Laundry Training

1
Laundry Training
2
How soiled or contaminated laundry is handled is
very important for the safety and well-being of
residents and staff. What is the difference
between soiled and contaminated laundry? Laundry
is soiled if it has been handled or used. Laundry
is contaminated if there is blood or other body
fluids (semen, vaginal secretions, saliva with
visible blood, etc.) present on the item.
3
If a person has an infectious disease (hepatitis,
MRSA, other multiple drug-resistant organisms) or
is on contact precautions, then their feces or
vomitus also causes laundry to be
contaminated. To be safe from potentially
infectious materials, as well as for good hygiene
practices, you should always wear gloves when
handling soiled or contaminated laundry. You
should also remove or change to clean gloves
before handling clean laundry.
4
Handling Soiled Laundry
Laundry at JIRDC consists of personal clothing
belonging to the people who live here. Laundry
also includes state-owned items such as linens,
towels, washcloths, and clothing protectors.
5
Soiled laundry should be handled as little and as
carefully as possible. Dirty linens are to be
placed in laundry bags and closed at the area of
use instead of carrying them uncovered to other
locations.
All bathing areas in the homes have containers
for soiled laundry.
6
Handling Contaminated Laundry
Personal clothing of the people who live at JIRDC
is washed in the homes. If clothing is
contaminated and can not be washed immediately,
it must be placed in a red bag.
Clothing that is contaminated with blood or other
body fluids should be removed immediately and
washed in the area. This includes both resident
and staff clothing.
7
NOTE If your clothing becomes contaminated it
must be washed at JIRDC. Your supervisor will
assist you in getting clothing from the Treasure
Shop if you do not have a change of clothes.
All home bathing areas have separate containers
for clothes and linens that have been
contaminated by blood and other potentially
infectious body fluids.
8
State-owned items that are contaminated with
blood and body fluids are washed at Broughton
Hospital.
Contaminated laundry that is being sent to
Broughton Hospital must be placed inside a
water-soluble bag. The water-soluble bag is then
placed inside a heavy-duty red plastic bag.
9
Washing Personal Clothes
The following steps outline how to wash personal
clothes that are NOT soiled with feces or
vomitus. (Clothing that is soiled with feces or
vomitus must be rinsed prior to placing it in the
washing machine. These steps will be outlined
later.)
10
STEP 1
Sort clothes. Clothes are to be separated by
color as follows

• Dark fabrics
• White and light-colored fabrics

Clothes should also be sorted by water
temperature to be used. Check labels in clothing
for washing instructions.
11
STEP 2
Set washer to desired wash cycle. Fill washing
machine with water.
12
STEP 3
Add laundry detergent. The amount of detergent to
be used depends on the machine. Each machine
will have specific instructions regarding how
much detergent to use.
13
STEP 4
Put sorted clothing loosely into the machine.
DO NOT OVERLOAD. NOTE Dark fabrics should be
washed together. White and light-colored fabrics
should be washed together.
14
STEP 5
Close the lid or door of the washer. The
machine will start washing.
15
Washing Personal Clothes

• Sort clothes.
• Set washer to desired wash cycle. Fill washing
  machine with water.
• Add laundry detergent.
• Put sorted clothing loosely into the machine.
• Close the lid or door of the washer.

16
Rinsing Soiled or Contaminated Clothes
Many people who live at JIRDC are incontinent
(unable to control their bladder or bowels).
Even with the use of disposable briefs and/or
cloth briefs, clothing will become soiled with
urine or feces.
Personal clothing protectors may also become
soiled with food or vomitus. Soiled clothing
should be removed and placed on a towel or in a
red bag (if contaminated) until you are finished
assisting the person with changing his or her
clothes. The following steps outline how to
prepare soiled or contaminated clothes for
washing. These steps begin after the person is
clean and out of the bathroom.
17
STEP 1
Staff must wear gloves.
18
STEP 2
Staff must rinse clothing soiled with feces or
vomitus. The photo illustrates rinsing clothing
in a hopper.
19
STEP 2 (cont.)
If a hopper is not available, rinse the clothing
in a commode or in an area where a sprayer can be
used.
20
STEP 3
Carefully inspect all rinsed clothing. No solid
feces or other body waste such as vomitus should
be visible on the clothing that will be placed in
the washing machine.
21
STEP 4
Clean hopper or commode with an EPA-approved
disinfectant (Spectr-O-Cide).
22
STEP 5a
If the washing machine is available, wash soiled
clothes immediately.
23
STEP 5b
If the washing machine is not available, rinse
the clothes and place them in a red biohazard bag
to be washed later.
24
IMPORTANT!
If a person has an infectious disease (hepatitis,
MRSA, other multiple drug-resistant organisms) or
is on contact precautions, clothes should be
washed separately. The washing machine must
then be disinfected after the clothes finish
washing. The procedure for sanitizing machines
with Clorox follows.
25
Rinsing Soiled or Contaminated Clothes

• Staff must wear gloves.
• Staff must rinse clothing soiled with feces or
  vomitus in a hopper or commode or in an area
  where a sprayer can be used.
• Carefully inspect all rinsed clothing.
• Clean hopper or commode with an EPA-approved
  disinfectant.
• If the washing machine is available, wash soiled
  clothes immediately. If the washing machine is
  not available, rinse the clothes and place them
  in a red biohazard bag to be washed later.

26
Sanitizing Washing Machines
The washing machines in each home are used to
wash the clothes of all of the people living in
that home. More than one persons clothing are
being washed in the same washer.
In order to prevent cross contamination, it is
the policy of JIRDC that every washer be
sanitized at least once a day. Washers will also
be sanitized between loads when clothes that
belong to someone with hepatitis, MRSA, other
multiple drug-resistant organisms or with contact
precautions are washed.
27
Sanitizing Washing Machines
Each home at JIRDC will establish a time to
sanitize the washer(s) in that home. A
recording sheet to document the date, time, and
staff name will be placed at each washer. In
addition, a Washer Being Sanitized Do Not Use
tag will also be readily available near the
washer. The following steps outline the proper
procedure for sanitizing washing machines.
28
STEP 1
Set washer to desired wash cycle. Fill the
empty washer (no clothes inside) with water.
29
STEP 2
Designated staff (the person who will be
sanitizing the washer) puts on gloves and
protective goggles.
30
STEP 3
Designated staff measures 2 cups of Clorox bleach
and pours it into the washer.
31
STEP 4
Designated staff closes the lid or door of the
washer so that the machine starts washing. It
is critical that the washer completes the wash,
rinse, and spin cycles.
32
STEP 5
Designated staff places a Washer Being Sanitized
Do Not Use tag on the washer. This alerts all
staff not to place any clothes in the washer
during this wash cycle.
33
STEP 6
Designated staff completes the recording sheet.
The recording sheet requires the date and time
that the washer was sanitized. It also requires
the name of the person who sanitized the washer.
34
STEP 7
Sanitization of the washer(s) in the home is
included on the appropriate shift exchange
checklist. The checklist is signed off by the
outgoing and incoming shift personnel each day.
35
IMPORTANT!
Staff will report any foul odors that are
detected from the washer(s) after a wash cycle to
the Home Coordinator. The Home Coordinator will
make sure that a work order is completed.
36
Sanitizing Washing Machines

• Set washer to desired wash cycle. Fill the empty
  washer with water.
• Designated staff puts on gloves and protective
  goggles.
• Designated staff measures 2 cups of Clorox bleach
  and pours it into the washer.
• Designated staff closes the lid or door of the
  washer so that the machine starts washing.
• Designated staff places a Washer Being Sanitized
  Do Not Use tag on the washer.
• Designated staff completes the recording sheet.
• Sanitization of the washer(s) in the home is
  included on the appropriate shift exchange
  checklist.

37
Preparing Laundry for Broughton Hospital
Broughton Hospital is responsible for washing and
drying towels, washcloths, sheets, blankets,
clothing protectors, pink pads, and cloth briefs
used by the people who live at JIRDC.
Broughton Hospital is also responsible for
washing and drying comforters that belong to
individuals and are their personal property.
38
Preparing Laundry for Broughton Hospital
Because comforters are personal property, it is
critical that the marking room marks all
comforters. The marking room has a tag that
will withstand the washing procedure without
coming off. (Permanent markers wash off after
two or three weeks.)
TIP When purchasing comforters, buy a comforter
that is a 50/50 blend. These withstand the
washing and drying process used at Broughton.
39
Preparing Laundry for Broughton Hospital
REMEMBER If an item is soiled or contaminated
with feces or other human waste, it should be
rinsed so that no solid human waste is left on
the item.
If the item was used with a person who has an
infectious disease (hepatitis, MRSA, other
multiple drug-resistant organisms) or is on
contact precautions, then after rinsing, the item
should be placed in a water-soluble bag and a red
bag.
40
Thanks for Completing the Laundry Training