Linen and laundry in aged care: infection control

Why linen handling matters

Used sheets, towels and clothing can carry germs from skin, urine, faeces and vomit. Shaking or carrying linen against your body spreads those germs onto you, the air and nearby surfaces.

At the bedside

• Wear gloves and an apron when handling soiled linen.
• Never shake linen — roll it up, dirty side inwards.
• Bag it where you remove it; don't put it on the floor, chairs or other residents' furniture.
• Hold bags and bundles away from your uniform.
• Take the linen skip to the room rather than carrying armfuls down the corridor.
• Remove PPE and clean your hands before you touch clean linen.

Soiled and infectious linen

Your service will have a system for linen soiled with body fluids or used by residents with a known infection — often a separate bag colour or a water-soluble bag that goes into the machine unopened. Use the bag your service specifies and don't overfill it.

Keeping clean linen clean

• Store clean linen covered, in a clean area away from used linen.
• Take only what you need into a room — linen that went in shouldn't go back to the store.
• Don't let clean linen touch your uniform or the floor.

Residents' own clothing

Wash personal clothing as your service directs and keep each resident's items separate. Where clothing is heavily soiled, remove solid matter into the toilet or sluice first and wash it separately.

In the laundry

Laundry staff follow procedures for wash temperatures, chemicals and the flow from dirty to clean areas. Wear the PPE provided, and report torn bags or sharps found in linen straight away.