Due to the “new normal” that has arisen from the situation that we have all experienced in recent months, now more than ever it is crucial that nursing homes and hospitals take extreme precautions with safety and hygiene. By taking care of how we handle residential laundry, we protect and take care of family and friends who are in residential care.
Domus’ range of industrial and sanitary barrier washing machines can play a vital role in supporting healthcare to residents at this delicate time.
In this post, we will explain the strengths of three of our machines that, if installed together, make any hospital or residential laundry take large steps into the future and ensure that residences receive clean and sanitised linen. Our laundry equipment increases productivity, efficiency and quality at every stage of the laundry process, and above all, it guarantees safety and hygiene in the workplace.
The importance of laundry facilities in nursing homes
Hygiene and disinfection are fundamental elements for nursing homes as these centres must offer optimal hygiene conditions for the safety and well-being of the users.
The washing process must offer and ensure, in addition to removing visible dirt, an adequate elimination of microbiological contamination found in the fabrics.
Professional laundry facilities are essential. Laundries in old people’s homes are responsible for the cleaning and disinfection process of both the users’ clothes and the textile material of the home, such as sheets, blankets, towels, table linen, etc. A good laundry service offers the complete process of washing, drying and distribution of garments.
Benefits of nursing home laundries
A complete laundry service in an old people’s home allows for optimal care of the residents, offering correct and safe hygiene. In this type of service we will find different benefits that we can see below:
- Hygiene increases and prevents the spread of diseases.
- A laundry allows greater control of the residents’ clothes and prevents loss.
- It provides greater confidence in residents and relatives as the in-house laundry service will help in the final choice.
- It allows for personalised laundry if necessary. This is an important benefit as residents require specific care including washing and hygiene of clothing and other textiles.
What should be the key aspects of laundry in a nursing home?
The laundry in a nursing home must guarantee a washing process that avoids cross-contamination by establishing the following key aspects:
- Differentiate the dirty linen area from the clean linen area, establishing a sanitary barrier.
- Use elements such as trolleys or containers to transport both dirty linen and clean linen indistinctly.
- Ventilate the laundry properly and regularly.
- Do not shake out or leave soiled linen in any area of the laundry.
- Staff should organise themselves into soiled and clean areas to prevent the soiled linen processing team from handling clean linen.
- Maintain proper personal hygiene as well as hygiene of the laundry and any utensils or machines used.
How does a laundry in nursing homes work?
After taking into account the different key aspects, we will explain how a laundry works in a nursing home, what steps are followed to achieve a good washing of the garments and how the laundry areas are divided for optimal and total results.
The laundry is divided into different areas: washing, drying and ironing.
The washing area is responsible for receiving the laundry, sorting the garments, preparing the loads and the washing machines, preparing the appropriate programme and starting the washing process. This is the most important step as it is where special care must be taken when receiving the dirty linen, taking into account that it must not be mixed with the linen that has already finished the washing process. The drying area is responsible for unloading the laundry from the washing machines once the washing programme has finished, sorting the different clean garments and taking them to the drying and ironing machines. The equipment in this area is also responsible for ironing, folding and quality control of the garments processed in the washing and drying area.
In order to achieve a correct operation in the washing process and optimum results, it must be taken into account, above all, to differentiate the dirty linen area from the clean linen area in each of the processes. Otherwise, the sorting, washing, drying and ironing process must be repeated.
Why is a laundry in a nursing home so important?
Laundry in a nursing home is essential to ensure good hygiene, comfort, autonomy and health of the residents, as well as to prevent infections and their possible spread. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories and healthcare facilities need to clean and disinfect garments faster.
Laundries are responsible for cleaning and disinfecting at high temperatures and with chemicals that are necessary to protect and prevent the spread of the coronavirus through hygiene. Therefore, laundries are essential for cleaning the clothes of patients and medical staff in hospitals, health care centres, nursing homes, etc.
In such centres, hygiene must be maintained with extreme care in terms of disinfection and cleanliness, with garments being handled only within the centre’s premises.
The laundries have specific machinery, with the best technology that adapts to the new washing and drying methods. The domus equipment allows a washing process to be carried out with larger quantities of clothes and at high temperatures that allow the garments to be disinfected more quickly and efficiently.
Below we explain in more detail our machinery ideal for laundries in nursing homes:
Domus machines for laundries in old people’s homes
Washing machines with sanitary barrier: ASM-16, 22 TOUCH II
This is an industrial washer extractor with sanitary barrier specifically designed for hospital environments and nursing homes.
Its double door system prevents cross-contamination between dirty and clean laundry at all times, and can process 16 or 22 kilos of laundry per wash, depending on the model chosen.
In terms of efficiency, it has a high G-Factor and we have also incorporated the new TOUCH II microprocessor, with a 4.3″ touch screen on one side and the possibility of installing a second screen on the other.
Thanks to the Domus Connect connectivity, you will be able to control the level of water and detergent savings, the analysis in real time as the internet connection is made via Ethernet connection and allows you to access the world of IoT and enjoy all its advantages. Also, you will have 8 standard dosing signals, preset low consumption programmes and the possibility of loading personalised programmes thanks to its USB connection. Domus Connect represents a before and after in the management of machines in the laundry sector in nursing homes.
What’s more, you can connect it to a water recovery tank and further reduce its annual consumption.
Single drum dryer DTT 22 ECO-ENERGY
In this case, we are dealing with an industrial dryer for residences with which you will achieve excellent drying quality, together with a degree of energy efficiency that makes its purchase a profitable and safe investment for any geriatric home, residence or health centre.
The truth is that with this line of dryers we have started a revolution in terms of efficiency for many reasons: humidity control system and intelligent air recirculation, thermal insulation of the cabinet and double glazing on the door, large dirt filter, axial-radial air flow system, the new 7″ TOUCH II, consult all the information on tumble dryers with rotary drum. All this is possible thanks to the Domus Connect system that allows greater control over the different machines in a laundry in nursing homes or other healthcare centres.
Prepared to work with wet cleaning, they have minimal maintenance tasks, great ergonomics and a high degree of connectivity.
Calender CM-2650 TOUCH II
Our ironers, such as the CM-2650 model, are conceived to offer the best performance and productivity in modern laundries. With remarkable energy efficiency and time saving options, they have been designed to optimise both production and time, always offering the best quality in the final result, in laundries that have to process large quantities of flatwork linen on a daily basis.
This is thanks to a series of state-of-the-art features, such as the EFFICIENT IRON system that allows you to keep an exhaustive control of the humidity; the new TOUCH II (only on Ø 500/650 mm models), radiant gas burner, rear exit, longitudinal folder, connectivity, versatility…
Would you like to receive detailed information and personalised service?
Deciding on a specific model of industrial washing machine or tumble dryer is not at all easy if you do not know the sector or the applications of each machine in depth.
If you would like one of our sales representatives to give you personalised advice, just fill in the contact form which you can find by clicking on this link. You can also call us on (+34) 93 888 71 53 or send us an e-mail to domus@domuslaundry.com.
