How the Nursing Home Works with Safe and Gentle Laundry Care

Laundry care is an important part of the care in the nursing home and is about both preserving the residents' clothes in good condition and ensuring good hygiene. The staff need to have knowledge about correct laundry routines, care advice and handling of clothes to avoid mistakes that can cause damage to textiles and irritation for relatives.

The Importance of Gentle Laundry Care in the Nursing Home

For the residents, clothes are a part of their identity and well-being. Wearing whole, clean and well-fitting clothes contributes to both self-esteem and comfort. Therefore, it is crucial that the nursing home has clear routines for laundry and clothes care, so that each resident gets their clothes back in the same condition they were handed in.

Common problems with laundry care in nursing homes:  
- Clothes are ruined in the wash due to incorrect temperature or wrong washing program.  
- Garments are mixed up and end up with the wrong person.  
- Detergent residues remain in the clothes and can cause skin irritation.  
- Tumble drying unnecessarily wears out or shrinks clothes.  
- Clothes with stains are washed at too low temperatures, which means that bacteria can spread between residents.  

How do we avoid clothes being ruined in the wash?

To avoid clothes being ruined, the nursing home needs to work with:  
- Clear laundry routines where the staff follow recommended temperatures and washing programs.  
- Labeling of clothes to reduce the risk of mix-ups.  
- Gentle detergents that are rinsed out properly to avoid skin irritation.  
- Separation of sensitive garments that require special washing.  
- Regular follow-up and documentation of laundry-related problems.  

What do the laundry symbols mean?

To understand how a garment should be washed, it is important to know the laundry symbols. Here are some of the most common:

| Symbol | Meaning|
|------------|----------------|
| 🧺 30° | Wash at a maximum of 30 degrees |
| 🧺 40° | Wash at a maximum of 40 degrees |
| 🧺 60° | Wash at a maximum of 60 degrees (hygienic wash) |
| 🧺 90° | Boiling wash – rarely used for private clothes |
| ✖️🧺 | Do not machine wash |
| 🔄 | Can be tumble dried |
| ❌🔄 | Do not tumble dry |
| 🧽 | Hand wash only |
| ✖️🧽 | Do not wash with water (dry cleaning required) |
| 🧺♻️ | Gentle wash required (e.g. wool program) |

By following these symbols, the staff can ensure that the clothes are washed gently and retain their quality.

How do we reduce the risk of mixing up clothes?

To ensure that each resident gets their own clothes back, the nursing home can:  
- Label all clothes with names before they are used for the first time.  
- Use separate laundry bags for each resident if possible.  
- Have a checklist where the laundry is checked off before it is returned.  
- Inform relatives about the importance of labeling new clothes.  

Hygiene and Laundry – a Balance Between Cleanliness and Gentleness

A challenge in laundry at nursing homes is to ensure that the clothes become hygienically clean while not being ruined. Since many private clothes only tolerate 30 or 40 degrees, not all bacteria can be killed in the wash. Therefore, it may be good to run at least every other machine at 60 degrees to minimize the risk of bacterial spread.
How the nursing home can work with hygiene in laundry handling:  
- Ensure that washing machines and tumble dryers are cleaned regularly.  
- Run a wash at a higher temperature between low-temperature washes to kill bacteria.  
- Use separate detergent for white wash and color wash.  
- Wash work clothes separately from the residents' clothes.  
- Have a clear routine for handling laundry that may be contagious.  

How do we handle mistakes in laundry?

Despite clear routines, mistakes can happen. If a resident's clothes are ruined in the wash, it is important that the business handles it in a professional and responsible manner. It is also good if there is documentation about who started a washing machine. In this way, that person can receive feedback about their mistake and avoid repeating it.

Measures in case of mistakes in the laundry:  
- Document the event through a deviation.  
- Inform the resident or relative about what happened.  
- Review routines to avoid the same mistake happening again.  
- If the fault lies with the staff, the residence should be able to replace the ruined garment.  

Reflection Questions - Laundry Care
Care Staff:  
- What can you do to reduce the risk of someone's clothes being ruined in the wash?  
- Do you have good routines for laundry handling?  
- Does it happen that clothes are mixed up between residents in the unit?  

Manager, Nurse, Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist:  
- Are there functioning laundry routines?  
- How do you handle damaged garments?  
- Are there routines for handling complaints about laundry?  

Residents and Relatives:  
- Do you feel that the laundry care works well in the nursing home?  
- Do you notice that your relative's clothes are whole and clean?  

Erland Olsson
Specialist nurse
Sofrosyne - Better Care Every Day