Hygienically Clean – Flexible and Effective
The fifth anniversary of the first certification of a laundry as Hygienically Clean Healthcare represents a milestone in effective linen, uniform and facility services self-regulation, as the certification of nearly 200 more plants since that 2012 breakthrough reflects laundry customers’ acceptance of the program. Hygienically Clean’s qualitative and quantitative protocols are increasingly recognized as a superior means of assessing laundries’ infection control effectiveness, better than government mandates or any guidelines that fail to keep pace with technological advancements in laundering.
The latter approach – outdated regulation that doesn’t account for innovations in laundry processing – is of course still with us, but it’s clearly not gaining ground. For example, TRSA and its members have led efforts against outdated safety efforts, such as California’s Title 22 regulation, which requires that textiles be washed at a minimum temperature of 160° for at least 24 minutes. The California Department of Health Services (CDH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other agencies have conceded that modern laundry processing and detergents can effectively kill microorganisms at lower temperatures and in less time. In an “All Facilities Letter” issued in 2001, the CDH wrote that, “Because of recent new technology and new product formulations, there is good evidence that lower wash water temperature cycles are just as effective as hot water in rendering soiled linen hygienically sanitized.” In light of these findings, and in large part because of TRSA’s advocacy efforts, healthcare providers in California now can obtain an exemption for their laundry partners from Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, Division 5.
TRSA Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb says the CDH is in the process of updating the rule to reflect today’s technology that enables laundries to process goods safely and effectively, while at the same time saving water, chemicals and energy and extending linen life.
“Hygienically Clean’s quantitative and qualitative quality assurance protocols and third-party independent testing are more effective than rules that current technology has shown to be out of date,” Schwalb said. “Clean, safe and efficient is the way to go, and laundries that certify as Hygienically Clean are doing just that.”
An added benefit with Hygienically Clean is that it employs a series of protocols – including internationally recognized standards and quarterly testing of textiles to ensure that they are free of microorganisms that can cause disease – while giving laundry operators a greater degree of flexibility to adjust their product, machinery and chemical use to meet their needs, provided that they meet the standards laid out in the program. The program’s certification procedures (objective third-party inspection and microbial testing) ensure compliance with best-management practices and microbial content thresholds are under the auspices of an advisory board including healthcare professionals and laundry operators facilitated by TRSA.
Hygienically Clean has been the fastest-growing international laundry certification since its inception; the first facility to be certified (November 2012) was AmeriPride Services’ Twin Falls, ID, plant. A total of 179 facilities now are certified with at least one of the four Hygienically Clean designations (one each for serving healthcare, food service and manufacturing and hospitality customers).
In addition, Hygienically Clean-certified laundries use processes, chemicals and best-management practices (BMPs) acknowledged by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and others. Now marking its fifth year of service, Hygienically Clean incorporates the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.
Click here to learn more about Hygienically Clean certification.