Care of linen

care of line

1. CARE OF LINEN

2. INTRODUCTION Linen and laundry services are responsible for providing safe, clean, adequate and timely supply linen to user units of hospital at right time, right price and right place.

3. Types of linen

4. TYPES 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

5. Purpose

6. To give a good aesthetic sense to the patient To keep the patient clean, dry and comfortable To prevent spread of infection To remove stains To avoid infestations with bugs To prolong life of items

7. The linen cup board should be kept in perfect order. The cup boards should be locked when not in use. Care should be taken to avoid linen being taken home by the patients Stock should be checked at regular intervals. All items should be used for the purposes for which they were made. Torn linen should not be used on the bed but sent for mending Soiled linen should not be placed on the floor Damp linen should be dried immediately. 9)If soiled with urine or motion,

8. 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. 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

9. REMOVAL OF STRAINS FROM THE LINENS

10. 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. 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.

11. Removal of Specific Stains

12. Blood stains

13. 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 discolored, brush off the stain

14. Tea coffee -

15. 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

16. Rust marks Apply salt and lime juice and exposed to sun light

17. Ink stain Sprinkle salt and lime juice and lay in the sun to bleach the strain

18. Medicine stain apply spirit and wash as usual.

19. LINEN MANAGEMENT IN WARDS/ICU

20. Regularly send the dirty linen to laundry for washing and ironing. Protect the mattress area with draw mackintosh from potential areas of soiling like the middle part. Use mackintoshes over top sheet during therapeutic procedure Remove fresh stains, using appropriate solvent Routinely inspect and send torn linen for repair Send indents on time to keep extra linen at hand Fold and keep different linen sorted out in cupboards with label Never put used linen on floor. Use laundry boxes/bags Maintain a record of the linen sent for laundry

21. CARE OF BLANKETS

22. 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.

23. SUMMARY Today we have learned about the hospital linen, types of linen and purpose of care of linen. We also discussed about the principles of care of linen, the techniques of stain removal from linen and the steps for linen management in wards/ICU, along with the care of blankets  

24. CONCLUSION Linen loss is a huge issue in the healthcare industry. While losing a baby blanket or a towel here and there may not seem like much, it adds up. Linen loss costs the healthcare industry an average of $840 million each year. Finding ways to reduce linen loss makes a difference when it comes to medical practice’s finances.