthcare cleanliness today extends far beyond spotless floors and polished corridors. Every surface, touchpoint and patient-care area has the potential to influence infection risks, making scientific cleaning practices an essential component of clinical care. Recognising this shift, Tennant Company and IPC have developed a comprehensive portfolio of mechanised cleaning solutions that support infection prevention while improving operational efficiency across healthcare facilities.

Following Tennant Company’s acquisition of IPC (Integrated Professional Cleaning), the combined organisation offers an extensive range of equipment designed specifically for hospitals, diagnostic centres and healthcare institutions, enabling facility managers to match the right technology with every cleaning requirement.

Complete Coverage

Healthcare facilities require different cleaning approaches for different environments. Outdoor areas, entrances, parking spaces and ambulance bays demand powerful sweepers and high-pressure washers capable of handling heavy soil before contaminants enter the building.

Inside the facility, reception areas, waiting lounges and corridors experience constant footfall. Walk-behind scrubber driers, single-disc scrubbers and professional vacuum cleaners help maintain these high-traffic zones while improving productivity
and consistency.

Risk-Based Cleaning

Patient-care areas require cleaning protocols based on clinical risk rather than appearance alone. During routine occupancy, cleaning must be thorough yet minimally disruptive. During infectious outbreaks, however, environmental cleaning becomes significantly more intensive, requiring daily disinfection, terminal cleaning and strict measures to prevent cross-contamination.

After the discharge of infected patients, rooms require comprehensive decontamination involving top-to-bottom cleaning, disinfection of furniture, fixtures, air ducts and equipment, followed by fogging specifically wherever infection-control protocols demand it. Rooms vacated by non-infected patients undergo hospitality-style cleaning and sanitisation before the next admission.

Washroom Hygiene

Washrooms remain among the highest-risk areas for microbial contamination, making their maintenance central to infection prevention programmes. Evelyn by Santoemma provides specialised washroom hygiene solutions designed to deliver superior cleanliness while reducing manual effort.

Equally important are steam cleaners operating at pressures above 7 bar, helping deep sanitisation without excessive dependence on chemicals. Their applications extend well beyond washrooms to laundry sorting areas, lifts, reception and lobby spaces, and operation theatres, where high-temperature steam effectively reaches difficult surfaces while supporting stringent hygiene standards.

Infection Control

For infection control departments, environmental hygiene has become an evidence-based discipline rather than a housekeeping function. Cleaning protocols now support surveillance programmes by ensuring that high-touch surfaces receive consistent, validated cleaning throughout the facility.

Mechanised equipment enables standardised cleaning processes, while specialised steam systems help reduce microbial contamination in critical clinical environments. Together, these technologies strengthen infection prevention strategies aimed at reducing healthcare-associated infections and protecting patients, healthcare workers and visitors alike.

Technology Edge

Healthcare cleaning is also entering a new era of automation. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are beginning to transform routine floor cleaning by delivering consistent, repeatable performance with minimal human intervention.

These robotic systems navigate independently, optimise cleaning routes, capture operational data and improve productivity without compromising quality. Their ability to work during off-peak hours also allows hospitals to maintain cleanliness with minimal disruption to patient care.

Rather than replacing housekeeping personnel, AMRs enable staff to concentrate on specialised cleaning tasks that require judgement and clinical understanding, thereby improving the overall efficiency of environmental services.

Service Support

Technology alone cannot guarantee better outcomes. Tennant Company and IPC complement their equipment portfolio with operator training, technical assistance, preventive maintenance, logistics support and customised solutions designed around customer requirements. This integrated approach helps healthcare facilities maximise equipment performance while extending asset life and maintaining consistent cleaning standards.

Innovation Focus

Continuous research and product development remain central to the company’s strategy. By combining mechanised cleaning, advanced steam technology, specialised washroom hygiene systems and intelligent robotics, Tennant Company and IPC continue to expand solutions that address evolving infection-control challenges across healthcare environments.

Future Ready

As healthcare infrastructure grows and infection prevention expectations continue to rise, cleaning technologies must deliver measurable improvements in safety, efficiency and sustainability. From high-pressure washing systems and scrubber driers to washroom solutions, 7 bar steam cleaning technology and emerging AMR-based automation, Tennant Company and IPC offer an integrated approach that supports safer healthcare environments through science-driven hygiene rather than appearance alone.

Highlights

1. Healthcare hygiene is now central to infection prevention, not just housekeeping.

2. Mechanised cleaning improves consistency, productivity and compliance across healthcare facilities.

3. Risk-based cleaning protocols should vary for occupied rooms, outbreaks and post-discharge sanitisation.

4. Washroom hygiene demands specialised solutions such as Evelyn by Santoemma.

5. Steam cleaners operating above 7 bar could enable superior sanitisation for laundry sorting, lifts, reception areas and operation theatres.

6. Environmental cleaning is a critical partner of the Infection Control Department in reducing HAIs.

7. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) enable consistent, data-driven cleaning with minimal disruption.

8. Training, service support and customised equipment maximise long-term cleaning performance.

9. Integrated technologies help healthcare facilities become safer, smarter and more sustainable.