FAQ

Aged Care Quality Standards and Commission guidance

• Aged Care Quality Standards relevant to laundry operations include Standard 4 The Environment and Standard 3 Clinical Care, with practical guidance on laundry and infection control published by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Australian Standard for laundry practice

• AS 4146:2024 Laundry Practice sets technical and operational requirements for professional laundries, including wash processes, segregation, handling and validation; obtain the full standard from Standards Australia or authorised distributors.

Infection prevention guidance and clinical practice

• Infection control resources for residential aged care (cleaning, PPE, handling of infectious linen, outbreak response, and verification methods) are available in clinical guidance documents and sector briefs produced by national infection-control bodies and aged-care training/education providers.

• Thermal – there are a range of temperatures. The highest shown is at 71˚C for 3 minutes in a 7-minute low load or 11 minutes high load wash cycle OR at 65˚C for 10 minutes in a 14-minute low load or 18 minutes high load wash cycle.
• Chemicals – these are organised by the chemical company for use in laundries where hot water is not possible or where there is a delicate nature of the fabric being washed. This needs to be validated.
• Ozone – is a third option which allows cold water washing, decreasing cycle time, and using less water. Other savings will be electricity and gas.

• Superior removal of dirt and microbes.
• Reduces chemical use.
• Improves safety and comfort.
• Supports single‑use or launderable workflows.
• Enhances perceived cleanliness and dignity.
• Although set up cab expensive, with up to 600 washes, the items are cheaper per use than the conventional cleaning materials.