Take control of laundry hygiene

In any industry, be it care, manufacturing, hospitality or otherwise, cleaning procedures are key to maintaining productivity, reducing downtime and preventing the spread of dangerous diseases or infections. 

Laundry often plays a huge role in maintaining cleanliness in a variety of commercial buildings. Traditionally, many companies and organisations – from both the public and private sector – have outsourced their laundry, but the latest technological developments can help to lessen the substantial responsibility managers and owners face when it comes to reducing the risk of infection. 

With this becoming apparent, we’re seeing more and more decision-makers looking to install an on premises laundry (OPL) to gain complete control over hygiene standards.

The bottom linen

In most environments, linen is the main vehicle of transmission for infections and proper care and attention to laundering everything from bed sheets to workers' uniforms can contribute hugely to limiting the spread of bacteria. For this reason, it is paramount that industry guidelines are followed and a strict process validation system is in place whereby operators can be sure that their facilities provide the top defence against micro-organisms and cross infections.

Before linen even reaches a washing machine, cleaning operatives must bear in mind that viruses can remain active in linen for significant periods of time, and established precautionary standards should be implemented in an effort to prevent staff from direct contagion. 

The barrier process

It has become clear that laundry is much more than the touch of a button, and each stage of the journey needs to be carefully controlled through laundry cycle management. In some cases however, regardless of the washing machine’s performance, if the laundering environment is inadequate then businesses cannot come close to guaranteeing cleanliness, let alone prevent contamination.

Through using the barrier laundry concept – which ensures that items are loaded from one side of the machine when dirty and unloaded from a separate, clean side, when the cycle has finished – operators can make sure that there is absolutely no chance of re-contamination where soiled sheets may have left bacteria.

Managers should also look for equipment which utilises additional features which can maximise the efficiency of the barrier concept. At Electrolux Professional, we have researched extensively into how to create the most functional and reliable laundering environment to provide the fastest and safest machine operation for cleaning professionals. The Line 5000 has been designed with all of this in mind, and unique to these machines is the Electrolux Hygiene Watchdog, which ensures that any wash program is performed in full before it allows unloading on the clean side. 

To assure best practice, all washing cycles in the advanced process must either possess a thermal disinfection cycle which reaches 71◦C for at least three minutes, or 65◦C for at least ten minutes. Alternatively, the equipment must commence a chemical disinfectant process that satisfies the requirements in the section ‘Disinfection of linen’ in the ‘Management and Provision’ Volume of CFPP 01-04. 

The latest machines can also offer complete traceability, meaning that each process can be tracked and information stored should any incidents arise. In this regard, operators can benefit from Electrolux Professional’s Certus Management Information System (CMIS) which provides the highest level of control throughout the whole laundry routine by ensuring process validation.

Additionally, Electrolux Professional is the first and only laundry equipment manufacturer to have been awarded HACCP International accreditation and, as such, can offer investors further peace of mind as they look toward refine contamination control.

Targeting hygiene

Every organisation or business has financial targets to meet and, with barrier washing rendering infection prevention achievable under one roof, investment in an OPL presents managers and cleaning professionals with the opportunity for significant cost savings. 

Those investing should look toward a laundry facility and associated procedures which will guarantee complete peace of mind for operators and customers. Working with manufacturers and seeking bespoke industry laundering solutions which guarantee control over the whole laundry process and could prove the difference between an aesthetically clean environment, and a hygienically clean one.