Furniture Solutions in the Age of COVID-19 [Healthcare options move to the front]

COVID-19 put the challenge of combining safe and stylish furniture at the forefront. Furniture in hospitals and other healthcare settings undergo demanding use and repetitive cleaning. Now more than ever, healthcare furnishings need to be easily disinfected, while also durable enough to withstand multiple sanitation routines. With its newly launched Healthcare Collection, Beaufurn has products and furnishings for all high-use areas immediately available that are easily maintained, cleaned, and antimicrobial.

The Healthcare Collection combines safety features with stylish European design for attractive, safe settings, all finished and upholstered domestically for ease of distribution.

Easy-To-Clean Furniture

With health and safety top of mind, furniture must be designed to meet the quality standards and requirements for today’s health and continuing care communities. The Healthcare Collection includes seating made with antimicrobial, iClean™ fabrics, and tables made with materials that help deter the spread of pathogens.  Bleachable fabrics and brilliantly color materials, some rated to withstand more than a million double rubs, in all our healthcare seating allow for repetitive sanitizing to deter stains and microbes.

Beaufurn also offers the fabric manufacturer, Ultrafabrics Dwell and Brisa in the standard furniture collection. Designers can trust Ultrafabrics on furnishings for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, physicians’ and dental offices because of a proprietary technology that combines stain protection, moisture repellency, hydrolysis resistance, and comfort. 

Cleaners and disinfectants recommended by the CDC to combat viruses like COVID-19 have been tested on Ultrafabrics materials with no adverse effects when cleaning guidelines are followed. Ultrafabrics has been at the forefront of incorporating healthcare needs into its textiles and was the first coated fabric over 20 years ago to promote its ability to be cleaned with a 1:5 bleach/water solution. 

In addition to antimicrobial surfaces, adjustable and removable seats allow for easy cleaning. Staff in health and continuing care settings can efficiently de-sanitize this furniture, without your healthcare setting having to sacrifice comfort and good design.

Durable, Effective Barriers

Beaufurn is committed to providing high-use furniture that is durable and safe. Many of the fabrics used in the Healthcare Collection are finished with protective coatings, such as Silverguard, Permablok, and Morcare. These create effective barriers against abrasions and stains, which can harbor harmful germs. Moreover, our vinyl-coated fabrics are impermeable to moisture. When properly cleaned, they can reduce the risk of microorganisms transferring from one person to another.

The healthcare line also includes PVC and polyester options coated with Shield Plus, a barrier that’s durable, inhibits bacteria, and is effective against a broad spectrum of microbes.

Not only are our cushions made of protective textiles that are easily cleaned, but our proprietary wood finishes and topcoats rated a 5 out of 5 on longevity testing by an independent chemical company for use of sanitizing products. We use water-based wood finishes designed specifically to meet cleaning and health standards.

These features in healthcare furnishings will go beyond the hospital and senior living facility settings.

• Bleachable, antimicrobial fabrics
• Durable, water-based finishes
• Removable cushions for easy, quick, repetitive sanitation

Post-COVID lifestyles will likely demand spaces that are designed using easily sanitized furniture arranged to allow increased safe seating. You’ll see what is known now as typically healthcare furniture also showing up in design for education, hospitality, and work venues.

Beyond the trends in furnishings, expect an increased focus on the installation of robust air infiltration/air purification systems, use of see-through barriers, extended height barriers between cubicles, and a continuing increase in the opportunity for remote work.

Schedule a call to learn more about the Beaufurn Healthcare Collection.