Gunderson Inc., a Menasha, WI-based provider of uniform and linen rentals to healthcare, industrial and hospitality markets, has recently achieved the Hygienically Clean Healthcare and Hospitality certifications. This achievement reflects the company’s commitment to best-management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing. Hygienically Clean is the quantified, validated standard and measure for hygienically clean textiles in North America since 2011.

The certifications confirm Gunderson Inc.’s dedication to compliance and processing textiles using BMPs as described in their quality-assurance documentation, the focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation of critical control points that minimize risk. The independent, third-party inspection confirms essential evidence that:

·         Employees are properly trained and protected

·         Managers understand legal requirements

·         The facility is OSHA compliant

·         Physical plant operates effectively

To achieve certification initially, laundries pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare and Hospitality textiles and diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. They also must pass a facility inspection. To maintain their certification, they must pass quarterly testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained. Re-inspection occurs every two to three years.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities (for Hygienically Clean Healthcare) and  for hotels, bed and breakfasts and other lodging industry segments (for Hygienically Clean Hospitality). Hygienically Clean certifications acknowledge laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012 and 2017, respectively, Hygienically Clean Healthcare and Hygienically Clean Hospitality brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare and hospitality linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean textiles.

 For access to certification-specific resources and training created by the TRSA healthcare committee and the Hygienically Clean Advisory board, visit  www.hygienicallyclean.org.