ROANOKE, Va. — Washroom chemistry has always been an area I really enjoyed. Perhaps it is because my father, Kenneth Jacob Frederick, is the research scientist who first discovered dry bleach. He was assigned this project while working as a research chemist during World War II. I have always believed that the most effective way to wash linen is to do it right the first time (see Penny-Wise and Pound-Foolish II, posted in February).
There are four basic elements to washing: chemicals, time, temperature and mechanical action. When you decrease one of these items, you often have to increase one or more of the others to compensate. Trying to wash faster and at the lowest possible chemical cost will dramatically increase the amount of rewash in the laundry, labor costs and linen replacement costs. Since labor, linen and utilities are your three biggest costs, it makes sense to develop a wash formula and chemical usage pattern that protects your investment in linen and the efficiency of your labor force and makes appropriate use of your utility inputs.
The first flush on a wash formula is probably the most important step. The temperature of the first flush should be 100-110 F. The reason for this is that blood and other bodily fluids are most soluble at this temperature. Contrary to the old wives’ tale that blood should always be rinsed out with cold water, blood’s solubility actually increases as the temperature warms. But once it reaches 120 F, it sets into a hard-to-get-rid-of stain. Adding a small amount of alkali to the first rinse will also prevent blood from becoming a stain.
The wide use of chlorhexadine gluconate in healthcare has made the first rinse the battleground for removing this potential stain. This hand/wound cleanser is an iodine-based product that in the presence of heat and chlorine will form a permanent brown to yellow stain on the linen. It is impossible to detect the presence of this product on linen before washing.
The good news is that it rinses out quickly and completely in the first flush that is below 120 F and does not contain chlorine. The bad news is that most municipal water supplies contain enough chlorine to activate the stain.
To combat this problem, a number of smart launderers have started adding hydrogen peroxide or an antichlor to the first rinse. Both products will effectively eliminate the presence of chlorine and allow the chlorhexadine gluconate to rinse out of the fabric.
The better your control in the first flush, the fewer the stains that will be generated. You will know if you are making progress on the chlorhexadine gluconate by the color of the stain. The darker the color, the less effective you are. If the stains you are getting are progressively lighter in color (light yellow), then your procedures need just a little tweaking to eliminate the stain.
The rest of the wash formula needs to be determined by the type of fabric you are washing. I wash 100% cotton fabric and fabric blends differently than I do 100% polyester linen. Take care to understand the processing needs of each type of fabric and to make sure your soil-sort classifications take these differences into account.
When I started in the laundry business back in 1973, the majority of our linen items were 100% cotton and made in the USA. This 100% cotton linen washed with natural tallow-based soap, which was ideal for cleaning these fabrics. During my career, I have seen the rise of cotton/poly blends and some 100% polyester bedsheets. I have seen the rise of microfilament barrier surgical linen. Every innovation has required a change in the way we wash.
We managers needs to stay abreast of changes happening to the items that we are asked to wash, and we must be willing to change wash formulas as needed to properly process the textiles.
Next month, I will continue to explore this topic, writing specifically about reusable barrier surgical linen and incontinent pads.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].