Hospitals removing plants at night has become an increasingly common practice in recent years. There are a few key reasons why hospitals take this nightly precaution.
Reduce Risk of Falling Plants
One of the main reasons hospitals remove plants at night is to reduce the risk of falling plants that could potentially injure patients or staff. At night, hospitals have reduced lighting and less staff present to monitor and reposition unstable plants. With fewer people around, a top-heavy plant has a higher chance of falling over and hurting someone.
Plants can become top-heavy over time as the plant grows larger and heavier on top while the roots remain in the same size pot. Even plants placed on higher shelves could fall if accidentally bumped after hours. Low light conditions at night also make any unstable plants harder to discern.
By preemptively removing hazardous plants, hospitals eliminate the chance of injury from falling plants in the corridors, rooms, or nurse stations where patients and medical personnel could be harmed by a plant accident when the hospital is understaffed late at night.
Allergy and Infection Risks
In addition to falling hazards, hospitals remove plants at night because of potential allergy and infection risks from keeping plants in patient areas 24/7. While plants can provide a calming ambiance and purity the air during the day, at night they can irritate sensitive patients.
Many plants release more pollen and scents overnight, which could trigger allergic reactions, breathing issues, or asthma symptoms in patients trying to rest. Removing plants prevents allergic patients from being exposed to allergy-aggravating contaminants from plants while the patients sleep.
There is also a minor infection risk from soil-based potted plants. Harmless soil mold and bacteria spores circulating to immunocompromised patients could potentially lead to opportunistic infections. By removing the plants overnight, this reduces the chance of airborne transmission to at-risk patients.
Allow for Cleaning and Maintenance
Taking plants away overnight also gives hospital cleaning staff unfettered access to thoroughly sanitize hospital rooms and corridors without having to work around plants. Plants can make it trickier to fully disinfect some areas blocked by foliage or plant pots.
With plants removed, the cleaning staff can completely empty trash cans, wipe down all chairs and tables, sweep and mop floors, sanitize bathroom surfaces, and carry out other thorough cleaning tasks more efficiently after visitor hours when plants are removed from rooms.
Furthermore, removing plants allows facilities or horticultural staff to provide any needed watering, pruning, rotating, or other plant care overnight so plants are healthy and attractive for patients during the day without interfering with clinical workflows.
Reduce Fire Risk
As an added precaution, removing plants at night eliminates a potential fire source from unattended plants left plugged into outlets to power grow lights or heating pads overnight. With fewer people around, a malfunctioning grow light or heated plant pot has a higher chance of starting an unchecked fire.
Plant grow lights, humidifiers, heating mats, and other electrical plant accessories can overheat or short out over prolonged unattended use. Taking plants off power sources prevents electrical risks that are best avoided when activity is low overnight.
Minimize Noise and Disruption
Hospital patients need ample rest at night to recover. Removing plants during sleep hours minimizes unnecessary nighttime noise and disruptions from watering, pruning, or relocating plants in patient rooms or hallways.
Plant maintenance involves moving heavy pots, clipping branches, spraying water, adjusting grow lights, and other tasks that could intrude on patients’ sleep. By performing these actions only during the day, patients are undisturbed at night.
Plant placement and size can also impact the ability to quietly move medical equipment like IV poles or gurneys around at night when plants are removed from congested spaces.
Allow Hospital Upgrades Overnight
Periodically hospitals need to perform upgrades and maintenance work overnight while patient activity is lower. This may include new construction, rewiring, HVAC repairs, decor upgrades, or deep cleanings.
Removing plants ahead of time provides a clear working area for crews to complete upgrades efficiently with minimal disruptions to patients. Plants can be obstructions for large equipment or impede access to walls, vents, wiring, and ceilings overnight.
Pest Control Management
Removing plants provides increased visibility and access for pest control services to treat any potential insect or rodent issues at night when patients are asleep. With plants present, it is harder to fully inspect for signs of pests.
Pest control staff have an easier time spraying, trapping, or baiting when plants and their soil are cleared out. Plant debris could also harbor problematic pest nests unspotted during daytime hours.
Safety and Security
Hospitals also remove plants at night as an extra safety and security measure. Plants can functionally act as blindspots where contraband items or suspicious individuals could briefly go unnoticed in a crowded hospital lobby or waiting area.
With plants cleared out at night, patrol officers and security cameras have better visibility of the entire room. Additionally, it minimizes places someone could hide themselves or dangerous items when fewer staff are present overnight.
The lack of potted plants also allows security teams to inspect waste bins more easily for any concerning abandoned items within hospital grounds when activity winds down in the evenings.
Create Space for Additional Chairs
Plant relocation at night can make space for extra visitor seating to quietly accommodate large groups and families staying late. In waiting rooms or patient lounges, facilities teams take advantage of the extra space at night to temporarily bring in chairs from other departments as needed when plants are removed.
The seating can then be removed early in the morning when typical seating meets daytime demands and plants can be returned to their original placements.
Avoid Overwatering Plants
Removing plants also minimizes the risk of plants becoming overwatered by multiple well-intentioned visitors and staff throughout the day. Plants left in place 24/7 have a higher chance of being overwatered by multiple people assuming the plants need watering.
With fewer people around at night, plants avoid getting watered too frequently when taken to plant holding rooms. Facilities staff can then better regulate proper watering based on actual soil dryness instead of unpredictable human behavior.
Make Room for Larger Medical Equipment
Some procedures like MRIs or CT Scans require larger wheeled imaging equipment to be brought bedside for overnight patient testing. Eliminating plants at night creates the temporary space needed to maneuver sizeable imaging machines down tight hallways and into patient rooms.
Daytime hospital traffic flows are planned with plants in mind. At night, special large equipment can be wheeled to patient bedsides much easier when plants are not limiting tight routes.
Simplify Nighttime Wayfinding
Removing plants can also improve nighttime wayfinding for minimal staff and visitors navigating hospitals after-hours. Plants can inadvertently become visual barriers or distractions from signs and directional indicators without as many people around.
Cleared corridors make critical signs easier to spot for those unfamiliar with the space trying to find certain departments at night when most plants are stowed away in one designated holding room per patient floor.
Conclusion
Hospitals removing plants at night is often strictly an after-hours precautionary measure to optimize patient safety and hospital functionality when activity is lower. Most hospitals return plants to their original locations by morning.
The absence of plants overnight eliminates hazards, disruptions, obstructions and accessibility issues from keeping unnecessary foliage around under minimal supervision. Hospitals can then leverage the extra space and access to conduct key upgrades, maintenance, cleaning and equipment maneuvering at night if needed.
During the busier daytime hours, plants are thoughtfully returned to corridors and rooms to benefit patients and visitors, with any maintenance or watering needs addressed proactively the night before. Periodic overnight plant removal allows hospitals to strategically balance patient experience and clinical needs between night and day.
| Key Reasons Hospitals Remove Plants at Night |
|---|
| – Reduce falling object risks |
| – Lower allergy and infection risks for patients |
| – Allow for thorough cleaning and maintenance |
| – Eliminate fire hazards |
| – Reduce noise disruptions to patients |
| – Provide clear access for overnight upgrades |
| – Enable pest control management |
| – Improve safety sightlines |
| – Make space for additional visitor seating as needed |
| – Avoid overwatering plants |
| – Allow equipment maneuverability |
| – Simplify wayfinding and navigation |
The routine removal of plants at night allows hospitals to proactively minimize risks and disruptions to patients when activity is low while still benefiting from beautiful interior plants during peak hours. It ultimately strikes an optimal balance tailored to the different needs, traffic volumes, procedures and events of a 24-hour healthcare environment.
Hospitals invest considerable effort into intentionally selecting each plant in their facilities and proper overnight plant handling ensures plants remain vibrant, long-lasting fixtures during the day. Patients reap the evidence-based benefits of indoor plants in healthcare settings while hospitals carry out necessary off-hour functions safely by temporarily relocating plants to protected plant rooms overnight.
This carefully choreographed plant cycle allows hospitals to incorporate living elements shown to boost mood and outcomes without undermining essential nighttime operations, safety protocols, and accessibility. While overnight plant removal itself is a minor footnote compared to lifesaving clinical work, these small details and precautions cumulatively create a thoughtfully optimized healing environment for patients around the clock.