ANN ARBOR, Mich. — NSF International has launched a certification program for commercial laundering operations to verify their effectiveness in disinfecting and cleaning bedding, towels, hospital gowns and other textiles used in healthcare operations to ensure removal of pathogens and other bacterial organisms, the public health organization says.
The program is called NSF P467: Hygienically Clean Healthcare Textiles.
“NSF International is the first independent, non-industry-governed organization to offer a certification for healthcare textiles, continuing its mission to protect and improve public health and safety,” says Ashlee Breitner, program manager of NSF International’s Commercial Laundering and Nonfood Compounds Certification Programs.
“Healthcare facilities are focused on quality and safety for effective patient care, and NSF International’s Commercial Laundering Certification Program provides assurance that an effective cleaning process has been implemented at certified facilities by auditing the laundering facility and testing textile samples to ensure harmful bacteria and other pathogens are effectively removed on a consistent basis.”
The Grand Junction, Colo., location of Alsco Inc., a linen and uniform rental services company with headquarters in Salt Lake City, was the first to be certified to NSF P467 for HealthAssure® by Alsco sheets and towels used in the healthcare industry.
NSF International says NSF P467 is the second consensus-based protocol developed under the NSF Commercial Laundering Certification Program. The first, NSF P413: Hygienically Clean Napery in Commercial Laundering Operations, was launched in 2015.
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