Our standard
What clean means here, step by step.
Our process follows the manufacturer’s written cleaning instructions for this system. Every step is recorded against the unit’s ID, and no unit leaves without a seal.
Our claim, word for word
“Cleaned, hospital-grade disinfected, and sealed to maintain cleanliness until point of use.”
Why we say disinfected
The right level for what a mattress touches
Infection prevention teams sort equipment by what it touches, using the Spaulding classification. A mattress touches intact skin only, which makes it non-critical equipment.
The accepted standard for non-critical equipment is low- to intermediate-level disinfection. That is the standard we meet and record, and it is the only word we use to describe our work.
The five stages
Between two patients, in detail
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01 / 05
Returned
A soiled unit goes into a sealed inner bag at the bedside, then into a carrier used only for returns. It never crosses a corridor uncovered.
In our van, returns ride behind a divider, apart from clean stock. At our facility the unit enters the intake area first and is photographed before anything else is done to it.
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02 / 05
Disinfected
Technicians work in gloves, gown, and eye protection. They pre-clean every surface with a neutral detergent and rinse it, because detergent residue can weaken a disinfectant.
They then apply Opti-Cide3, an EPA-registered disinfectant named in Blue Chip’s cleaning instructions for this cover fabric, and keep the surface wet for its full labeled contact time. The cover stays zipped during routine cleaning, as the manufacturer directs.
When your infection prevention team flags a case, such as C. difficile, we use the agent they specify.
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03 / 05
Function-tested
The unit dries completely before testing. We never seal a damp unit.
Then it goes through the 21-point function test below, across pump, mattress, and cover. A unit that fails any check does not ship. It goes to repair or leaves the fleet.
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04 / 05
Sealed
The unit is sealed in a wrap, and a Ready Seal card is fixed across the opening so that opening the wrap breaks the card. The technician fills in the card by hand, and we photograph it for the unit’s record.
If a seal is broken for any reason before delivery, the unit goes back to intake and repeats the full cycle.
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05 / 05
Delivered
We set the unit up on your frame, confirm it works, and show your staff how to operate it. Nursing sets the therapy. See the bedside steps.
Our facility
One direction, never backward
Units move through our facility in one direction. The area that holds sealed units is physically separated from intake, and a unit whose seal breaks goes back to the start.
- AREA 1Intake
- AREA 2Clean and disinfect
- AREA 3Dry and test
- AREA 4Sealed and ready
- AREA 5Staging
Function test
The 21 checks
Run when a unit first arrives from the manufacturer, after every cleaning, and before every delivery. Every result is recorded with the technician’s initials.
Pump 11 checks
- 01Power cord and plug undamaged
- 02Powers on, display fully lit
- 03Every mode button responds
- 04Comfort setting adjusts across the full range
- 05Bariatric mode engages
- 06Panel lock-out works
- 07Low-pressure alarm triggers when the hose is disconnected
- 08Power-failure alarm sounds when unplugged in operation
- 09Service indicator clear
- 10Housing and keypad intact
- 11Air filter clean or replaced
Mattress 6 checks
- 12Hose connects securely, no hiss
- 13Inflates fully within the manufacturer’s time
- 14Holds pressure for 15 minutes with no dropThe critical check
- 15Every cell inflates, checked by hand
- 16CPR release works and reseals
- 17No audible leaks in a quiet room
Cover 4 checks
- 18No tears, holes, or worn spots
- 19Zipper runs the full length, both directions
- 20No staining or odor
- 21Fluid barrier intact
The Ready Seal card
Proof you can hold
Every sealed unit carries a card listing each step, the disinfectant and contact time, the function-test result, the date, and the technician’s initials.
The card is filled in by hand, in pen, by the person who did the work. If the card is intact, the unit is ready. If it’s broken, call us and we’ll replace the unit.
- Pre-cleaned and rinsed
- Disinfected Opti-Cide3, 2 min
- Hose and connectors cleaned
- Dried completely
- Function test passed 21/21
- Filter checked
- Sealed
Cleaned, hospital-grade disinfected, and sealed to maintain cleanliness until point of use.
Records
If it isn’t logged, it didn’t happen
Each unit carries an ID label linked to its record. Ask for any unit’s history and we’ll produce it.
| Event | What we record | When |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Serial numbers, condition, photographs | When a new unit enters the fleet |
| Cleaning | Date, technician, disinfectant, contact time observed | Every return |
| Function test | All 21 results, pass or fail, technician | After every cleaning and before every delivery |
| Delivery and pickup | Unit, facility, floor, time, who received it | Every trip |
| Request | Time made, time answered, time resolved | Every call or report |
| Repair | Component, cost, time out of service, outcome | Every repair |
Fleet policy
How we keep equipment current
Replaced on schedule
Each unit leaves our fleet at a fixed age, whatever its condition. We set aside the replacement budget before we take any profit, so the schedule doesn’t slip when business is good.
Repaired by arithmetic
When a unit needs repair, we compare the full cost of repairing it with the value left in it. When the two are close, we replace.
repair only if R + D < P × (L − a) / L
R repair cost · D cost of downtime · P replacement price · L retirement age · a unit’s age
If something goes wrong
We preserve the evidence
If one of our units is ever involved in a patient safety event, we preserve it exactly as it was returned, uncleaned and unrepaired, so it can be examined.
We notify your risk management team and provide the unit’s complete cleaning, testing, and delivery history.
Tell us what your floors need.
Sizes, quantities, and how you’d like requests to reach us. We’ll set up the service around your process.