TSA and De Montfort University
announce new laundry hygiene protocols
Laundering textiles plays an
important role in maintaining hygienic cleanliness but is particularly
sensitive in settings like food production and healthcare. Following a
collaborative research project between the Textile Services Association and De
Montfort University to establish a hygiene protocol test for laundries, the two
organisations have announced the results, with the aim to help guarantee laundry
is cleaned hygienically.
The study was run by Professor
Katie Laird, a microbiologist at De Montfort University. Professor Laird and
her research team have extensive experience in studying healthcare textiles,
publishing papers that demonstrated how long bacteria can survive on clothing, and
wash processes that can decontaminate laundry, among others.
The vital nature of ensuring
laundry is hygienically clean was highlighted as a result of the Covid-19
pandemic, during which the focus of the research project switched to determine whether
Coronavirus could survive on and be transmitted by textiles.
Professor Laird and her team
were able to determine that it could survive on textiles, however if laundry
was washed at 60⁰C for ten minutes or 71⁰C for three minutes it would be decontaminated.
This knowledge helped save the laundry industry millions of pounds, as well as
preventing an increase in the industry’s carbon footprint, by making a planned
increase to 90⁰C washes unnecessary.
Following this the focus of
the research returned to developing test protocols for all laundry processes
over 60⁰C, ensuring that bacteria is being killed by the wash process. The
resulting protocol has been adopted by the NHS, but TSA and De Montfort University
will be continuing their collaboration to understand the needs of other
healthcare related sectors, such as care homes, in order to help improve
standards.
“As many members of the TSA provide
laundry services for the healthcare sector it is vital that we support them to
ensure they are attaining the highest possible standards,” says David Stevens,
chief executive officer of the TSA. “This study has already delivered amazing
results and a robust procedure for ensuring laundry safety, and we will
continue to support future research.”
Professor Laird is certain
about the importance of the collaboration between De Montfort University and
the TSA. “We have worked together to create an internationally recognised
protocol for standardising the assessment of the decontamination of laundry,”
she says. “It’s important progress for the laundry industry and the next phase
of research will be equally exciting for other sectors.”
Further information on the new
hygiene protocols can be found HERE
The TSA is the trade
association for the textile care services industry. The TSA
represents commercial laundry and textile rental businesses. Membership
ranges from family-run operations through to large, multi-national
companies. Visit www.tsa-uk.org
for more information.
Press Enquiries:
The Publicity Works: 01263 761000; teaboy@publicityworks.biz
David Stevens, CEO, Textile Services Association,
T: +44 (0)20 3151 5600 M:
+44 (0)7966 531954 E:
david.stevens@tsa-uk.org
Get the latest news on the TSA from tsa-uk.org or from
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