Healthcare Laundry Machines: Reducing the Risk of Disease Transmission

Hospitals are homes to linens including blankets, bed sheets, towels, patient gowns, scrubs, privacy drapes, and more — they’re also home to plenty of pathogens linked to disease. Though it isn’t fun to think about, these microorganisms from blood, urine, stool, vomit, and other bodily processes often cling to fabrics, contaminating them and putting others at risk of infection. Thankfully, healthcare laundry services are here to save the day. Any germs that find their way to hospital textiles via cough or touch are just as quickly killed in the laundry machines used by sanitation staff.Hospitals are homes to linens including blankets, bed sheets, towels, patient gowns, scrubs, privacy drapes, and more — they’re also home to plenty of pathogens linked to disease. Though it isn’t fun to think about, these microorganisms from blood, urine, stool, vomit, and other bodily processes often cling to fabrics, contaminating them and putting others at risk of infection. Thankfully, healthcare laundry services are here to save the day. Any germs that find their way to hospital textiles via cough or touch are just as quickly killed in the laundry machines used by sanitation staff.

Contaminated Laundry

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heavily contaminated textiles can contain bacterial loads of between 1-100 million colony-forming units per 100cm squared of fabric — that’s a lot of bacteria. Transmission of these germs to humans is typically caused by the mishandling or inadequate washing of these linens. Bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi can transmit from contaminated fabrics to workers and patients via direct contact, or airborne contamination from shaking and folding these linens.

Cleansing Textiles With Hospital Laundry Machines

Fabrics used in hospital settings are disinfected effectively. Launderers work hard to make these textiles hygienically clean — a typical laundering cycle for medical fabrics include flushing, a main wash, bleaching, thorough rinsing, and a laundry sour (using chemicals to balance the pH). After a wash, launderers then load the textiles into an energy-efficient clothes dryer, pressed, and packaged for redistribution.

Several steps in the laundering process remove significant amounts of bacteria, making the textiles safe for reuse. Hot water plays a major role in eliminating harmful pathogens, while detergents and chlorine bleach eliminates any stubborn, heat-resistant microorganisms. The rapid change in pH due to souring also inactivates some bacteria.

Hospital Reintegration

The linens processed at an off-site laundry plant are packaged before they are transported to the hospital in order to prevent contamination during the trip. Laundry can be packaged using several methods:

• Storing linens in a lidded hamper with a fresh, unused liner
• Placing linens in a sterilized cart and using a clean cover
• Wrapping bundles of clean linens in new plastic or other materials and sealing them with tape

Special Situations

Some hospital items require a little more than the already-thorough healthcare laundry process. Items like hospital gowns and surgical drapes need to be sterilized properly before use. After laundering, these items put through an autoclave: a heated container that uses high-temperature steam to sterilize textiles and garments. Autoclaves are used for textiles in NICUs since babies do not yet have immune systems capable of fending off seriously harmful pathogens.

Some hospitals use disposable attire to prevent the need for washing and reusing materials. Although single-use items are guaranteed to be sterile, there are several concerns related to their use and discarding. Single-use materials can have a serious impact on a hospital’s waste management costs and do little for the environment.

Are you looking for new ways to optimize your healthcare laundry operation? CLM has washers that can rid your medical textiles of the toughest stains and medical dryers that maximize bacteria elimination. Contact CLM today for more information.

This Blog has been posted by Sareen matzke who has written a numerous posts and articles related to Consolidate Laundry and provides useful details and information.