The management of Laundry and Linen is very important, when it comes to infection control. The risk of infection from used linen is minimal if handled properly. The following principles of Standard Precautions apply to the management of laundry and linen and include:
- Perform hand hygiene before handling clean linen.
- Handle used linen carefully to avoid contaminating the environment, e.g. used laundry should not be shaken or placed on the floor or any clean surfaces. Laundry trolley should be taken to the bed side.
- Wear personal protective equipment when contact with laundry and linen soiled with blood or bodily fluids, secretions, and excretions (except sweat) can be anticipated.
- Do not manually sluice soiled laundry. Items soiled with blood or body fluids should be placed in an orange alginate stitched bags or water-soluble bag and laundered as per Section 9.0 Laundry.
- Ensure that laundry is free from sharps and foreign objects such as incontinence wear.
- Perform hand hygiene after handling used linen.
