Care of linen

this topic is on the care of various cloth items? linen used in the patient care

1. CARE OF LINEN By: Mr. M. Shivananda Reddy

2. linen

3. Care of linen: The linen that is mostly used in hospitals include: Bed sheets Pillow covers Blankets Towels Patient gowns Surgical gowns Curtains Aprons Door mats Linen hampers Hot water bag covers and other cloth items

4. Principles of care of linen: 1 ) The linen cup board should be kept in perfect order. 2) The cup boards should be locked when not in use. 3) Care should be taken to avoid linen being taken home by the patients 4) Stock should be checked at regular intervals. 5) All items should be used for the purposes for which they were made. 6) Torn linen should not be used on the bed but sent for mending

5. 7) Soiled linen should not be placed on the floor 8) Damp linen should be dried immediately. 9) If soiled with urine or motion, these should be rinsed with cold water 10) Remove the strain where straining is unavoidable old linen should be used. 11) The infected linens should be disinfected first. 12) Use mackintosh wherever it is necessary to economize the use of linen.

6. 13. Sheets should be large enough to allow tucking , to prevent pull on mattress corners. 14. Pillow case should be three inches wider than the pillow and six inches longer to provide protection of ends. 15. Soak very soiled linen in warm soapy water for 15 minutes. 16. Rinse well to remove all soap. Bleaching in the sun is preferable.

7. General instructions for removal of strains from the linens: 1) Try whether the strains can be removed with cold water. 2) The strains which contains proteins such as blood, excreta, milk, pus from the wound are coagulated by the application of heat 3) If the strains contained fatty material, hot water and soap should be used .

8. 4) When the strains do not response to the simple methods, bleaching agents may be used such as lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide and bleaching powder. 5) Use equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and dilute ammonia and moisture the strain until disappears.

9. Removal of Specific Stains: Blood stains: Soak immediately in cold water. when the stains disappear, wash them in warm soapy water . If it is old stain, soak them in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. For the thick blood stains on the mattress, apply a thick paste of starch and water and allow to stand in the sun. When the paste is dry and discoloured, brush off the stain

10. Tea coffee: Linen when it is stained with tea and coffee,remove it by pouring milk over it. Wash them in cold water or hot water. Sodium carbonate will remove the stains

11. Rust marks : Apply salt and lime juice and exposed to sun light Ink strain: Sprinkle salt and lime juice and lay in the sun to bleach the strain

12. Care of blankets: These are expensive articles and do not stand washing or steam disinfections. Blankets should be protected by sheets by under and over it. Blankets are cleaned by dry cleaning and disinfect them by exposing them to sun light. When storing blankets should be carefully protected from moth using naphthalene balls.