Free checklist · Food & linen
Hospital Linen and Laundry Checklist
Linen moves between every patient bed and the laundry, so poor handling can spread infection across the hospital. This checklist follows linen through its full cycle, from bagging soiled and infected linen on the ward through washing and inspection to clean storage and distribution. It applies whether the laundry is in-house or outsourced, and is best used daily with a weekly supervisor audit.
- Checks
- 33
- Sections
- 6
- Frequency
- Daily, every collection and distribution round, with a weekly audit
- Owner
- Linen and laundry supervisor
01Soiled linen collection on wards
02Transport
03Sorting and washing
04Drying, finishing and inspection
05Clean linen storage and distribution
06Stock and records
How to run this checklist well
- Record ward collections and deliveries by scanning a QR code at each linen point. A digital count with a timestamp settles most linen loss disputes between wards and the laundry.
- Ask staff to photograph stained or torn linen that reaches a ward. The pattern of rejects tells you where the washing or inspection step is failing.
- Agree clear par stock levels for each ward and review them when bed occupancy changes.
- If laundry is outsourced, audit the vendor's facility, not only what comes back, and include infected linen handling in the contract.
- Train ward attendants on bagging rules during induction, since most handling errors happen at the bedside.
Frequently asked questions
How should infected linen be handled in a hospital?
Infected linen should be bagged at the point of use in a separate, clearly marked bag as per the hospital's colour code, without shaking or sorting. Staff should wear gloves and an apron. The bag is transported in a closed trolley and loaded directly into the washing machine at the laundry. The infection control policy should specify the wash process for these loads.
Should soiled and clean linen use the same trolley?
No. Soiled and clean linen should always use separate, dedicated trolleys, ideally colour-coded or labelled. Mixing them risks contaminating clean linen before it reaches the patient. Soiled linen trolleys should be covered during transport and cleaned after every round, and clean linen trolleys should be kept covered and stored in a clean area.
How do hospitals reduce linen loss?
Linen loss usually comes down to poor counting at handover points. Reconcile issues and returns by ward every day, set par stock levels, keep ward linen cupboards locked or controlled, and investigate shortages quickly. Digital counts at each handover make it clear where linen goes missing, and condemned linen should be logged before it leaves circulation.
Read the guide
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