Care and maintenance of fabrics in institutions

The essentials

Hospitals, hotels, hostels, railways and airlines use large quantities of bed linen, towels, uniforms, table linen and curtains. These are cleaned in an institutional (or commercial) laundry, either in-house or outsourced. Proper care keeps fabrics clean, hygienic and attractive and makes them last longer, which saves money.

The usual steps are: collection → sorting → stain removal → washing → rinsing → drying → ironing/finishing → folding → storage and distribution. Sorting is done by fibre, colour, degree of soiling and type of article. In hospitals, soiled and infected linen is handled separately in marked bags and disinfected to prevent spread of infection.

Key points

• Equipment: washer-extractors, tumble dryers, flatwork ironers (for sheets and tablecloths), steam presses.
• Soaps form scum in hard water; synthetic detergents work well in hard water.
• Oxidising bleaches: sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) for cotton and linen; it damages wool and silk. Hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate is milder and safe for protein fibres.
• Reducing bleaches: sodium hydrosulphite, sodium bisulphite.
• Stains: protein stains (blood, egg, milk) — wash first in cold water, since hot water sets them; grease stains — absorbents or solvents; rust — mild acid such as oxalic acid or lemon juice.
• Wool felts and shrinks with heat and rubbing, so it needs lukewarm water and gentle handling.
• Dry cleaning uses organic solvents instead of water; suitable for wool, silk and structured garments.
• Optical brighteners make white fabrics look whiter.

Exam tips

Questions often give a fabric and a stain and ask for the correct treatment. Think fibre first, then stain.

Common mistakes

Using chlorine bleach on silk or wool; treating a blood stain with hot water.