• By Steven Hays
• Published 02/27/2012

Handling and processing of the laundry at a care facility requires proper planning. Apart from cleaning dirty linen, healthcare facilities require cleaning infected linen as well. It is, therefore, essential to consider every aspect of the laundry. This would ensure proper cleaning and disinfecting of the linen, and make sure high standard of service is available for the patients staying at the facility. Here is an overview of the important factors a nursing facility needs to keep in mind while planning the on-site laundry.

Design and layout are important when you are planning the laundry room in a healthcare facility, as you need to make sure that the dirty and clean linen do not come in contact with each other. Separate trolleys, bags, racks and rails with adequate labelling are necessary to ensure this. Easy to clean, non-absorbent floors and work surfaces are essential for maintaining hygienic conditions. Proper ventilation is necessary for a continuous supply of air to the tumble dryers.

Appliances need to be selected with care. Industrial laundry machines would be necessary to handle the bulk washing needs of such a facility. Along with the capacity of the washing machines, paying attention to another feature is also necessary – the types of washes available. While dirty soiled linen can be cleaned with a hot wash, it may not suffice for infected linen. Linen infected with bodily fluids of patients need to be disinfected properly to ensure hygienic conditions.

Operations need to be handled carefully to ensure proper cleaning of the linen. The process involves numerous steps – collection of dirty linen in labelled bags or trolleys, according to the degree of dirt or infection, programme the machine for the particular wash and dry in separate batches to avoid contamination, separate the clean linen from the dirty ones, and deliver the clean linen to the particular rooms. Handling each step with care is essential, especially when you are dealing with the dirty, infected linen of a care facility.

Staffs need to be properly trained to handle each step involved in the laundry process. Whether it is collecting and sorting the dirty linen, operating the industrial washing machines and tumble dryers, or labelling and delivering clean linen, adequate training is necessary for completing these tasks. Though modern-day appliances are easy to operate, appointing individuals who are aware of the operations ensures that the entire laundry process remains hassle free.

Maintenance of the appliances regularly ensures that they stay working for a long time. Before you invest in commercial laundry equipments of any make or model, it is necessary to enquire about the after sales services available. Regular servicing and maintenance on a half-yearly basis is a good idea as these machines have high usage. Apart from prolonging the life of the appliances, regular maintenance also ensures that the wash programmes are operating correctly, especially the disinfecting cycle.

When you are planning to set up an on-site laundry at a health care facility, taking care of these essentials would make it possible to accomplish the task with ease.

Author Bio: Steven Hayes is the owner of a commercial cleaning company that has been in business for more than a couple of decades. He offers tips and suggestions for commercial establishments planning to set up on-site laundry and looking for industrial washing machinesfor the same.