In many industries, laundry care is a critical area of hygiene – especially where hygiene has a direct impact on health or product safety. Whether bed linen from a nursing home or workwear from industry: when textiles are contaminated with hazardous substances, ‘clean’ alone is not enough.
What is contaminated laundry?
Contaminated laundry is textile material that is contaminated with substances that may be harmful to health or safety. These include:
- Biological contaminants (e.g. blood, body fluids, pathogens)
- Chemicals (e.g. cleaning agents, solvents, disinfectants)
- Fine dust, organic residues or allergenic substances, such as those found in food processing plants
- The actual risks arise not only from the laundry itself, but above all from incorrect handling: germs and residues can be transferred to other textiles, endangering staff or contaminating entire process chains.
Two typical areas of application – with very different requirements
Care facilities: Hygiene for particularly vulnerable people
In inpatient facilities, laundry is often contaminated with germs, body fluids or medication residues. People with weakened immune systems are particularly sensitive to even the smallest amounts of contamination.
Clear guidelines apply here:
- Strict separation between ‘unclean’ and ‘clean’ laundry zones
- Washing procedures with validated hygiene performance
- Regular training of staff in the handling of infectious laundry
This ensures maximum hygiene safety in in-house laundries and commercial operations.
Food processing: protection against cross-contamination
Textile hygiene also plays a key role in food processing companies – e.g. in workwear, cleaning textiles or aprons. Residues of proteins, organic substances or cleaning chemicals can contaminate entire production lines.
The following are therefore particularly important here:
- Labelling and separate collection of contaminated textiles
- Prevention of cross-contamination through structural measures or separation systems
- Safe washing processes tailored to industry-specific requirements
Why the organisation of the laundry flow is crucial
Across all industries, the biggest risk factor is not the washing machine – it’s the journey to get there.
Important measures include:
- Pre-sorting and labelling contaminated laundry
- Physical separation or barriers between ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’
- Documented processes with clear responsibilities
Technical support: Separation of ‘unclean’ and ‘clean’
A proven principle is the so-called hygiene lock: laundry is loaded on the “unclean” side and removed on the ‘clean’ side after cleaning.
Washing machines with partition technology, such as those used by STAHL’s DIVIMAT, enable precisely this structured process – and thus minimise the risk to staff, patients and end products.
Checklist: Safe handling of contaminated laundry
How well is your laundry facility set up? Check for yourself:
Is there a clear separation between ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ laundry zones?
Is contaminated laundry collected and labelled separately?
Is staff trained in handling infectious or hazardous laundry?
Is the entire laundry cycle documented and regularly checked?
Are machines with partition technology used?