Laundry hygiene-how to get more than clean

Abstract

Summary Although laundering should mainly remove stains and dirt from used and worn textiles, the elimination of microbial contamination is an important aim of the laundry process as well. While industrial and institutional laundering employs standardized processes using high temperatures (i.e. 60°C and above) and bleaching agents to ensure a sufficient hygienic reconditioning of textiles, domestic laundering processes are less defined and not always led by purposeful aims. The strive for energy efficiency of household appliances has resulted in a decrease in washing temperatures in Europe during the last decades and convenience aspects led to an increased use of liquid detergents that do not contain bleach which in turn impacts the antimicrobial efficacy of domestic laundering. This review compiles the different factors that influence the input and removal of micro‐organisms in the laundering process and discusses the possible adverse effects of microbial contaminants in the washing machine and on the textiles as well as suitable counteractions.

A New Method to Evaluate the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Domestic Laundry Detergents

“…For nearly all tested microbial strains, the LR at 30 °C and 40 °C were very similar, independent from the use of AOB or an increased main wash duration. This confirms the findings of studies using a domestic washing machine and T. mentagrophytes as a fungal test strain (Amichai et al, ; Bloomfield et al, ; Bockmühl, , ; Honisch et al, , ).…”

“…While there was no cross‐contamination detectable when AOB was used, a significant transfer of microbial cells could be observed with the bleach‐free detergents at temperatures lower than 30 °C, and—for shorter durations—also at 40°C. This preventive effect of AOB‐containing detergents has previously been shown in several other studies dealing with domestic laundering processes (Arild et al, ; Bockmühl, ; Honisch et al, , ). Furthermore, it could be shown that not only the addition of AOB detergents but also higher washing temperatures (e.g., 60 °C) might prevent cross‐contamination.…”

“…It has been shown that laundering should be considered as one mean to prevent the spread of pathogenic organisms that can be present on used or worn textiles to break the chain of infection (Bloomfield et al, ). This concept is not limited to clinical settings since also the domestic environment might pose a considerable infection risk in terms of certain diseases such as gastrointestinal infections, when considering the rising number of elderly and ill people being nursed at home or the continuing trend toward lower wash temperatures and the use of liquid, bleach‐free detergents (Bloomfield et al, , ; Bockmühl, ; Kagan et al, ).…”

Influence of Sampling Site and other Environmental Factors on the Bacterial Community Composition of Domestic Washing Machines

“…The cleaning efficiency of a washing machine is depending on the mechanical circulation of the washing drum, the flooding of the fabric with water and detergents, as well as an appropriate washing time and water temperature [3][4][5]. Mainly for environmental reasons, the washing process has been adapted to sustain energy in order to conserve resources and reduce costs [6]. Sustainable washing trends include washing at lower temperatures, a reduced water consumption and an increased use of bleach-free liquid detergent [7].…”

Quality control study of hospital laundry in a tertiary care hospital

“…Biofilms could be a potential reservoir for pathogens and might detach during the washing process and recontaminate the laundry. In this regard it can be assumed that the washing process may cause a shift in the microbial community on textiles form primary contaminants (skin bacteria) to secondary contaminants (biofilm-associated environmental bacteria) and that the water itself can also be a source for recontamination and contribute to secondary contamination [11].…”