Benefits of Choosing Industrial Laundry for Healthcare Textiles

You know patient care, staff needs and healthcare protocol. You spend your days and nights advocating for patients. You aren’t in the business of doing laundry, but luckily industrial laundries are. Nowhere is the importance of using properly cleaned textiles higher than in the healthcare industry. You can’t risk the potential for spreading healthcare-associated infections (HAI) via the presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on soiled textiles.

Be part of the safety solution by outsourcing your laundry needs to an expert. TRSA’s Standard for Producing Hygienically Clean Reusable Textiles for Use in the Healthcare Industry has earned the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Seal of Recognition. This seal communicates that the certification is a premier and recognized resource, dedicated to excellence in patient care.

Let’s dig into the many benefits of choosing an industrial laundry provider.

Level of clean – If you’re doing laundry onsite, are you able to guarantee that your program meets local and federal guidelines? Choosing a Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified facility verifies that textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and established industry guidelines, policies and procedures. They have passed bacteriological tests and facility inspections. Products and processes are tested and certified quarterly in order to maintain certification. When asked, you can confidently point to your laundry provider knowing that they are handling the OSHA compliance for you. Hygienically Clean Healthcare facilities have met guidelines pertaining to:

• Plant facilities – Separation of soiled and clean areas; equipment maintenance
• Housekeeping – Clean work surfaces, stations and carts; appropriate cleaning schedules
• Laundry process – Soiled linen handling; washing and drying procedures; transportation via delivery trucks

Staff – There are a couple ways to look at this. Do you have the budget to hire someone whose full-time role revolves around uniform and linen laundry? Or do you want your staff to be responsible for laundering their own uniforms? They would be required to adhere to a strict cleaning schedule and regime. You wouldn’t have control over monitoring any co-mingling of non-healthcare apparel. Having that task fall on employees is a major responsibility and time commitment outside of work hours.

Efficiency – Chances are onsite laundry can’t come close to the efficiency of a commercial launderer. TRSA says a typical linen and uniform service washer accommodates loads about 20 times the size of the largest high-tech home unit (400 pounds of laundry vs. 20 pounds). A commercial launderer also uses 250% less water and 160% less energy per pound of laundry than consumers’ washers. Energy and water costs would increase for facilities doing their own laundry.

Equipment – Let’s face it, free space is a rare find in most facilities. Do you have room to house multiple washers, dryers and all the supplies that go along with laundry upkeep? There’s also the added expense of maintenance and replacement of machines, not to mention staying up to date on the latest technology upgrades. 

Wash process – Another benefit of using a laundry service is that they have perfected the washing and handling of healthcare textiles. In order to properly remove bacteria from garments and linens, a precise and controlled wash formula is necessary. This includes water temperature, cleaning agents and dry times. For example, scrubs require a different formula than bath sheets. And to avoid cross contamination, healthcare-specific pieces must be kept separate from other textiles during the handling, cleaning, sorting and delivering processes.

Inventory – You shouldn’t have to rely on your staff to alert you when uniforms or linens are showing wear and tear. If you’re renting from a laundry service, any worn articles are either repaired or replaced proactively. Inventory maintenance is also easily handled by a laundry partner. You’re always assured you have the quantities you need while only having to provide storage for the product that you use on a daily basis.

Patient impact – Patient’s confidence will be increased if they know your staff is leaving the laundry to the experts. No one wants to use linens that look or feel dirty. You can pass along the peace of mind that healthcare industry standards are being met with the processing and handling of gowns, bed sheets and staff wear. You can also share how you’re making a positive impact on the environment by having an industrial launderer efficiently clean your textiles.

Focus on What Matters

A top priority in any healthcare setting is to protect patients through the prevention of infections. All linens and uniforms should be properly and thoroughly washed, sanitized and handled to avoid the spread of germs and contamination. Outsourcing your facility’s laundry needs means one less thing to worry about. It allows you and your staff put your energy where it matters most – delivering an exceptional patient experience.