Washing work clothes: What to consider now

Companies that wash their own workwear or leave this to their employees are currently facing uncertainties in their laundry supply. Expert knowledge regarding the correct washing technique and procedures is required. CWS Hygiene Manager Debbie Hartung has compiled helpful hints on washing workwear during the current situation for companies.

7 recommendations for washing work clothes

1. Wearing of professional clothing: Each employee in the team should always wear only his or her own professional clothing. This is generally recommended. But especially at this point in time, jackets should not be lent to colleagues or similar.
2. Wear clothes during working hours: Professional clothing should be worn only while performing work. Clothing should not be worn after hours and should be kept separate from personal clothing.
3. Wash separately: Professional clothing should not be washed together with private laundry. Ideally, they should not be washed in the same washing machine. Currently, no transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to objects is known - but this is an important precautionary measure that should also be observed as a rule.
4. Temperature as high as possible: Professional clothing should be washed at the highest possible temperature that your clothing allows. Ideally at 60 degrees, because at these temperatures, in combination with a heavy-duty detergent, the coronaviruses are inactivated, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
5. Wash work clothes with full detergent: Work clothes should be washed with full detergent. The composition of the ingredients works most effectively in combating viruses.
6. Conduct in suspected cases:
   a) Washing at 60 degrees with a heavy-duty detergent: According to the Robert Koch Institute, clothing belonging to an employee infected with COVID-19 should be washed at a minimum of 60 degrees with a heavy-duty detergent and then dried thoroughly. After loading the machine, hands should be thoroughly washed and dried.
   b) Store clothing separately for one week: If reprocessing is only possible at a lower temperature, it is recommended to store the clothing separately in a bag for at least one week and then wash it as usual. Since coronaviruses are not very stable in the environment, they have an infectivity of a few hours to a few days on dry surfaces, according to the German Federal Risk Assessment.
7. Textile service providers inform: Companies that already use a textile service provider must urgently observe its instructions for handling potentially contaminated laundry. In case of suspected cases in the company, please inform CWS in advance by telephone. The service driver will then pick up the linen in separate containers and the vehicles will be disinfected afterwards.

Source: CWS-boco Suisse SA