Guides · hospital linen
Hospital Laundry Temperatures: What Guidance Says and What It Means for Linen
CDC and UK guidance describe thermal disinfection of hospital laundry by temperature and time. What the references say, how heat wears linen and how to choose fabrics that survive your process.
Hospital laundry is usually disinfected by heat, by holding the wash load at a set temperature for a set time. Two widely cited reference points are the CDC's note that at least 71°C (160°F) for a minimum of 25 minutes is commonly recommended for hot-water washing, and UK guidance, as summarised in a 2025 ARHAI Scotland review, of a disinfection phase holding the load at 65°C for at least 10 minutes or at 71°C for at least 3 minutes. Your own requirement is set by your infection-control team and the regulator for your facility, so treat these as background, not as your policy.
What matters for buyers is the knock-on effect: linen has to survive the process your laundry runs, wash after wash. This guide summarises what published guidance says, what it means for fabric choice and what to ask before ordering.
What published guidance says
CDC (United States)
The CDC's Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities include a section on laundry and bedding. It states that a temperature of at least 160°F (71°C) for a minimum of 25 minutes is commonly recommended for hot-water washing, and that chlorine bleach adds an extra margin of safety. The same section notes that lower water temperatures of 22–25°C (71–77°F) can reduce microbial contamination, but that low-temperature cycles depend on careful control of the wash cycle and rely heavily on chlorine- or oxygen-activated bleach.
The CDC section also covers handling: used linen should be handled with minimal agitation, contaminated items bagged securely and bags clearly labelled or colour-coded.
UK and Scottish guidance
UK healthcare laundry guidance uses a thermal disinfection phase rather than a total wash time. ARHAI Scotland's 2025 literature review on the safe management of linen, which informs the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual, sets the disinfection phase as holding the load at 65°C for at least 10 minutes or 71°C for at least 3 minutes. Time is also needed for heat to reach the whole load, so the full wash cycle is longer than the hold time itself.
The same review addresses linen that would be damaged by thermal disinfection, describing it as heat-labile, and advises that shared heat-labile linen should not be used in health and care settings.
UAE requirements
In the UAE, laundry and infection-control requirements are set by the relevant health authority for your facility and by your own infection-control policy. Check with your infection-control team which standard your laundry process follows, and whether your outsourced laundry is approved for healthcare linen. This guide does not set out UAE-specific temperatures.
| Reference | Thermal disinfection point | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CDC environmental infection control guidelines | At least 71°C (160°F) for a minimum of 25 minutes, commonly recommended for hot-water washing | Lower-temperature cycles possible with careful chemical control |
| ARHAI Scotland linen review (2025) | 65°C for at least 10 minutes, or 71°C for at least 3 minutes, in the disinfection phase | Full cycle is longer, as heat must first reach the whole load |
| Your facility | Set by your infection-control team and regulator | Always the one that applies |
What heat does to fabric
Repeated washing at disinfection temperatures is hard on textiles. The main effects are:
- Shrinkage. Cotton in particular can shrink, especially in the first few washes, unless it has been pre-shrunk.
- Fibre weakening. Heat combined with alkali and bleach gradually weakens cotton fibres, leading to thinning and tears.
- Colour fading. Coloured linen and borders can fade or bleed if the dyes are not suited to the process.
- Elastic fatigue. Elastic in fitted sheets loses its grip faster with heat.
- Print and label wear. Printed marks and labels need to tolerate the same conditions as the fabric.
Drying and ironing add further heat. Flatwork ironers and tumble dryers can cause as much wear as the wash itself if items are over-dried.
Choosing linen for a hot process
Fabric
Poly-cotton blends generally hold their shape and strength through repeated hot laundering and dry faster, which is why they are widely used for sheets and pillow covers. Cotton is more absorbent and comfortable, and remains the usual choice for towels; specify pre-shrunk or allow for shrinkage in the cut size. See hospital linen fabrics for a fuller comparison.
Colour
White linen tolerates bleach and high temperatures with least visible change. Where you use colour for ward identification, ask whether the dyes are suited to your process and wash a sample several times before approving. Bordered white linen often fades less noticeably than fully coloured items.
Sizing
If some shrinkage is expected, the cut size must allow for it so that sheets still fit the mattress after the first washes. Agree with your supplier whether sizes are quoted before or after washing.
Construction
Strong hems and well-anchored elastic last longer under heat. Check them on the washed sample, not just the new one.
Heat-sensitive items
Some textiles in a hospital, such as certain blankets, curtains, cushions or specialist items, may not tolerate thermal disinfection. Your infection-control team decides how these are handled, which may involve chemical disinfection, single-patient use or avoiding them altogether. When specifying linen, it is simplest to choose items that can go through the standard healthcare process, so that they never need a separate route.
Temperature is only part of the process
Buyers sometimes focus on the headline temperature and forget the rest of the cycle. In practice, linen is affected by everything that happens around the disinfection phase:
- Pre-wash and sluicing remove heavy soiling before the main wash. Poorly controlled pre-washes can set stains, which then lead to early condemnation.
- Chemical dosing – detergents, alkali and bleach – varies between laundries. Over-dosing weakens fibres; under-dosing leaves residues and stains.
- Load size affects both how evenly heat reaches the load and how much mechanical abrasion items suffer.
- Drying and finishing temperatures and times can shrink and stiffen fabric if set too high.
- Monitoring and records. Ask your laundry how it monitors and records the disinfection phase. Good records help your infection-control team and give you evidence if linen problems arise.
When two hospitals report very different lifespans for the same linen, the difference is often in these steps rather than in the headline temperature.
Questions to ask before ordering
- What process does our laundry run? Ask your in-house laundry or contractor for the wash temperature, hold time, chemicals and drying method used for each linen category.
- Will this fabric tolerate it? Ask the supplier, then test.
- How will we test it? Send samples through your actual laundry process several times and measure shrinkage, colour change and seam condition before approving bulk.
- Are labels and marks suitable? Check printed logos, woven labels and borders on the washed sample.
- Are sizes stated before or after washing? Make sure the approved specification is clear.
If you are choosing a laundry at the same time, our guide to in-house vs outsourced hospital laundry covers the questions to put to each option. For how laundering shapes the life of linen, see hospital linen lifespan.
Ordering linen for healthcare laundering
MISHAREN makes hospital linen to order in cotton and poly-cotton at its own unit in Konni, Kerala, India, cut to your bed and mattress sizes, and ships each order to the UAE for delivery across all seven emirates. A sample is approved before bulk production, so you can put it through your own laundry first.
See the hospital linen range or contact us for a quotation.