How to Design a Hospital Laundry

An inhouse laundry service in a hospital can help the facility both maintain hospital linens and save money. A separate linen department helps ensure that there is an adequate supply of linen for use on any floor of the hospital at all times. It also helps create jobs within the hospital that would otherwise be lost to outsourcing. A laundry department can be set up in a hospital by keeping a few key points in mind.

Instructions

• 1

  Create a space for the laundry room inside the hospital. The area designated for use as a laundry department must be large enough to fit an appropriate amount of both washers and dryers. It must also have ample space where workers can separate and handle linen. Proper ventilation is necessary to prevent excess moisture and heat from building up in the laundry room. Plumbing with both hot- and cold-water outlets is needed for each washer. Ensure that the space can be equipped with the needed plumbing and ventilation.

• 2

  Laundering linens using the proper cycles can help extend their usage times.

  Purchase appliances. Industrial washers and dryers are ideal for health care facilities because they can handle large loads. Choose washers with multiple wash cycle and temperature choices that will allow all types of linen to be laundered properly. The dryers should be equipped with a variety of temperatures and settings as well.

• 3

  Divide the space into two sections, one side for soiled linen and the other for clean. Barriers placed to divide the sides may also help prevent cross-contamination.

• 4

  Assign a space for the washers and dryers. Install the appliances.

• 5

  Set up tables on the soiled linen side for linen to be separated as well as tables on the clean linen side where linen can be folded. Create a space where linen barrels should be stored while in the laundry room. Build a cabinet that can hold supplies, such as detergent and hangers, and install a cabinet or cart to store extra linen. Place rods in an area on the clean linen side to hang linen.

• 6

  Create a laundry schedule for linen pick up and delivery. Stagger times for linen collection to prevent linen from accumulating in the laundry room faster than it can be cleaned. Deliver clean linen to specific floors while waiting for the washer and dryer cycles to complete. This creates room for the freshly laundered linen to be sorted and folded, and prevents linen shortages on hospital floors.

• 7

  Teach the staff how to prevent cross-contamination, such as if the clean linen comes in contact with soiled linen. Provide staff with gloves and protective gowns and advise them to wear them when working with soiled linen. Show employees how to handle and isolate soiled linen properly.

• 8

  Create a list detailing which cycle, detergent, water and dryer temperatures should be used for each type of linen. Keep the list in the laundry room for employees to use as a reference.