Level of decontamination after washing textiles at 60°C or 70°C followed by tumble drying

Tano, EvaUppsala universitet,Klinisk mikrobiologi och infektionsmedicin (författare)

BACKGROUND: Several major outbreaks in healthcare facilities have occurred with the emergence of multi-resistant bacteria. A possible route for dissemination is the hospital textiles and inadequate laundering of them. The aim of this study was to develop an easy-to-use method for simulating the laundering process of hospital textiles, and thereafter apply the method when evaluating the decontaminating efficacy of two different washing temperatures.METHODS: The laundering process, including tumble drying, took place at two professional laundries. Enterococcus faecium was used as bioindicator.RESULTS: The results showed that a lowering of the washing temperature from 70°C to 60°C did not affect the decontamination efficacy; the washing cycle alone reduced the number of bacteria with 3-5 log10 CFU, whereas the following tumble drying reduced the bacterial numbers with another 3-4 log10 CFU, yielding the same final result independent of washing temperature. Without tumble drying, there was an obvious risk of adding non-fermenting gram-negative bacteria to the fabric. These bacteria originated from the washing cycle.CONCLUSION: A simple method to simulate hospital laundering was developed. To save energy, it is possible to use a washing temperature of 60°C, but the washing cycle should be followed by tumble drying, and the whole laundering process needs to be monitored to maintain sufficient textile hygiene.

Melhus, ÅsaUppsala universitet,Klinisk mikrobiologi och infektionsmedicin(Swepub:uu)asame735 (författare)
Uppsala universitetKlinisk mikrobiologi och infektionsmedicin (creator_code:org_t)

Om ämnet

Kungliga biblioteket hanterar dina personuppgifter i enlighet med EU:s dataskyddsförordning (2018), GDPR. Läs mer om hur det funkar här.
Så här hanterar KB dina uppgifter vid användning av denna tjänst.