ALM has collaborated with three of our esteemed vendor members, Medline Industries, Inc.; UNX, Inc.; and Environmental Infection Prevention, LLC, to examine and test the feasibility of reprocessing disposable PPE gowns as a possible solution to the temporary nationwide shortage.

The Interim Guidance for Processing Single-Use Gowns in Response to Product Shortages during COVID-19 is a stop-gap measure designed to supplement the provision of gowns to provide an alternative to the absence of any cover apparel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The wash formula and process is basic guidance for laundries to provide their customers with a clean product of previously worn, single-use gowns manufactured initially as ANSI/AAMI Level 1, 2, 3, and/or 4 gowns.

The guidance does not produce a gown that meets the required barrier standards for which it was initially manufactured and may be labeled, and no gown provided under the guidance should be used in a surgical procedure, per recommendation from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Any laundry intending to use this interim guidance is strongly encouraged to review the Considerations for Laundries Implementing document prior to undertaking this guidance.

The guidance document, as well as other COVID-19 textile information, is available on ALM’s COVID-19 Resources page, available at ALMnet.org/COVID-19. If any laundry has any questions of best practices for their situation, regardless of their laundry size or current ALM membership status, we welcome them. We are all in this together and we will get through it.