Real Research From UK Isolation Rooms

On 14 October 2022, The Lancet Microbe published a study by researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the University of Oxford and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). They sampled specialist hospital isolation rooms treating patients with severe mpox. Source: NIHR HPRU-EZI

Key findings:

• Surfaces: viral DNA was found on 56 of 60 samples (93%).
• Virus was also found on staff protective equipment and in the anterooms where staff removed it.
• Air: viral DNA was detected in 5 of 20 air samples taken inside the rooms.
• Changing bed linen was linked to detecting virus in the air, likely because shed skin particles became airborne.
• Live virus was grown from 2 of 4 samples tested, including an air sample taken during a bed linen change.

The researchers said detection does not always mean infection would follow, but it shows a real risk that can be controlled, and that strict infection prevention measures are necessary.

Who Handles Patients' Linen Without Knowing It

The DDC reports 470 mpox cases and 3 deaths in Thailand in 2026 up to 31 October, and lists shared towels, clothing and bedding among the ways the virus spreads. Source: Hfocus, 3 Nov 2026

Most patients are not treated in isolation rooms. They isolate at home until lesions heal, or stay in hotels, condos and dormitories before they get a test result. Their linen ends up in the hands of:

• Hotel and guesthouse housekeepers.
• Condo and dormitory cleaners.
• Laundry shop and laundromat staff.
• Industrial laundries serving hotels, spas and clinics.
• Family caregivers.

Risk Points in Laundries

• Sorting linen by tipping it out of bags and shaking it.
• Sorting tables and baskets that touch dirty linen every day.
• No separation between dirty and clean areas.
• One trolley for both dirty and clean linen.
• Staff without masks or gloves while sorting.
• Lint and dust building up on floors and shelves.

The Damage That Can Follow

• Staff infected at work and off sick for a long time.
• Business clients cancelling contracts if an infection is linked to the laundry.
• Clean linen re-contaminated because areas are not separated.
• Lost confidence among hotel and clinic customers.

What Many Laundries Do Wrong

• Shaking linen before counting it or loading the machine. The US CDC advises bagging linen without shaking it. Source: US CDC
• Dry sweeping lint from the floor, which the CDC advises against.
• Never disinfecting baskets and trolleys.
• No separate bags for possibly contaminated linen.

Safe Linen Handling

1. Never shake linen, from stripping the bed to loading the machine.
2. Use color-coded bags for linen from rooms with sick or suspected guests, tied securely.
3. Load linen straight from the bag where possible, to minimize handling during sorting.
4. Wash in a standard machine with regular detergent, as the CDC advises.
5. Staff wear gloves, a well-fitting mask or N95 and long sleeves when handling dirty linen.
6. Separate dirty and clean areas, including trolleys and baskets.
7. Disinfect sorting tables, baskets and trolleys daily with a product labeled to kill viruses and its full contact time.
8. Wet-clean floors, and disinfect sorting areas on a schedule.

Why Laundries Choose Chemgene and WHD's Service

The mpox virus is an enveloped virus, the type that suitable disinfectants can inactivate when used correctly and given the full contact time.

World Health Disinfection provides spraying with CHEMGENE HLD4H, a concentrated disinfectant imported from the United Kingdom. According to our service page, the product references testing to the European standard EN 14476 and is applied with ULV equipment. See the disinfection service

Ten reasons it suits laundries, linen services and housekeeping teams:

1. Disinfects whole sorting rooms, including shelves and corners where lint collects.
2. Treatment outside working hours, without disrupting production.
3. Fast return to use. Under our service process, areas can be used about 30 minutes after spraying.
4. European-standard disinfectant, referencing EN 14476 per product information.
5. Covers trolleys, baskets and sorting tables.
6. Suits hotel housekeeping departments with linen stores and laundry rooms.
7. Evidence of hygiene standards for business clients such as hotels, spas and clinics.
8. Suitable around machinery and electronics, as stated on our service page.
9. Tax invoices and 3% withholding tax for juristic persons.
10. More than five years of experience.

Before and After

Before

• Staff tip linen out of bags and shake it before sorting.
• Dirty and clean linen share the same trolley.
• Lint builds up in corners.
• Hotel clients ask about hygiene standards.

After

• Color-coded bags and a no-shaking rule.
• Separate areas and equipment for dirty and clean linen.
• Sorting areas disinfected on schedule.
• A standard you can show clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Must patients' linen be washed in hot water? The US CDC says a standard machine wash with regular detergent is fine. Laundry sanitizers are optional.

Why no shaking? The Lancet Microbe study linked bed linen changes to virus in the air, and shaking can disperse it.

What should housekeepers wear? Gloves, a well-fitting mask or N95, and clothing that covers arms and legs, as the CDC recommends, then wash hands after removing gloves.

How often should we disinfect? Sorting areas handling linen from hotels and clinics should have a regular schedule alongside daily wiping of equipment.

Sources and Related Links

• WHD disinfection spraying service
• Chemgene disinfectants
• World Health Disinfection homepage
• NIHR HPRU-EZI: Mpox in isolation rooms study
• US CDC: Cleaning and disinfecting for mpox

Handle Linen Right, Protect Every Worker

Real research shows that changing a patient's bed linen can put virus into the air. Housekeepers, laundry staff and linen services handle this linen every day. Correct procedures and disinfected work areas protect both workers and customers.

World Health Disinfection provides CHEMGENE HLD4H disinfection for laundries, linen services and housekeeping departments in hotels and buildings.

Call 065-556-6294 or add LINE @whd268 for a quotation.

Call 065-556-6294 | LINE: @whd268