Laundry Hygiene and Visible Cleanliness: An Attempt to Predict the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Laundering Processes by its Cleaning Performance
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Marlitt Honisch
Abstract
Insufficiently decontaminated textiles could lead to transmission of infections. Thus, laundry hygiene is of particular interest and investigated in numerous studies. However, laundering experiments that use microorganisms to investigate the reduction of microbial loads on textiles are particularly time-consuming and material-intensive and the handling of pathogenic microorganisms is subject to legal regulations. Therefore, alternative methods of investigation are desired. So far, there is no satisfactory solution to assess the antimicrobial efficacy of a laundering process without expensive microbiological investigations. This study introduces an approach to predict the antimicrobial performance of a laundering process by its cleaning performance. It is not possible to conclude immediately from the cleaning index of a washing process to its antimicrobial effect based on stain types used in this study. Also in washing processes with low cleaning indices a high microbial reduction can be achieved. For bleach free liquid detergent, strong, time dependent, positive correlations between microbial reduction and cleaning index for cocoa, soot, and sebum were identified.
Kurzfassung
Unzureichend dekontaminierte Textilien können zur Übertragung von Infektionen führen. Daher ist die Waschhygiene von besonderem Interesse und wurde in zahlreichen Studien untersucht. Waschversuche mit Mikroorganismen zur Untersuchung der Keimreduktion von Textilien sind jedoch besonders zeit- und materialintensiv und der Umgang mit pathogenen Mikroorganismen unterliegt gesetzlichen Regelungen. Daher sind alternative Untersuchungsmethoden erwünscht. Bislang gibt es keine befriedigende Lösung, um die antimikrobielle Wirksamkeit eines Waschverfahrens ohne teure mikrobiologische Untersuchungen zu bewerten. Diese Studie führt einen Ansatz ein, um die antimikrobielle Leistung eines Waschprozesses durch seine Reinigungsleistung vorherzusagen. Aus dem Reinigungsindex eines Waschprozesses kann nicht sofort auf seine antimikrobielle Wirkung basierend auf den in dieser Studie verwendeten Fleckentypen geschlossen werden. Auch bei Waschprozessen mit geringen Reinigungsindices kann eine hohe mikrobielle Reduktion erreicht werden. Für bleichmittelfreies Flüssigwaschmittel wurden starke, zeitabhängige, positive Korrelationen zwischen Keimreduktion und Reinigungsindex für Kakao, Ruß und Talg festgestellt.
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© 2018, Carl Hanser Publisher, Munich
Articles in the same Issue
- Contents/Inhalt
- Contents/Inhalt
- Editorial
- Editorial
- Review Articles
- Developing an Evidence-Based Approach to Domestic Hygiene Which Protects Against Infection Whilst Also Addressing Sustainability Issues
- Honor Thy Lodgers? – Structure and Function of the Human Built Environment Microbiome
- Dishwasher
- Micrococcus luteus – An Alternative Test Germ for Testing the Hygienic Performance of Commercial Freshwater Dishwashers
- Development of a Test Method for Analyzing the Hygienic Performance of Commercial Dishwashers Operating on the Fresh Water Principle
- Microbial Reduction in Low Temperature Dishwashing Cycles
- Laundry
- Laundry Hygiene and Visible Cleanliness: An Attempt to Predict the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Laundering Processes by its Cleaning Performance
- Test Methods
- Test Method Dependent Efficacy of Antibacterial Textiles
- A New Approach for a Practical Assessment of Antimicrobial Surfaces Based on a Stamp Assay to Quantify Transfer Routes of Pathogens
- Towards a Lab-Scale Efficacy Test Method for the Evaluation of Hygienic Laundry Rinse-Stage Disinfectants
Articles in the same Issue
- Contents/Inhalt
- Contents/Inhalt
- Editorial
- Editorial
- Review Articles
- Developing an Evidence-Based Approach to Domestic Hygiene Which Protects Against Infection Whilst Also Addressing Sustainability Issues
- Honor Thy Lodgers? – Structure and Function of the Human Built Environment Microbiome
- Dishwasher
- Micrococcus luteus – An Alternative Test Germ for Testing the Hygienic Performance of Commercial Freshwater Dishwashers
- Development of a Test Method for Analyzing the Hygienic Performance of Commercial Dishwashers Operating on the Fresh Water Principle
- Microbial Reduction in Low Temperature Dishwashing Cycles
- Laundry
- Laundry Hygiene and Visible Cleanliness: An Attempt to Predict the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Laundering Processes by its Cleaning Performance
- Test Methods
- Test Method Dependent Efficacy of Antibacterial Textiles
- A New Approach for a Practical Assessment of Antimicrobial Surfaces Based on a Stamp Assay to Quantify Transfer Routes of Pathogens
- Towards a Lab-Scale Efficacy Test Method for the Evaluation of Hygienic Laundry Rinse-Stage Disinfectants
