Healthcare Fabrics – Busy Environments Require Hard Working Fabrics

You’ve just made a visit to the doctor and you’ve taken a seat in the waiting room. That seat was occupied by a hundred before you that day. When you sit down in a healthcare lobby or waiting room you aren’t thinking about how hard the fabrics are working on that seat but you should be.

Of course, the primary function of doctor’s offices, emergency medical facilities, and hospitals are to prevent and treat illness. The healthcare staff is there to provide care and comfort to everyone seeking help. The medical office furniture here should raise the level of care. Seating should not only be functional it should also be comfortable and fabrics play a huge role in that area.

There are a number of considerations when selecting the right fabrics for healthcare environments. Combining appropriate hospital furniture materials with the correct cleaning products and protocols reduces the risk of cross-contamination. What fabrics are better? Which are best? Should you choose high-performance fabrics, Crypton fabrics, fabrics with a built-in moisture barrier, fabrics that are bleach cleanable, fabrics that are Sani-wipe approved or all of the above? The fabric selection has to be made based on that works best for your location. The fabrics should be selected bearing in mind the large number of people who will come in contact with the furniture and the speed with which it has to be cleaned. Certain types of fabrics and features should be avoided at all costs. Textured fabrics and fabrics with ridges and added accents like piping and nailhead trim hold on to debris and are generally difficult to clean.

There have been a few upgrades in the healthcare fabric world in recent years. Vinyl fabrics are preferred. And many healthcare designers are looking for fabrics that are puncture-proof. Upgrades that make the selection and maintenance processes simpler:

Crypton is a fabric manufacturing process. When the fabric is made using this technique it offers permanent stain, moisture, mildew, bacteria, and odor-resistant protection. Where heavy soil and moisture are an issue, this product may provide a solution.

Polyurethane upholstery is another answer. These innovative high-performance fabrics mimic the feel and appearance of leather. These fabrics are designed to be extremely durable, stain-resistant and they look luxurious.

Below you will find Kwalu furniture made with our high-performance fabric that works well in any healthcare environment:

Hospital Lounge & Waiting Area Seating

• Prizzi Lounge Chair
• Modena Lounge Chair 
• Emarese Lounge Chair Collection
• Valdina Lounge Chair Collection

Patient Room Seating

• Modena Seating Collection
• Caterina Seating Collection
• Valdina Seating Collection
• Carrara Seating Collection

Treatment Room Seating

• Valentia Seating Collection
• Acute Momentum Trendelenburg
• Caterina Seating Collection
• Valdina Seating Collection

View more of our Healthcare Furniture that can be used in various other areas of a hospital environment.