Archive for the ‘Cleaning Chemicals’ Category

Janitorial & Industrial Supply Products – Michigan - Tennessee – Wisconsin

Helpful Laundry Tips

1. Sort laundry by like fabrics and discard all trash and debris. Items that don’t belong in the
laundry, such as plastic bags, will interfere with the cleaning and destaining process. Laundry
which is balled or knotted up will not clean properly.

2. Items containing fecal matter or bodily fluids can contaminate the entire load. Washing any
protein stains like this in hot water will actually set the stain, so using COLD water is paramount.
Extremely soiled items should be placed in a presoak solution using COLD water and detergent
for at least 10 minutes prior to washing.

3. Washers must NOT be overstuffed. Overloading inhibits the flow of water through the fabrics
and around the wheel as it rotates. This water flow is necessary for the cleaning process,
particularly for ample rinsing and flushing, which are vital for the removal of free-floating,
water-soluble soils. Finally, overloading of washers hinders the proper dispersing of cleaning
chemicals and can lead to chemical stains and burns.

4. Avoid using too much bleach. Bleach weakens clothes fibers and returns the synthetic polymers back to their original color – YELLOW.

5. Laundry that has been sorted by fabric type will dry around the same time, avoiding cooking
some articles and over-drying others. This will also help save energy.

Other helpful tips:
Be sure to clean & disinfect laundry carts before loading clean clothes. Laundry carts that
carried contaminated laundry will contaminate the clean laundry and spread germs.

Pre-Soaking laundry only takes approximately 10 minutes while re-washing takes 45 minutes or
more.

Clean the lint traps often and thoroughly, laundry will dry quicker.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that “overloading” washing
machines in nursing homes is a HUGE problem. According to the CDC, the entire laundering
process – as it pertains to institutional machines – is effective at eliminating bacteria as long as
certain factors are achieved: sufficient rinsing and flushing of all soiled linen; a high and low pH
range achieved during the detergent and “sour”/neutralizer cycles; the correct concentration of
the bleach bath; and washing and drying temperatures.

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