Hygiene is paramount within a care home laundry room. Sourcing the right equipment is only the first step with procedures, staff training and monitoring of the laundry room should all being critical factors in maintaining high standards of hygiene and infection control.
Care homes experience many different challenges from different laundry types, including soiled linen, maintaining infection control standards and complying with regulations for some of the most vulnerable people.
This guide outlines some of the key considerations and factors for maintaining a hygienic laundry room.
Equipment fit for purpose
It is important to ensure you have the right laundry equipment for your care home laundry room. Commercial grade equipment must be used, even in the smallest of care homes, which is able to provide thermal disinfection and handle the challenges of laundry in care homes.
The equipment must be regularly serviced and maintained, including dryer ducts. Consistent cleaning, both inside and outside the machine, should be carried out, with any problems being reported.
Restricted laundry access
For maximum hygiene standards, the laundry room should be restricted to only those staff who require have been trained to deal with laundry. Other staff should refrain from entering the laundry room and access should be prohibited for residents and visitors.
Laundry segregation
Laundry segregation is essential in care homes for infection control purposes. Residents may have different levels of illnesses, including communicable diseases, so washing their laundry together can increase the risk of cross-contamination.
Clean laundry should be handled and stored separately to dirty and soiled goods. A barrier washing machine is an ideal way of achieving this with two doors and a barrier in the middle providing physical separation. Dirty linen enters through one room and clean laundered items coming out of the other side so there is no contact between the two sets of laundry.
Correct PPE for staff members
Staff should be wearing PPE when handling laundry linen, including gloves and an apron. Special bags must be readily available for soiled goods and laundry staff must thoroughly wash their hands both before and after working on laundry duties.
High quality commercial-grade detergents
Using high-quality commercial laundry detergents maximises hygiene or care home laundry along with a fresh smell and a superior finish.
Biological detergents provide the best cleaning performance and are ideal for removing stains, due to the presence of enzymes.
Storage
Clean linen must be stored in a clean, secure and dry room located away of the main laundry room. Access should be restricted and all laundry should be handled carefully so it is as hygienic as possible. Staff members should wash their hands before handling clean linen to prevent any cross-contamination.
If you require any expert advice on care home laundry rooms then contact the team at Reliance Laundry today.