Study on laundered towels finds E. Coli, tetanus

Ninety-three percent of the laundered towels used to clean hospital rooms contained bacteria that could result in hospital-acquired infections


Dr. Charles Gerba, a University of Arizona microbiologist, examined the microfiber and cotton cloths used to clean hospital rooms. He found that the very tools being used to wipe germs away could be spreading them around, according to an article on the CleanLink website. 

The study showed 93 percent of the laundered towels used to clean hospital rooms contained bacteria — ranging from E. Coli to total coliforms (bacteria indicative of fecal matter) to Klebsiella  —  all of which could result in hospital acquired infections (HAIs). 

“Some cloths actually had E-coli in them after supposedly being cleaned for re-use in hospital rooms,” Gerba said in the article.

The study identified insufficient laundering practices as one culprit, but also revealed that 67 percent of buckets with disinfectant used to soak cloths contained viable bacteria. 

Read the article.

 

 



May 16, 2014


Topic Area: Maintenance and Operations


Recent Posts

Probiotic Cleaners: The Start of a Cleaning Revolution?

Advantages of probiotic cleaning include fewer resistant genes and cost savings through decreased antibiotic use.


Gun Incident Highlights Need for Security Infrastructure

A man was arrested at Aultman Memorial Hospital after allegedly firing a gun in the ER.


Creative Solutions in Healthcare Acquires 5 Skilled Nursing Facilities

Each location is planned to begin substantial upgrades to infrastructure and resident services.


Over 700 Hospitals at Risk of Closure

Hospitals are citing financial problems at the main cause of potential closure.


Astrana Health Fully Acquires Prospect Health

They completed the acquisition of Prospect Health for a total purchase price of $708 million.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.