Every aspect of caring for patients is sensitive. Whether assisting in their care prior to a procedure or helping them through the recovery process, it’s important to handle every moment with poise and dignity.
While hospitals can create calm, professional environments by assembling a highly-skilled team of hospital staff, it’s the small things that stick in a patient’s mind, creating positive (or negative) associations with their stay.
Cleanliness practices and processes — such as hospital laundry procedures or deodorizing patient rooms, waiting areas, and recovery rooms — are great ways to boost the morale of hospital staff and improve patients’ mental states.
Find out how to improve hospital laundry procedures and the kind of positive effect those practices can have to keep patients safe and healthcare staff happy.
Regularly Freshen Linens and Pillows
Staying in the hospital can be a fearful, stressful experience. It’s not only important that patient health is protected through rigorous cleaning procedures, but that patients feel comfortable and clean throughout their stay. Lingering smells or odors related to care should be eliminated to aid in recovery and treatment.
When pillows or linens are soiled, they should be stripped immediately and laundered. For substances that are potentially harmful, stained linens should always be sorted immediately, inspected, and washed according to fabric guidelines.
While soiled linens are in the wash, supplement the hospital laundry process with Fresh Wave IAQ Laundry Additive. Most laundry detergents are designed to clean linens of dirt, stains, and grime. However, tough odors can be linger even after multiple wash cycles. Fresh Wave IAQ’s Laundry Additive is chemically developed to neutralize deep-set malodors from sources like feces, urine, vomit, and sweat.
When linens are returned to patient rooms, remove residual odor molecules in the air with Odor Removing Gels and Air & Fabric Spray.
Manage Odors in Fitness and Recovery Rooms
We’re all familiar with that unmistakable gym smell: sweat, body odor, mildew. But rarely do we associate that combination of scents with a hospital. For healthcare facilities with residents undergoing physical therapy or rehab, it is just as important to manage odors in the hospital fitness center as it is for patient rooms and lobbies.
Depending on the facility’s washroom capabilities, it can be beneficial to manage cleanliness by including sweaty towels and microfiber cloths in hospital laundry procedures. Restore freshness to sweaty, mildewy towels with Fresh Wave IAQ Laundry Additive. This natural odor eliminator is safe to use on microfiber and will not irritate a patient’s skin.
For additional odor relief, spray down workout equipment like yoga balls, dumbbells, and exercise mats with Fresh Wave IAQ Air & Surface Spray. For continuous odor elimination, Fresh Wave IAQ Odor Removing Gel can discreetly mount to a wall above workout equipment. As it evaporates, the natural plant oils in these powerful Gels absorb and neutralize airborne odor molecules.
Effectively Launder Cleanup Rags
When messes or spills occur in a hospital, it is not recommended for staff to clean with towels or linens. Instead, most hospital laundry procedures require nurses and doctors to use designated rags. Regularly, bins collect these cleaning rags and odors can embed deep within cloth fibers.
Boost laundry cycles for cleaning rags with Fresh Wave IAQ Laundry Additive. This laundry supplement uses a proprietary formula of plant oils and water to create a natural odor eliminator that holds up against any malodor.
Deodorize Staff Uniforms and Linens
Many doctors and nurses wash their uniforms at home. While this practice is common and cost-effective, it isn’t necessarily recommended. Due to the type of germs healthcare workers contact during a shift, a residential washing machine and at-home laundry detergent may not be enough to combat hospital bacteria. Healthcare facilities which launder doctors’ and nurses’ uniforms can reduce the spread of germs and promote consistent cleanliness practices.
Sort staff uniforms in a designated area in laundry rooms or use color-coded laundry bags to ensure uniforms aren’t mixed or lost. Wash staff uniforms with disinfecting detergents and use industrial washing machines that can maintain high levels of heat to kill bacteria. Additionally, boost odor removal by supplementing with Fresh Wave IAQ Laundry Additive. Lingering smells from everyday wear are neutralized thanks for the power of its natural plant oil blend.
They may seem like small details, but the hospital laundry process is a great place to introduce subtle improvements to the patient experience. Effective laundry practices help set patients at ease by providing a clean, safe environment. Removing odors is a key piece.
