Top 3 Tips on Laundry Safety for The Food Industry

Following the correct health, safety and hygiene guidelines is a requirement across a wide range of industries, but perhaps none more so than in the food industry.

This is especially true in the age of the pandemic. Thanks to the strict hygiene measures required both in the kitchen and customer contact areas to avoid virus spread, correctly laundering food industry garments, and knowing when they need to be replaced, is more important than ever.

Our helpful tips below will show you how to set suitable wash temps, appropriately care for the garments, and also explain some general maintenance tips.

Heat settings for garment laundering

The specially designed White Knight range of food industry trousers, aprons and coveralls have been produced with industrial laundry and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards in mind.

This means that they are made of materials such as woven poly cotton fabric, making them capable of withstanding long-term, multiple use, as well as being robust enough to maintain their quality after high-heat washes with the aim of disinfection after a day’s work.

Wash cycles should run at temperatures of either 60 degrees or 90 degrees, although it’s important to make sure you have a commercial washing machine that can ensure the garments don’t stay in too long and risk shrinking or fading.

Caring for your garments

As well as being able to remove bacteria and pathogens in high heat washing cycles after garments have been used each day, you will also want to make sure staff carefully follow general care instructions to reduce the chances of damage and contamination.

Maintaining the quality and hygiene compliance of garments can be done through:

• Only changing into work clothes directly before a shift
• Ensuring the garments aren’t worn outside of food preparation or waiting areas
• Alternating aprons after working with raw food
• Transporting garments in clean carts or tubs after washing
• Have separate containers for dirty and clean washing
• Keeping lockers and racks for garments free of dirt
• Wearing disposable gloves when sorting to avoid cross-contamination

General maintenance advice

Another key consideration when maintaining work garments in the food industry is to know when the time has come to replace clothing that is no longer sanitary.

While the White Knight range is robust and designed for longevity, there will come a time when garments do need to be retired and replaces. Signs that this is the case include colour fading, worn fabrics and frayed, tears or other damage.