How much labor can corridor refinishing save?

The documented main hallway project went from up to 80 man-hours to as little as three man-hours, an 84 percent reduction on that procedure. Your campus geometry and finish system will move the number up or down.

What about chemical odors and patient sensitivity?

The case study reports about 77 percent less stripper solution than previous methods, which reduced high pH exposure, odors, and related complaints. That matters on occupied floors where EVS works around clinical traffic.

Can Service Robot Co. run a hospital scrubber pilot?

Yes. We are vendor neutral, offer site assessment and financing options, and support autonomous and conventional scrubbers. Start with one corridor or patient wing, measure labor and closure time, then expand with nationwide service behind the fleet.

a community hospital in New England where contracted EVS teams strip and recoat corridors

How a Community Hospital Cut Floor-Finish Removal Labor 84% With Scrubbers

Q: Do autoscrubbers replace all manual stripping in hospitals?

In this case they replaced the dominant finish removal method for corridors, lobbies, and patient rooms after a successful room pilot. Edges and detail work may still need human attention. Map each space before you promise a single machine type everywhere.

A New England hospital EVS team used high-pressure autoscrubbers to strip corridors faster, cutting hallway finish labor about 84% and using 77% less stripper chemistry.

84%
labor cut: 80→3 hr
hallway strip: 77%
less stripper: <15 min
patient room

Based on a documented real-world deployment. Figures are from public reporting; the organization is not named.

A bright hospital corridor where environmental services teams maintain finished floors. — Photo: Manuel Nielsen

Slow, chemical-heavy floor refinishing

Contracted environmental services leaders needed a faster way to remove floor finish in patient rooms and public corridors without closing wings for days. Manual stripping took about 60 minutes in a typical patient room and tied up large crews on main hallways.

Chemistry-heavy processes raised odor complaints, sensitivity concerns, and downtime that interrupted staff and visitors. The hospital wanted less labor, fewer chemicals, and smoother floors without sacrificing infection-control discipline.

Remove finish in patient rooms in well under an hour
Cut crew hours on long corridor refinishing cycles
Reduce stripper use and related air quality issues

Pilot rooms, then scale to main corridors

After seeing a high-pressure autoscrubber demonstrated at an industry trade show, the EVS director tested it in a patient room. Finish came off in under 15 minutes with a smoother surface than prior methods.

The team adopted the machines for corridors, lobbies, and additional patient rooms. Operators followed a mechanical removal workflow that relied on machine pressure rather than soaking floors in high pH stripper.

Time a patient room strip against the legacy 60 minute baseline
Approve the method for corridors and the main lobby
Train crews on machine passes that limit chemical stripper volume
Track closed-area time and odor complaints as adoption widened

A hospital patient room where finish removal was timed against a 60 minute manual baseline. — Photo: RDNE Stock project

Documented labor and chemistry savings

Cleaning staff equipment in a long hallway, illustrating EVS labor before mechanized finish removal. — Photo: Thomas balabaud

Patient room finish removal fell from about 60 minutes to under 15 minutes in the pilot. On the main floor hallway, a cycle that previously required up to 80 man-hours completed in as little as three man-hours during the first shift.

That hallway project represented an 84 percent labor reduction on the finish removal procedure. Stripper solution use dropped about 77 percent versus prior methods, which eased chemical sensitivity and odor concerns while supporting greener cleaning goals.

What hospital EVS leaders can borrow

Acute and community hospitals often own the infection story but lose weekends to floor refinishing labor. Service Robot Co. is an OEM-neutral integrator for commercial scrubbers, including autonomous and operator-driven units that attack the same labor sink.

We help you compare machines, finance purchase or robot rental monthly programs, map corridors and patient rooms, train EVS supervisors, and service units nationwide. A single partner matters when one successful hallway pilot is the proof you need to standardize scrubbing across the campus.

Frequently asked questions