CHICAGO — Maintaining linen cleanliness is a must for industrial and institutional operations.
That means keeping goods clean throughout the process, especially when handling linens after they’ve been washed.
American Laundry News asked three industry professionals several questions to help enable laundry operators to better transport linens cleanly throughout their plants.
Cort Naab is director of surgical solutions for George Courey Inc., hospitality and healthcare linen specialists based in Montreal, and a board member of the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC).
Gregory Gicewicz is the founder and CEO of Compliance Shark in Tacoma, Washington. The business is dedicated to healthcare laundry and linen infection prevention compliance.
And Sarah Brobeck, president and CEO of the Association for Linen Management (ALM), shared advice from her experiences. ALM is headquartered in Richmond, Kentucky.
Where are some common points in a plant’s laundry-handling process where cleanliness fails? How can an operation overcome those challenges?
NAAB: The first point to examine is the wash process itself. Are reuse tanks cleaned regularly? Is the press belt disinfected each night? Is there a proof-of-delivery system for the chemicals? If the laundry isn’t clean at the end of the wash process, it won’t be clean after ironing, folding, packaging or transportation.
After ensuring the wash process functions correctly, most laundries use material-handling automation for bulk linen to reach the dryer. For linen washed in equipment other than a continuous-batch washer (CBW), employees must follow proper procedures when loading and unloading washers. Wearing/using proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when loading soiled items and doffing it before unloading clean items is essential. Using clean carts, not stored in a soiled area, to move clean laundry from a washer-extractor to a dryer is another critical step.
During the finishing process, contamination can come from various sources. Employee hygiene, including wearing clean clothes and shoes, is important. Implementing a schedule for cleaning dryer buggies is crucial. If using a feeder where laundry might touch the floor, having a “disinfectable” floor is important. Catch tables and conveyors should also have regular cleanings.
All these and other critical items identified by management’s risk analysis should be documented. A process for reviewing documentation and processes, with accountability levels such as monthly audits by a GM of the daily supervisor checklists, ensures that employees follow proper procedures.
GICEWICZ: There are several critical points where linen-handling cleanliness commonly breaks down.
If soiled and clean linens share carts or storage areas, contamination can occur. The solution is to use color-coded, designated carts for soiled and clean linen, and ensure they are sanitized after every use.
Employees touching soiled linen and then handling clean linen without changing gloves spreads contamination. The solution is to implement strict PPE policies, training and monitoring.
Cleanliness is compromised if airflow in the facility allows lint or pathogens from soiled areas to reach clean areas. Plants must maintain positive airflow in clean-linen areas and ensure clear separation.
Finally, if clean linens are not wrapped properly or placed on surfaces that haven’t been sanitized, contamination can occur. For this, use shrink-wrapped bundles or covered carts for transport and storage.
Overcoming these challenges requires training, monitoring and strict adherence to protocol.
BROBECK: As mentioned, common areas of failure occur due to cross-contamination at any point in the laundry process and happen when linens are not properly separated, employees fail to follow hygiene protocols, or equipment and surfaces are not regularly disinfected.
To overcome these challenges, operations should implement strict functional separation, enforce hand hygiene, maintain proper airflow, disinfect work areas frequently, train employees on best practices and conduct regular audits to ensure compliance.
How can a laundry better train/convey the importance of maintaining clean goods when handling them?
GICEWICZ: The best way to ensure compliance is through training that emphasizes the “why” behind every rule. Employees need to understand that clean linen is an extension of infection prevention—not just another piece of laundry. Imagine a close relative is wearing the patient gown you are processing.
One effective training method is to use visual demonstrations. Show employees how contamination occurs. For example, use ultraviolet (UV) light to demonstrate cross-contamination.
Hands-on training allows employees (to) practice proper linen-handling techniques, including using PPE correctly and sanitizing surfaces. Accountability measures are also important. Hold your employees accountable for handling procedures through regular audits and retraining when necessary.
Make linen cleanliness a non-negotiable priority in your laundry’s values and daily operations. Training should be ongoing, not a one-time event.
BROBECK: A laundry can improve training on maintaining cleanliness by ensuring proper training starts at onboarding, with regular refresher training. Consistent reinforcement through accountability and visual reminders through signage further ensure compliance and awareness.
NAAB: It’s challenging to get employees to understand the importance unless you connect them with the “why.” From day one, employees need to know that the sheets they are cleaning will be used in a hospital by someone with a compromised immune system.
Weekly toolbox talks, facility signage, and videos from local nurses thanking the laundry employees and sharing stories about how clean linen has helped the hospital are effective methods. These efforts require commitment, but when done correctly, employees will come to work every day understanding the critical role they play in providing hygienic linens to local healthcare facilities.
What further advice would you give an operation to improve cleanliness in terms of manual handling, using conveyors/rails/etc., using carts, packaging options and on delivery trucks?
BROBECK: Ensure standard operating procedures (SOPs) are established and enforced. Utilize checklists that employees sign off on after completion to ensure employees are properly trained and best practices are followed.
Show that leadership is actively involved in maintaining cleanliness, not just enforcing rules.
NAAB: Take the time to get accredited. Many requests for proposals (RFPs) now require accreditation or certification, making it a good business decision. Going through the standards one at a time will help management identify and correct potential concerns in the plant.
It can sometimes be easier to spot issues when you’re not in the thick of things. The inspectors aren’t immersed in the daily operations and may find things you didn’t see. Don’t fear the inspectors finding something. Learn from it, correct it and approach the entire process as a positive for your facility and your customers.
GICEWICZ: Every stage of handling impacts linen cleanliness.
For manual handling, always wear clean gloves, wash hands regularly and separate clean linens from soiled. Ensure regular cleaning and maintenance of conveyors and rails to prevent lint buildup and contamination. And document this.
Always sanitize carts between uses, never mix clean and soiled linen, and use covers during transport. Use sealed plastic bags, shrink-wraps or carts with lids to protect linens during storage and transport. Clean linens should be loaded into a dedicated, sanitized area of the delivery truck, separate from any soiled returns. And trucks should be disinfected daily.
By optimizing handling at every step, laundries can significantly reduce contamination risk and uphold the highest standards of hygiene.
Please share anything else laundry operators should know about handling linens to maintain cleanliness.
GICEWICZ: Commit to a zero-tolerance policy on cross-contamination. Regularly audit processes and correct failures immediately. Train your staff continuously. Cleanliness is a culture, not a checklist.
Use the right tools. Cart covers, plastic wrapping and airflow control matter. View clean linen as an infection prevention tool, not just a product.
Linen is one of the first and last things a patient touches during their hospital stay. If it’s not handled correctly, it can become a vector for infection rather than a source of comfort and healing.
A strong commitment to cleanliness in handling is essential for patient safety and operational excellence.
Click HERE to read Part 1 about defining clean movement of linens through a plant and for delivery and how laundries can identify failure points.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
