Healthcare facilities are extremely diverse buildings, with a lot of different services and needs going on at the same time. A large facility has all the staffing and needs of a large government building, all the logistics problems of a corporation, and food and laundry services and needs to boot. They combine a huge amount of industry and service into a single operation, and the result is very impressive.

Laundry Tags

One of the effects of this is that healthcare facilities often have sign needs that you wouldn't usually expect. For instance, laundry tags. Laundry tags are used to help keep the massive amount of laundry done in healthcare facilities organized and separated, in myriad different ways. For instance, certain sheets may be washed separately because they fit different kinds of beds. Some might be from pediatrics and others might be from larger beds. Or there might be baby blankets that need to be kept separate from other laundry. Scrubs that need to go to a specific section of the hospital. The list goes on an on, but the main point is that there's a whole lot of laundry and a whole lot of separating and organization that goes into getting it done the right way. Laundry tags are one of the primary ways that healthcare facilities (and other businesses) accomplish this feat.

Laundry tags fit around poles that hold up clothes, bags, and sheets. They can be easily removed and placed at a different point on the pole, or anywhere else. They work to separate the laundry into clear sections, and that makes it much easier for workers to manage the large amount of laundry that goes through a facility. There are several different types of tags, and HSI makes all of them for the convenience of our customers and clients. There are squared tags, used purely for separation. There are longer versions as well, and these can be written on. These are some of the most useful laundry tags.

These versions are especially popular because you can leave notes or instructions on them, or even numbers or letters to help control and organize the flow of laundry. When you can buy a sign that is customizable, erasable and re-usable, that's a great deal. And when that sign keeps you organized, keeps your facility running smoothly, and keeps all your laundry going where it needs to go, that's an amazing deal.

We also make laundry tags with numbers printed on them, so that they can be used over and over again for the same purpose, without any fear that they'll get erased or jumbled. Permanent numbers can be a really big help if what you need is consistency over a long period of time rather than the flexibility of re-writable tags. These permanent style tags can also be had in several different sizes, just like the rest of the laundry tags.

In the end, these tags help to keep you organized, to keep your laundry sector running the right way, and to communicate with workers and attendants. They are one of our highest variety signs, and you can get the one that's right for you at HSI.

Resources
The average stay in an American hospital is 4.8 days. Imagine how much laundry one person generates in almost 5 days. Multiply that by the hundreds of patients staying in the hospital. Then factor in all the masks, scrubs, towels, blankets, and other various items that need cleaning. Laundry tags help workers keep all of these items separate and make sure they are all cleaned in a timely manner. Laundry tags can help workers itemize their laundry. Keeping certain pieces of laundry separate from others is necessary in some situations. For instance, it isn't acceptable to mix soiled sheets or towels from an emergency or operating room with the blankets that will be going to the nursery. Cross contamination is a big problem in hospitals, and the laundry room is no exception. Many times hospital workers toss soiled sheets into the laundry bin without a second thought, knowing they will come back clean and fresh. Behind the scenes, staff members work hard to ensure that everyone in the hospital has clean sheets, gowns, towels, and any other items they need. Many hospitals have showers in almost every patient room. Since patients stay for a number of days, it is necessary to have a space for them to bathe and clean up. This adds even more laundry for the hospital. Unlike in your home, hospitals will wash and provide you with clean towels every day as if you were in a hotel.

Hazards of Laundry
In a recent NPR series, hospital laundry workers were found to have one of the top six dirtiest jobs in America. There is even a union that consists of over 40,000 hospital workers. They also claim that handling hospital sheets, gowns, and towels can be one of the most dangerous jobs. Laundry tags help make their job a little easier. Organization adds a lot of stability to any job, especially one that's not so glamorous. These linens are often soaked through with hazardous liquids, and occasionally still have medical equipment tangled up in them. Laundry workers say on occasion they have even found body parts in their daily load. Laundry tags that pointed out which loads are contaminated and may have needles, broken bottles, or other hazardous materials in them could help workers avoid injury. If you're aware which piles are dangerous, you can be more careful when sorting through them.

Read More
Laundry tags can be used for more than one purpose. They generally are used for separating and organizing different sections of laundry. These tags can be placed on poles or racks and are easily removable so they can be relocated effortlessly. They can be blank and simply act as place holder, or have words and numbers on them. A numerical system can be used to sort through and designate different loads of laundry. Laundry tags keep the laundry room running as smoothly as possible. It's a dirty job, but these tags help workers stay on task and organized in their day to day routine.

Get the signs you need from Health Care Signs today!