Hospital Infection-Control Laundry – A Solution for Healthcare Textile Management

Many patients still feel concerned about wearing garments provided by hospitals. These concerns often come from the belief that hospital garments, bed linens, and other textile items may have previously been exposed to blood, body fluids, or used by other patients.

To reduce these concerns, laundry operations in healthcare environments need to follow a carefully controlled process. From collecting and sorting soiled textiles to washing, drying, finishing, folding, and storage, every stage plays an important role in maintaining hygiene and reducing the risk of cross-contamination.

Patients and concerns about hospital textiles

Many patients are not completely comfortable with using hospital garments and linens. In large healthcare facilities, the volume of textiles processed every day may include patient garments, bed sheets, blankets, towels, and many other types of textile items.

Used hospital textiles may have different levels of contamination. Some items may only have normal contact with the user, while others may be exposed to blood or body fluids. Proper collection and sorting are therefore important first steps in determining the appropriate treatment process.

The issue is not limited to patients and their families. Laundry personnel who handle soiled textiles also need to follow hygiene and safety requirements throughout the entire handling process.

Healthcare textiles can be processed through a controlled laundry system

In hospitals with properly organised and controlled laundry operations, textiles can be sorted according to their level of contamination and treatment requirements before being processed through appropriate washing programmes.

The process generally begins with the collection of soiled textiles from different hospital departments. The textiles are then sorted into groups such as regular garments, items contaminated with blood or body fluids, bed linens, blankets, and other textile categories. Proper sorting helps reduce the risk of cross-contamination and supports the selection of suitable treatment programmes.

Barrier washer for hospital laundry

Illustrative image of the laundry facility at Becamex International General Hospital, Binh Duong

For regular textiles, the washing process may be carried out using programmes appropriate to the required hygiene level. Textile items with a higher level of contamination or a greater infection-control risk may require separate handling procedures.

An effective hospital laundry operation does not depend on equipment alone. The entire process must also be properly controlled, including the separation of soiled and clean textiles, the selection of appropriate washing programmes, temperature control, and post-wash handling.

Laundry processes and the prevention of cross-contamination

Hospitals use and process large volumes of textiles every day. If soiled textiles are not collected, sorted, transported, and processed correctly, they may contribute to the spread of microorganisms into the surrounding environment.

For this reason, the laundry process should be controlled from beginning to end, including collection, transportation, sorting, washing, drying, finishing, folding, packaging, and storage.

In addition to washing performance, the organisation of the laundry area should also help prevent unnecessary contact between soiled and clean textiles. This can reduce the risk of recontamination after washing and help maintain appropriate hygiene conditions before textiles are returned for use.

The role of laundry equipment in healthcare facilities

For hospital laundry operations, equipment should be selected according to the operating scale, textile volume, and infection-control requirements of each healthcare facility.

In some healthcare laundry systems, barrier washers are used to help separate the area receiving soiled textiles from the area where clean textiles are removed. Soiled textiles are loaded from one side, processed through the selected washing programme, and unloaded from the opposite side.

However, the effectiveness of an infection-control laundry facility does not depend on a single machine. An effective system requires a combination of suitable facility layout, operating procedures, appropriate equipment, staff training, and consistent hygiene practices throughout every stage of the process.

Infection-control laundry requires an integrated process

To provide greater confidence in the safety of hospital garments and textiles, investment in laundry operations should go beyond removing visible stains. More importantly, the entire process should be designed and controlled to manage textiles from the moment they are collected as soiled items until they are processed, completed, and returned for use.

A properly organised infection-control laundry can support more effective textile management, contribute to infection-control practices, and provide greater reassurance for both patients and healthcare professionals.