Medical Linen Safety Tips to Keep You and Your Patients Safe
While linens might not immediately come to mind when you think about unsafe objects in the medical industry, they can be a health hazard to you and those you serve when not handled correctly.
When you work alongside medical linen, it’s important to be aware and safe at all times. Here at Medico Professional Linen Service, we’ve seen it all in our 80+ year history, and we want to share what we’ve learned with you.
Here are some medical linen safety tips that can help your facility today:
Remove Linens from Rooms Safely
One of the first interactions you’ll have with medical linens is when you’re collecting them from your patients’ beds to be laundered and changed. When you’re collecting used linens, never put them down on another patient’s bed or any surface you wouldn’t want potentially contaminated.
Be sure to hold the linens away from your uniform so that germs don’t transfer to your clothing. A study conducted by Duke University showed that scrubs can pick up germs from patients, with the sleeves and pockets of the scrubs showing the most contamination.
Once the linen is collected, immediately place it into a portable hamper so you can safely transport it to the laundering area. Always wash your hands after interacting with used linens!
Be Organized
Once you’ve safely collected the used linens, you’ll want to transport them to your laundry facility appropriately and keep them organized. OSHA safety standards regulate that you store contaminated laundry in containers that are clearly labeled.
Additionally, when sorting and handling contaminated laundry, you should be wearing the appropriate protective gear. Using gloves, gowns, masks, etc., are good ways to create barriers between bacteria and your skin. Make sure all employees are aware of the safety policies and the processes in place to keep medical linens organized and contained.
Utilize a Linen Service
Working with a trustworthy linen service like Medico is an easy way to ensure the safe washing of your medical linens. Medico provides you with labeled laundry bags which are then picked up by a route representative.
Professional linen services are extremely knowledgeable, and will know how to safely remove stains and germs without damaging your linens. Medico uses a seven-step clean green system that’s custom-designed for each type of fabric and efficiently cleans linens while reducing pollution and other negative environmental effects. You’ll sleep easier utilizing a linen service as it reduces the reliance on your employees to handle all contaminated medical linens.
Medico is Here to Help!
When you’re working with medical linens, it’s important to stay safe during every step of the process, from collection to transportation to laundering. When working with contaminated linens, always stay as clean and organized as possible. Using a professional linen service is an easy way to get a high-quality clean without worrying about damaged linens or employees in unsafe conditions.
Medico Professional Linen Service has been a reliable linen service in Southern California since 1932. We are committed to customer satisfaction, and want to help your medical facility by improving medical linen safety today! Contact us for a free quote at 800-464-6334.
