You may have come to this article through a Google search for ‘can hospital laundry bags be reused?’, or ‘are hospital bags reusable?’ Some are, yes. Many hospitals do use reusable fabric laundry bags made from washable polyester or nylon. However, these aren’t the type of bags we supply at Slik-Pak, and the reasons for this are concerns about infection control.
Reusable hospital laundry bags are laundered alongside soiled linens to make them sanitised and safe to reuse. This ‘safety’ depends on high-temperature washing and the use of strong disinfectants, which can increase laundry costs, and they also require hospital staff to handle potentially contaminated items.
So, which option should you use for handling heavily soiled and contaminated linens? Read on to find out more.
‘Red’ soluble laundry bags are water-soluble bags that are colour-coded red to indicate that they contain biohazardous or contaminated materials. This helps your laundry staff to quickly identify content that requires special precautions and processing. Red laundry bags have a soluble dissolving strip that dissolves completely in hot water during the washing process, which minimises exposure to pathogens and dangerous materials.
Red soluble water bags are frequently used in hospitals, care homes, and other health care facilities in which there is a high risk of infectious contamination from soiled linens – e.g. from operating rooms, intensive care wards, and so on. They are an ideal infection control solution wherever linens are contaminated with bodily fluids, blood, and infectious agents, and when reusable bags are inappropriate to use due to the infection risk.
In summary, typical laundry bags can be reused, but this is not the best solution for handling contaminated items. Soluble laundry bags offer much better infection control. These cannot be reused, which is what makes them such a better option for hygiene and health.
When purchasing soluble hospital laundry bags, it is important that your products meet NHS hygiene standards (e.g. CFPP 01-04) to reduce the risk of healthcare associated infections and contain pathogens effectively. Staff should also always use the appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) when handling soiled linen bags, such as masks, gloves, and aprons, and wash their hands thoroughly afterwards.
The bags themselves are simple and straightforward to use. Place the sealed soluble bags directly into the washing machines without opening, and use the appropriate water temperature and detergents to effectively neutralise pathogens. For most bags, it is recommended that soiled linens are placed directly into the bags at the point of removal, and are sealed securely when two thirds full. We offer both hot- and cold-soluble laundry bags for hospitals.
Get in touch with Slik-Pak today to request a quote for our NHS-grade soluble laundry bags, and find out how they can improve hygiene and infection control at your hospital.
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