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Laundry in shelters
Laundry questions and worries from shelters are quite common, but fortunately this is one topic that is fairly simple to deal with:
The rules for laundering:
What can be laundered?
- Towels
- Bedding, blankets and sheets
- Fabric toys
- Leashes and collars
- Scrubs, aprons and other clothing
- Surgical gowns and drapes
Before putting it in the laundry machine:
- In case of heavily contaminated objects:remove as much organic material (dirt and feces) as possible before entering it into the machine. Clumps of hair and feces can retain germs even in the face of a good laundry protocol.
- Do not overload the machine; this is very important for efficient laundering. A proper size load is important for the entire load to be mechanically cleaned, and for the soap and bleach to reach all around.
What to clean with?
- Soap (any commercial laundry detergent will do)
- Hot water
- Bleach (a routine laundry amount, as described for your machine size. Generally the recommended amount is ½ -1 cup per load).
Dry in a dryer or sunlight.
Drying is just as important as cleaning, and is an important tool for killing any germs that may be left after the laundry machine has done its work.
We generally recommend drying in a dryer, as the heat can be very efficient in killing germs, but air drying is also an option. If possible let the laundry hang in direct sun-light, as this is another great way to kill germs during drying.
The following precautions should be taken:
- Do not hang items to dry in humid, dark areas
- Do not overload the dryer
When to discard rather than launder:
This laundry-protocol seems to be sufficient even for some of the more resistant germs; however in some cases you may consider discarding rather than laundering. This is particularly true if you have heavily contaminated items especially when from animals with confirmed, or strongly suspected, infections of:
- Canine Parvovirus
- Feline Panleukopenia
- Ringworm (dermatophytosis)
The reason is that these are germs are very easily spread, and there might be a risk that even a good laundry protocol will not kill all of them, but even more because the transport and handling of this dirty laundry, may easily result in contamination and further spread of the disease.
Other pertinent points:
- Have a clear separation between clean and dirty laundry. These should not be in contact with each other.
- Separate “surgical laundry”, such as surgery gowns and drapes, from the “kennel laundry”, such as bedding, towels and toys.
- Change smock or scrub top after handling heavily soiled laundry, before handling any animals or the clean laundry