I. Preparing linen for transport to the laundry.
A. Laundry from an EID patient will be placed in a laundry bag in the patient’s room.
B. When the bag is full, it will be closed and, at the door, will be placed into a color-coded bag (i.e. double bagged) and placed into the dirty utility room. The person holding the bag outside the room must wear an N-95 mask and gloves. After the bag outside the room has been secured, the person who held the bag should remove their gloves, wash their hands with an antimicrobial soap and water or apply an alcohol hand gel. Then the mask should be removed taking care to avoid contact with the outside of the mask. Then hands should again be washed with an antimicrobial soap and water or an alcohol hand gel applied.
II. Transport of linen.
A. Linen will be transported taking care to avoid opening or bursting the bags during transport.
B. Gloves will be worn for handling laundry bags. After gloves are removed, hands will be washed with an antiseptic soap or an alcohol gel will be applied to the hands.
III. Handling soiled linens from EID patients at the laundry.
A. Laundry personnel who unload the laundry bags from the transport vehicle should wear gloves.
B. Bags should be placed where they will be opened and where the laundry will be placed into the washers.
C. Personnel should then remove their gloves and wash their hands with an antimicrobial soap or apply an alcohol hand gel.
D. Prior to opening laundry bags, personnel will don an N-95 mask (fit tested), goggles, gown and gloves.
E. Laundry should not be sorted before placing it into the washing machine.
F. When removing laundry from bags and placing it into washing machines, it should not be shaken or otherwise handled it in a manner that would aerosolize infectious particles.
G. Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be removed in such a manner as to avoid self contamination from secretions on the outside surfaces of the PPE. (See Policy 3.2 Isolation of Patients with an Emerging Infectious Disease [EID] or a Possible EID).
IV. Decontamination of surfaces with which contaminated laundry came into contact.
A. Contaminated surfaces (e.g. areas with which personnel’s hands come into contact or areas on the outside of the washing machine with which laundry may have come into contact) should be cleaned and decontaminated with a hospital grade disinfectant.
B. Personnel who decontaminate surfaces should wear a gown and gloves.
C. After decontamination, gown and gloves should be removed in such a way as to avoid contamination of hands with an EID agent from the outside surfaces of the gown and gloves.
D. Hands should be washed with an antiseptic soap and water or an alcohol hand gel applied.
V. No further precautions are necessary, because when the laundry is removed from the washing machine, it will have been decontaminated by the washing process.
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