The introduction of microfibre cleaning at London’s Heart Hospital, part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has seen the 100-bed hospital install Electrolux washing and drying machines in a new 29 m2 laundry, previously a laundry store and part of the mail and porters’ lodge.
The Trust switched from “dolly mops” to microfibre cleaning at the hospital after substantial research by Annette Jeanes, director of infection control. The new laundry houses three Electrolux W4180H 18 kg washers and three T4300LE heat pump dryers to wash and dry microfibre mops and cloths – “a low energy solution”. A visit to the microfibre barrier laundry at nearby St Thomas’ Hospital (HEJ – April 2011) convinced David Sowoolu, site & facilities service manager, that the Electrolux equipment would meet the facility’s needs. “Environmentally, the ELS machines save all round,” he commented. “The laundry is washing over 700 mops and cloths daily, and the microfibre laundry system negates the need for harsh chemical additions and high wash temperatures.” The Heart Hospital is also washing microfibre mops and cloths for the 229-bed National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, which is sending its mops and cloths to it daily on a small electronic van. The service may well expand, as none of the Electrolux machines has yet reached its output capacity.
