While laundry and/or laundering does not typically come quickly to mind when considering the quality of care at long-term care facilities – such as nursing homes – it has been found to have an immense effect on the overall comfort level of the patients residing within those facilities.
The Familiar
Patients admitted to long-term care facilities typically experience a great deal of stress and uneasiness when initially entering into their residency.
While most facilities take great care in providing ambient environments, comfortable furniture pieces, and varied meals in order to help transition their patients from their homes to the facility, very few facilities place an emphasis on laundering activities and the products utilized to wash clothes, linens, towels, and bedding.
However, research has established that if patients are subjected to the fresh-smelling laundry resulting from the use of effective laundry soaps and other products, they experience higher levels of reassurance and comfort.
Productive laundering activities and using highly-effective products help provide a sense of the “familiar” to patients.
“Laundry – Take it one load at a time….” – Unknown
The Study
The study was completed using a poll. Professionals that work in long-term care facilities around the country were asked a variety of questions.
85% of the respondents stated that when patients of the facilities are surrounded by sensory experiences that are familiar to them – such as soft laundry and gentle fragrances – they become more comfortable in the facility.
Additionally, 82% stated that the residents of the facilities feel more like they are at home when the facility utilizes brands that they are familiar with and trust, or brands that smell much like the brands that they know and trust, such as Gain, Tide, and other name brand laundry products.
Detergent Types
Each long-term care facility must follow certain guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These include using temperatures in excess of 140 degrees, chlorine bleach for whites, and specially-created detergent types.
Generally speaking, there are two main types of detergents. One is identified as “alkaline” and the other is identified as “near neutral”.
The alkaline detergents are considered to be effective at removing a variety of soils in clothing items and the near neutral are considered to be ideal in washing linens.
When choosing laundry products, long-term care facilities should opt for both types.
Sudz Offers Immense Variety
Purchasing name brands for long-term care facilities – such as Gain and Tide – may prove to be extremely costly.
If you want to improve the comfort level of your patients, ensure that clothing items are completely clean, towels are soft, and linens remain fresh and gentle, you should purchase the name brand similar products offered through Sudz.
Not only are these items packaged in larger containers, they cost significantly less than their similar name brand comparisons. In addition to laundry soaps, Sudz offers pods, fabric softeners, and Oxi-Help products.
In addition to using these inexpensive, high-quality products in your facility, you may also host a fundraiser selling these products in your community to raise money for your facility. To learn more, visit: https://sudzfundraising.com/
Resources:
https://www.pgpro.com/articles/laundry-long-term-care/
https://www.washcyclelaundry.com/blog/nursing-home-laundry-regulations-for-pa-tx-and-dc/
https://www.mcknights.com/news/laundryhousekeeping-feature-no-dirty-laundry/article/102770/
