Industrial laundering

What does "suitable for industrial laundering" mean?

When workwear and protective clothing is regularly reprocessed, it is a real endurance test. This is because industrial washing puts a strain on the laundry in the huge washing machines. Extreme forces act on the textile, the mechanical stress is high.

Due to the sometimes high washing temperature, thermal stress is also very high, as is the chemical stress caused by the substances used in cleaning and reprocessing. Protective clothing certified according to ISO 15797 withstands these demands without losing its properties, colour and shape.

In this blog we will explain what industrial washing means and which standards and labels are used. We will also give you tips on what to look out for when cleaning and caring for protective clothing.

Suitable for industrial laundering according to ISO 15797

An important aspect for employers is the industrial laundering suitability of protective clothing according to DIN EN ISO 15797. The standard deals with industrial washing and finishing procedures for testing workwear. Among other things, it specifies test methods for assessing industrially washed workwear or PPE. It deals with properties such as dimensional stability, colour fastness, creasing, defective seam pilling and general optical aspects.*

In general, garments should be labelled with the PRO label. This indicates suitability for care in professional laundries. The numbers in the box of the washing symbol (1-8) correspond to the washing procedures described in the ISO 15797 standard.

The two symbols on the right stand for the drying process. The hexagon in the square stands for tumble drying. The rectangle at the bottom stands for tunnel or cabinet finishing.

Should I hand over the industrial laundry to an external service provider?

When it comes to laundering workwear or professional clothing, working with a textile service provider can be an advantage. The latter cleans the workwear professionally and prepares it hygienically. For this, the clothing must be certified according to ISO 15797 and suitable for industrial laundering. This is because industrial laundering, including hygienic laundering, is usually carried out at temperatures of up to 75°C. Germs and viruses - and also the coronavirus - are killed at these temperatures and washing processes.

The recycled clothes are delivered by the textile service provider and sorted into the workers' personalised compartments. They can drop off their outerwear and trousers as needed, and the garments are usually replaced at least once a week.

However, it can also happen that the workwear has to be discarded after being worn once. In such cases, it is also a big plus if the clothing is not still washed in private machines, but is processed quickly and reliably by a textile service provider. In this way, reprocessed workwear is available to the wearers at short notice.

Durability and quality save resources

When workwear is regularly reprocessed, it is a real endurance test. This is because industrial washing puts a strain on the textile in the huge washing machines, as extreme forces are at work and the mechanical stress is high. Due to the sometimes high washing temperature, the thermal stress is also very high, as is the chemical stress caused by the substances used in cleaning and reprocessing.

Workwear certified according to ISO 15797 withstands these requirements without losing its colour and shape. Durability and quality are elementarily important for the conservation of resources - and thus also for the question of whether or not to purchase workwear and occupational clothing. If employees do not have to be completely re-equipped every year, this is on the one hand a great contribution to sustainability. On the other hand, it does not strain the company budget.

Any questions?

Do you still have questions about the safe, standard-compliant use of personal protective equipment (PPE)? Then get in touch with our experts.

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Household laundry

Some important rules should be followed for the household washing of protective clothing:

The number of washing cycles can be drastically reduced by soiling. It is imperative to check the warning clothing before each use.
Use colour wash programme without prewash.
Maximum wash time: 12 minutes.
Maximum programme duration: 50 minutes.
Use detergent for delicates or coloureds.
In the drum dryer, the exhaust air temperature must not exceed 90 °C.
Air drying is recommended.
Do not use fabric softener.
Iron without steam.
Do not use detergents with bleaching agents or optical brighteners.
Always wash warning clothing separately for each colour.
Close all fasteners before care treatment