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Products & Services Information - Laundry
Hygiene
1 article
11th Jun 07 - OTEX
laundry system kills superbugs and cuts costs
OTEX
laundry system kills superbugs and cuts costs
 An
ozone-based laundry system is boosting hygiene standards and cutting
costs for hospitals and a wide range of commercial businesses.
The revolutionary OTEX system kills bacteria, viruses and superbugs
on all wash cycles and dramatically reduces energy usage and,
therefore, carbon footprints.
It has been developed by JLA, the UK’s leading distributor
of commercial laundry equipment, amid mounting concern about the
effectiveness of conventional methods of disinfecting laundry.
Traditionally, infected or foul laundry has been processed using
high temperature thermal disinfection wash cycles. A long-standing
NHS guideline recommends washing at 65 degrees centigrade for
at least 10 minutes or preferably at 71 degrees for a minimum
of three minutes.
But when independent microbiologists commissioned by JLA tested
a mop which had been used on a hospital ward and subsequently
washed with the preferred 71 degree cycle, they found it was still
teeming with 150,000 spores of the superbug Clostridium difficile.
Similar tests on mops and other infected items which had undergone
the OTEX process found ‘no viable trace’ of the superbug,
which is now a bigger killer than MRSA.
The OTEX system underwent a six-month trial at the QEII Hospital
in Welwyn Garden City at the request of the North and East Hertfordshire
NHS Trust. At the end of the trial, microbiologists reported:
‘Without question, the OTEX system has proven to be a more
effective method of laundering both traditional and microfibre
mops and cloths than current thermal disinfection processes.
‘Its effectiveness against specific types of bacteria, in
particular spore forming bacteria, has been found to be superior.’
There are now more than 1,400 systems in use throughout the UK.
Twelve NHS trusts, hundreds of care homes and businesses including
hotels, spas and sports clubs are using OTEX.
A major benefit for commercial customers in particular is the
substantial financial savings OTEX is able to achieve by using
mostly cold water and fast wash cycles. Typical average savings,
based on using correct wash programmes and detergent dosage, are
as follows:
· Electricity 60%
· Gas 35%
· Hot water 80%
· Total Water 45%
· Labour 30%
· Detergent 35%
· Linen 20%
The reduction in energy usage means carbon emissions are also
cut. JLA has calculated that the systems currently in use will
save an annual total of more than 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide
- the equivalent of almost 8,000 trees.
For more information, call 0800 591903 or email info@jla.com
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