| Problems
With Lint
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We have an ongoing problem with lint in the sterilizing
department of our operating theatre. The laundering is outsourced
to a commercial facility.
A theatre textbook used by our students (Atkinson, LJ & Fortunat,
N. 1996 Berry & Kohn's Operating theatre technique. 8th edition.
Mosby: St. Louis) states "textile lubricants added to the
final rinse during laundering minimize lint (p.197)." Could
you provide examples of these lubricants? Are they the same as
fabric softeners?
- Sylvia Growdon
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Answer: As long
as the linting is not caused from some sort of tensile damage
or goods manufactured with short staple cotton fibers, the best
way to reduce linting is to use an anti-static compound added
to the last rinse.
The anti-static material will allow the loose fibers clinging
to the linen to be freed. The loose lint will then be collected
in the lint filtering of the dryer. Some fabric softeners have
anti-static properties because they are cationic, but none will
work as well as a specific anti-static compound. The problem is
more difficult should the items now be fully dried after washing,
rather than ironed. A decision needs to be made on how dry the
items can be before ironing them. If this cannot be accomplished,
then only tape rolling the linen will remove the loose fibers
before sterilization for a lint free product.
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| Getting
Kitchen Towels Clean |
| I run a small commercial laundry and we do various
types of laundry - restaurant napery, towels, motel sheets, etc.
We are having a problem getting our kitchen towels clean. Would
boiling them be option, or is there anything else you would suggest?
- Monica, Fresh Express Laundry, Rangley, CO. |
| Answer:
Kitchen towels are used for everything in the kitchen area, from
wiping grease off the grills and inside ovens, to general cleaning.
The common denominator is that food and animal fat grease are
the main soils needed to be removed from the towels. The method
of cleaning these items is actually quite simple, because with
animal fats you need only saponify the grease into soap. This
is accomplished by using an alkali with high pH, and I prefer
a blended alkali generally referred to as orthosillcate. Here
is a general formula that should work to get the kitchen towels
clean: |
| 1. |
One warm and one hot flush before the wash, with
no supplies |
| 2. |
Main break with a good alkali builder, preferably
an orthosillcate mixture; Temperature of 160 F. - 190 F. degrees
depending on available steam; 2500 - 4000 PPM of alkalinity depending
on degree of soil; Note that if not washing in soft water, a phosphate
or other water conditioner is necessary in each chemical wash procedure
|
| 3. |
Carryover wash of 5 - 7 minutes, maintain high temperature |
| 4. |
Suds bath wash for 10 - 15 minutes, alkalinity of
1500 - 2500 PPM along with a good detergent using 8 - 24 ounces
of product depending on soil conditions, again maintaining high
temperature |
| 5. |
Rinse one or two times to reduce pH |
| 6. |
Bleach at 145 - 155 degrees with a pH of 10.2 - 10.8,
and chlorine bleach use should be 4 - 6 qt. of 1% bleach per 100
wt. For 8 - 12 minutes |
| 7. |
Rinse two or three times to dilute chemicals, use
an anti-chlor if necessary |
| 8. |
Sour to reduce pH to 5.5 and DO NOT USE A CATIONIC
SOFTENER! |
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