What
are the different types of laundry concepts for
Hospitals?
Laundry Concepts for Hospital
Hospitals have a unique set of laundry needs, as they must clean and sterilize a wide variety of materials, including bed linens, towels, patient gowns, and uniforms for staff. To meet these needs, there are several different types of laundry concepts that hospitals can utilize.
One common approach is the use of on-site laundries, where laundry is done in-house using industrial-sized washing machines and dryers. This allows hospitals to have greater control over the process, as well as the ability to quickly turnaround laundry to meet the demands of the facility.
Another option is to outsource laundry to a commercial laundry service, which can provide a cost-effective solution for hospitals with a high volume of laundry. A third concept is the use of a hybrid approach, where a hospital utilizes both on-site laundry and outsourced services to meet the needs of the facility.
It's important for hospitals to carefully evaluate their options and choose the approach that best meets their needs, as the laundry process plays a crucial role in ensuring that patients and staff have clean, sterile linens and garments.
Different types laundry Concepts are associated with the hospital, a term
that is not new to us, which is defined as a place where repairing and washing
of clothes and linen are carried out. It is the sector that comes under
housekeeping, where the clothes and linen are washed, dried, and
pressed.
Different types of laundry concepts for hospitals are
1. Commercial
/ off-site / contractual laundry.
2. On-premises
/ on-site / in-house laundry.
Commercial / Off-site / Contractual Laundry:
In this type of
laundry concept, the cost or the rate of the linen repaired and washed are
specified and the contract is made between the hospitals and the contractor.
The time required to pick up and drop the linen is specified in advance, which
may be approximately 48 to 72 hours.
This option is for
the small size of the hospitals around 100 beds. The size of the hospital cannot
afford to spend money on the expensive equipment required to set up in-house
laundry.
Advantages:
1. When
the laundry is out sourced there is a saving in the huge initial investment
required.
2. Employing
trained laundry employees is not required.
3. Saving in the trained and untrained employees is saved.
Disadvantages:
1. The initial capital investment
cost is high.
2. Skilled and unskilled labor costs are
incurred.
3. The cost of
maintenance is high.
4. The utility cost is
high.
Infrastructure:
1. Large
doors were needed to have easy access to the trolleys and
for
the equipment in the laundry room.
2. Ceiling
height required up to 10 to 12 feet for the accommodation
of
the equipment, and an additional height of 2 feet for ducting.
3. The surface of the flooring in the laundry room should be non-
Slippery walls should be moisture resistant and painted with oil
paint or washable paint to increase durability.
4. Work area
of 4 Sq. feet to be maintained between each machine
installed for servicing of the machines.
Hospital Laundry Equipment:
Washer-Extractors,
Tumble Dryers, Vacuum finishing table, Flat-work Ironer, Compressors, Steam
Generators, and spotting table.
The locations of
the washer-extractors, tumble dryers and flat-work ironers should be such that
it should be installed near the drainage line, near the power supply, and near
the steam supply or near boilers.
Washer-Extractor:
In old layouts of
the laundry, you must have found the hydro extractors used after washers. This
is because in the old technologies high speeds in the washers were not
achieved, to extract the additional moisture from the linens.
But in modern
technology the washer-extractors cum with a very high spin of the drum to
extract maximum moisture content in the linens. The drum spins at around 900 to
1200 RPM with the extraction of more than 80% of the moisture from the linen,
resulting in less load on the dryers or ironers to dry the linens.
Linens are directly
fed to the flat-work ironer, by-passing the drying process. The clothes like OT
aprons, gowns of the nurses, patients’ pajamas, and the other clothes are dried
in the dryer after washing in the washer extractor.
Proper selection of
the capacities of the washers is done on the basis of the linen to be washed per
day. The washer comes in different models like electrically heated (To get the
hot water), gas heated and steam heated. It is selected as per the availability
of the fuel.
The required
equipment capacity is divided into two, so that two washers with smaller
capacities should be preferred, to avoid the production loss during the break
down of any one of the washers.
The drum, which is
a crucial part of the washer-extractor, is always manufactured with SS 304L
to avoid rusting and to work for a longer life. The body of the
washer-extractors can be galvanized steel, and mounting arrangements
can be made up of mild steel. Mounting of washer-extractors can be soft
mounted or hard-mounted depending upon the selection done. For more details,
you can go through the other articles in the same blog if required.
Tumble Dryers:
Dryers also come in
three models as per the heating medium: Steam heated, gas heated and
electrically heated type. While selecting the dryers, the depth of the drying
drum has to be deeper to give more exposure to the hot steam to dry the
clothes. Hence less energy is required, which reduces the operational cost. The
drum here is also made up of Stainless steel.
Dryers are
installed near the washer-extractors, enabling the smooth handling of the
clothes.
Ironing Equipment:
1. Vacuum Finishing Table:
Ironing the clothes
(VFT) vacuum finishing table is used. It has smooth padding on the top, covered
with a woven cover. This table is fitted with a vacuum generator and
an inbuilt steam generator (Optional). The vacuum is required to hold the
clothing in a place while ironing with the ironer, to avoid wrinkles and to
achieve fast ironing.
The size of the
vacuum finishing table is customized and can be designed as per the
requirements.
2. Flat Work Ironer:
This is also called
the Calendar machine. It comes in different sizes as per the length of the
rollers. Like 2 meters, 2.5 meters, 3 meters, and 3.3 meters depending upon the
requirements and the manufacturers. This ironer is used to iron flat linens
like bed sheets, pillow covers, table cloths, sarees, etc. These items are
passed through the heated rollers for ironing.
This equipment also
comes in different models as per the heating process. Electrical, steam, or gas
heated.
Laundry Process:
The laundry process
is divided into pre-washing, actual washing, rinsing, moisture extraction, and
finishing.
1. Pre-washing:
Collecting the
lines from the different departments like general wards, special wards, ICU,
and Operation theater.
Sorting linens
and clothes as per the heavily soiled, medium soiled, and color-wise.
Then it is loaded in the washers to
pre-wash in normal water.
2. Actual wash:
As per the type of
linen, the laundry washing programs are selected. These wash programs are
designed with the duration of the washing cycle required, the temperature
required, and the quantity of dosing of the washing chemicals and detergents.
Flushing, removing
suds, intermediate rinse, adding bleach, intermediate extraction, adding
softener and starch are some of the laundry treatments used as per the
requirement.
Rinsing is done
using a mixture of hot and cold water, which (water) is recovered and recycled
from the steps during the last rinsing stage.
More than 80% of
the moisture is removed in the extraction process, preventing the setting of
the creases and reducing the drying time and subsequently saving the energy in
the dryers or ironers.
Finishing:
Hospitals have a unique set of laundry needs that require a specialized approach to meet the demands of the facility. There are several different types of laundry concepts that hospitals can utilize to meet these needs, including on-site laundry, outsourced laundry services, and a hybrid approach.
Each of these concepts has its own benefits and drawbacks, and the best solution for a hospital will depend on a variety of factors, including the volume of laundry, budget, and available space and resources.
It's important for hospitals to carefully evaluate their options and choose the approach that best meets their needs, as the laundry process plays a crucial role in ensuring that patients and staff have clean, sterile linens and garments. By carefully selecting the right laundry concept, hospitals can ensure that they have a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective solution for their laundry needs.
After the linens
are washed and dried, they are taken on to the vacuum finishing table or flat-work
ironer as discussed. After the linen is ironed they are stored in a place to
carry out the delivery process.
Please comment in the comment box if any information is required regarding the laundry equipment. To get more exposure to how disinfected clothes/linens in laundry are done, you can refer to the other article in the same Blog.
Read More
Hospital Laundry Services | In-House | A Complete Guide
Hospital Linen And Laundry Service Management System | Nutshell
What Are The Different Types Of Laundry Concepts For Hospitals?
Do Dry Cleaning Services Come Under Hospitality Sector?
