Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Skelmersdale (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 8 December 2005.

NHS: Staff Facilities

Question: My Lords, as I understand it, that is not the advice of representatives of the laundry industry who say that a domestic machine washing at 60° is not sufficient to remove these nasty diseases from clothing.

Answer: My Lords, we accept that some uniforms are heavily soiled and require a little more attention. However, I repeat—I give the noble Lord the benefit of this advice—microbiologists advise that a domestic clothes washer’s temperature of 60° centigrade followed by a rinse cycle is more than adequate. The main point is the enormous dilution factor of the wash rather than the actual killing of the bacteria. The strapline is ““the solution for pollution is dilution””.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 676 c740
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Hospitals Facilities NHS Staff Sanitation Uniforms Cleaning services
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk