CleanTex Earns Dual TRSA Certifications

Posted January 28, 2016 at 7:11 pm

Learn More about TRSA Certification

Because they’ve adopted best laundry-industry practices for hygiene and sustainability in serving healthcare operations, CleanTex Services recently was certified for both Hygienically Clean and Clean Green by TRSA.

Based in Linden, NJ, CleanTex operates laundries in Brooklyn, NY, and in Irvington and Trenton, NJ. It serves several hundred hospitals and extended-care facilities in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Customers can rent linen from CleanTex or receive customer-owned goods (COG) service.

The company promotes its washing technology as reducing its fresh water required by 20% or more, with accompanying savings in energy. Higher water temperatures and specialized washing chemicals are credited with producing a more hygienic product than on-premises laundries (OPLs) or homes. Economies of scale facilitate the use of less than half the water and utilities per pound of laundry than an OPL or residence.

The company was recognized last year by Business Fleet magazine for using solar-powered photovoltaic panels to charge batteries that power liftgates. Such batteries allow medium-duty trucks to be shut down for much of the duration of a stop, typically 30 minutes, when powered liftgates are used that whole time for loading and unloading. This resource- and cost-saving measure is part of CleanTex’s effort to reduce idling as much as possible. Furthermore, CleanTex currently is installing solar panels on its 110,000-square-foot laundry building in Trenton to further its push to a greener operation.

“We pride ourselves on being environmentally conscious and tracking every resource used in the course of a day’s work, including water, power and fuel,” says Jacob Zahler, CleanTex’s COO. “We want to reduce our carbon footprint and control our utility costs. It’s the right thing to do and it minimizes our outlay, which helps us keep our charges to customers down.”

Zahler also notes the company’s infection-control policies, which guide measures taken to ensure both the cleanliness of laundered items and the safety of employees. “The best way to care for our customers’ patients and staff and our own employees is to always ensure that safe practices are being used in our locations,” he adds.

Also ensuring cleanliness is the CleanTex quality assurance (QA) program, developed with customers, which is critical to achieving the TRSA Hygienically Clean designation. Certified laundries maintain a QA manual that documents the complete range of processes they use to achieve the Hygienically Clean standard. This gives TRSA inspectors a focal point on arrival for evaluating compliance with these numerous procedures. Inspection produces essential evidence that:

  • Employees are properly trained
  • Managers understand legal requirements
  • The physical plant operates effectively
     

In addition, TRSA requires CleanTex and other Hygienically Clean certified operations to use a third-party lab to measure the microbial content of laundered items, verifying the effectiveness of washing including the elimination of bacteria.

TRSA’s Clean Green certification prompts textile services companies to conserve water and energy and adopt the industry’s best practices for reusing, reclaiming and recycling resources. This also reduces the carbon footprint of customers who use Clean Green laundries. These customers also receive exceptional value as Clean Green laundries wash, dry, finish and deliver textile products with maximum efficiency.

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