The Textile Hygiene: Basic Requirements of Ensuring that the Medical Fabric Washing Reach the Hygienic Standard

2024 Texcare International in Frankfurt is an important platform for industrial communication in the laundry industry. Textile hygiene, as a crucial issue, was discussed by a team of European experts. In the medical sector, the textile hygiene of the medical fabrics is vital, which directly relates to the control of associated infections in hospitals and the health and security of patients.

Various Standards

There are various standards to guide the treatment of medical fabrics in different regions of the world. These standards are important basis for us to ensure the hygiene quality of medical fabrics.

??China

In China, WS/T 508-2016 Regulation for washing and disinfection technique of medical textiles in healthcare facilities clearly stipulates the basic requirements of washing and disinfecting medical fabrics in hospitals.

??USA

In the United States, the standards made by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses?(AORN) cover the handling of surgical gowns, surgical towels, and other medical fabrics, including cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, storage, and transportation. Emphasis is placed on preventing cross-contamination and ensuring a safe operating environment. A series of infection control guidelines for healthcare facilities have also been published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. to provide guidance for medical fabric handling.

??Europe

Textiles- Laundry processed textiles- Biocontamination control system?published by the European Union stipulates the hygienic requirements of handling all kinds of fabrics. The Medical Devices Directive (MDD) and parts of the coordinative standards also apply to the treatment of medical-related fabrics.

However, mere washing and disinfection are not enough because the textiles after being washed still have a potential risk of infection, such as being exposed to contaminated air, the contaminated cart, the unhygienic hands of the staff, and so on. As a result, in the whole process from collecting medical textiles to releasing medical textiles, the following key points play a crucial role in ensuring that the medical textiles meet the medical hygienic standards. ??

Key Points to Ensure the Medical Hygienic Standards

??Separation

The place of clean textiles and contaminated areas should be separated strictly. For example, all clean textiles should have positive air pressure in relation to contaminated areas under any circumstances. ( Door is open or closed). In the working process, contaminated textiles or carts should not contact the clean textiles or carts. A partition should be built to prevent dirty textiles from contacting clean textiles. In addition, strict production standards should be posted to ensure that the staff should not enter the clean area from the dirty area until they are disinfected.

??General Disinfection of the Personnel

General disinfection of the personnel is vital. The personnel in Queen Mary Hospital Hong Kong didn’t pay full attention to cleaning their hands so the medical infection accident occurred. If the staff wash their hands without using the 6-step hand-washing method, then the clean linen will be contaminated which harm the health of the patients and other workers. As a result, it is a necessity to hold hand hygiene training for all workers and place hand-washing facilities and hand-disinfection detergents. It can ensure that when leaving the dirty area or entering the clean area, the workers can disinfect themselves.

??The Cleaning of the Operating Environment?

All sectors of the laundry area?should be regularly cleaned according to the standards, including ventilation, surface disinfection, and record keeping. Reducing or removing lint can provide a better environment for both employees and textiles.

??The Disinfection of Turnover Vessel

After being cleaned up, the cars, carts, vessels, lids, liners, and so on should be cleaned and disinfected before being used again. Also, the records should be kept well.

??Fabric Protection during Transportation

There must be policies and procedures to ensure the safe transportation of the clean textiles. Carts transporting clean textiles should be cleaned and disinfected before being used and covered with clean covers. People handling clean textiles should have good hand hygiene. The surfaces on which clean textiles are placed should also be disinfected regularly.

??Air Flow Control

If conditions permit, air quality management should be carried out to control the airflow from the dirty area to the clean area. The air duct design should make the clean area have positive pressure and the dirty area have negative pressure to ensure that the air flows from the clean area to the dirty area.

Keys to Control the Hygienic Standard of Medical Fabric Washing: Correct laundry process

??Sorting

People should classify the medical fabric according to the type, the degree of dirt, and whether it is infected, avoiding mixing heavy dirt items with light dirt items?and using a heavy dirt washing process to treat light dirt items. In addition, the personnel who handle the medical fabric should pay attention to personal protection, prevent contact with the patient's body fluids, and timely check the foreign bodies and sharp objects in the fabric.

??Disinfection

People should strictly wash and disinfect medical fabrics according to the classification requirements of medical fabrics. Also, there should be a special cleaning process for textiles contaminated by dangerous drugs. Therefore, it is necessary to control the washing load, the water level at each stage, the cleaning temperature and time, and the detergent concentration to ensure the washing and disinfection effect.

??Drying

The drying process relies on three factors: time, temperature and tumbling to ensure the dryers?dry the medical fabrics under optimal conditions. The three These three "Ts" (time, temperature, tumbling) are not only necessary for drying, but also an important step in eliminating bacteria, pathogens, and spores. Different types of medical fabrics should adopt different drying programs to ensure enough cooling time.

??Ironing and Folding

Before the ironing?process, the medical fabrics should be strictly inspected. The unqualified fabrics should be returned to wash again. The damaged fabrics should be scraped or mended as prescribed. When folding, the employees should do hand hygiene and disinfection in advance.

??Package and Temporary Storage

When packing, the temperature of the medical fabric should be consistent with the ambient temperature, and the cache area should have anti-pest measures and plans to ensure that the air is fresh and dry.?

Conclusion

Whether it is a third-party medical washing factory or a laundry room in the hospital, these basic requirements should be paid attention to and strictly implemented in daily operations to ensure that the health of medical fabrics is up to standard.?

CLM's industrial washers, dryers, tunnel washer systems, and?ironers?and folders?in the post-finishing process excel in meeting the hygienic requirements of medical fabrics. They can efficiently and with low energy consumption to complete medical fabric washing, disinfection, and other tasks. At the same time, CLM's service team has rich experience, can provide customers with intelligent planning and design of medical washing, and is a trusted partner in the medical washing industry.