Managing Soiled or Contaminated Laundry

Service Limitations

You cannot guarantee service for incontinence or heavily soiled laundry in all locations since you're working with standard residential machines, not commercial-grade equipment. 

When customers request these services, check if you can accommodate their needs and document all special services with customer approval before starting work. If you are unsure or decide you're unable or unwilling to provide the services required please contact support for assistance.

We recommend having a nominated second washing machine and dryer for treating soiled items where possible. Laundromats should be used when this isn't feasible.

When to Use Laundromat Facilities

You must use commercial laundromats for heavily soiled items, incontinence laundry, bed bug contaminated items, or anything requiring commercial processing to protect your residential machine and other customers' laundry from contamination.

Special Handling Procedures

Pre-Soaking and Extra Cycles

When you encounter heavily soiled items, run a pre-soak or extra wash cycle and charge this as an additional item per 5kg load, but always get customer approval before washing begins.

Hot Wash Guidelines

Use hot washing (40°C standard, 60°C high temperature) when servicing medical facilities, beauty salons, or when customers request extra disinfection, but always check care labels first to ensure you won't damage the fabric.

Beauty Salon Towels

Salon towels require special attention due to makeup and oil stains, so discuss treatment options with the salon owner including hot washing, bleach for commercial towels only, or pre-soakers, and document which method you've agreed to use.

Pet Hair and Bedding

For items with pet hair that only need ironing, use your lint brush before ironing, while items requiring washing should go through normal wash and tumble dry cycles, though you should inform customers that complete hair removal isn't guaranteed. When washing pet bedding, you can use your residential machine followed by an empty cleaning cycle, or preferably take it to a laundromat to prevent hair buildup in your machine.

Bed Bug Contaminated Items

Never wash bed bug contaminated items in your home machine - take these straight to the laundromat following strict procedures: seal items in plastic bags for transport, wash at 60°C minimum, dry on high heat, transfer directly to machines without letting them touch any surfaces, dispose of transport bags immediately, and sanitise all containers you used.

Machine Sanitisation

You need to sanitise your machine after washing any contaminated or soiled items, between customers with contamination concerns, or whenever there's a cross-contamination risk by running an empty hot wash cycle at 60°C with sanitising agent, wiping down all surfaces, and leaving the door open to air dry.

Documentation and Charging

Document all customer requirements, washing methods you've agreed to use, extra charges, and special procedures in your service notes, making sure you get customer approval before any hot wash services, pre-soaks, chemical treatments, laundromat use, or non-standard services.

Always send the invoice to the customer before incurring any additional costs or starting labour-intensive treatments, clearly listing charges for pre-soak, extra wash cycles, laundromat fees, special treatments, and machine sanitisation time to ensure cost is agreed before you proceed.

Safety Protocols

Protect yourself by wearing gloves for contaminated items, using face masks in high-risk situations, washing your hands thoroughly after handling, keeping contaminated items separate, never mixing different customers' items, and reporting any concerns to your supervisor immediately.

Important: Clear communication with your customers and proper documentation protect both you and your business. When you're unsure about handling requirements, always confirm with the customer and document their preferences before proceeding with the service.