This document provides guidance on the proper care of linen in a hospital setting. It discusses the various types of linen used, including bed sheets, pillow covers, blankets, towels, patient and surgical gowns. It outlines principles for linen care such as keeping cupboards orderly, locked when not in use, and checking stock regularly. Guidance is provided for cleaning soiled linen, including rinsing urine or feces with cold water. Specific instructions are included for removing stains like blood, tea, coffee, rust and ink. Blankets should be protected by sheets and cleaned through dry cleaning rather than washing.

1. CARE OF LINEN
By:
Mr. M. Shivananda Reddy

2. linen

3. Care of linen:
• The linen that is mostly used in hospitals include:
1. Bed sheets
2. Pillow covers
3. Blankets
4. Towels
5. Patient gowns
6. Surgical gowns
7. Curtains
8. Aprons
9. Door mats
10.Linen hampers
11.Hot water bag covers and other cloth items

4. Principles of care of linen:
1) The linen cup board should be kept in perfect
order.
2) The cup boards should be locked when not in use.
3) Care should be taken to avoid linen being taken
home by the patients
4) Stock should be checked at regular intervals.
5) All items should be used for the purposes for which
they were made.
6) Torn linen should not be used on the bed but sent
for mending

5. 7) Soiled linen should not be placed on the floor
8) Damp linen should be dried immediately.
9) If soiled with urine or motion, these should be
rinsed with cold water
10) Remove the strain where straining is unavoidable
old linen should be used.
11) The infected linens should be disinfected first.
12) Use mackintosh wherever it is necessary to
economize the use of linen.

6. 13. Sheets should be large enough to allow tucking ,
to prevent pull on mattress corners.
14. Pillow case should be three inches wider than the
pillow and six inches longer to provide protection of
ends.
15. Soak very soiled linen in warm soapy water for 15
minutes.
16. Rinse well to remove all soap. Bleaching in the sun
is preferable.

7. General instructions for removal of
strains from the linens:
1) Try whether the strains can be removed with cold
water.
2) The strains which contains proteins such as blood,
excreta, milk, pus from the wound are coagulated
by the application of heat
3) If the strains contained fatty material, hot water
and soap should be used.

8. 4) When the strains do not response to the
simple methods, bleaching agents may be
used such as lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide
and bleaching powder.
5) Use equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and
dilute ammonia and moisture the strain until
disappears.

9. Removal of Specific Stains:
Blood stains:
• Soak immediately in cold water. when the stains
disappear, wash them in warm soapy water.
• If it is old stain, soak them in a mixture of hydrogen
peroxide and ammonia.
• For the thick blood stains on the mattress, apply a
thick paste of starch and water and allow to stand in
the sun. When the paste is dry and discoloured,
brush off the stain

10. • Tea coffee:
• Linen when it is stained with tea and
coffee,remove it by pouring milk over it.
• Wash them in cold water or hot water. Sodium
carbonate will remove the stains

11. • Rust marks:
• Apply salt and lime juice and exposed to sun
light
• Ink strain:
• Sprinkle salt and lime juice and lay in the sun
to bleach the strain

12. • Care of blankets:
• These are expensive articles and do not stand
washing or steam disinfections.
• Blankets should be protected by sheets by under
and over it.
• Blankets are cleaned by dry cleaning and disinfect
them by exposing them to sun light.
• When storing blankets should be carefully
protected from moth using naphthalene balls.