JLA’s OTEX ozone washing system could shape the ‘new normal’ for treating coronavirus-infected laundry, having been proven to remove all traces of the model virus in a study carried out by De Montfort University, Leicester.
The in-depth research found that the OTEX washing system, which uses ozone to kill bacteria even at low temperatures, completely removes all traces of coronavirus (OC43), a model virus for SARS-CoV-2.
Believed to be one of the first studies of its kind, De Montfort University’s research proves that coronavirus-infected laundry can be cleaned even at low temperatures, allowing heat sensitive items such as personal clothing, hospital mattress covers, emergency rescue wear and microfibre items to be cleaned effectively.
Tests overseen by Dr Katie Laird, Reader in Microbiology and Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group, and expert virologist Dr Maitreyi Shivkumar, Lecturer in Molecular Biology, found that cleaning with the OTEX technology completely removed the coronavirus, even in large commercial laundry loads. Additional testing also proved that the virus was not transferred to other textiles in the wash.
A key element of tackling the spread of COVID-19 is to understand how effective infection control can be implemented in real world settings. There are a variety of situations in which textiles potentially carrying the virus need to be cleaned, such as care homes, hospitals and hotels. Until now we have had little data about how the virus responded to different types of cleaning. These initial results demonstrate that cleaning with ozone, as in the JLA OTEX system, completely removes the model coronavirus. This held true even when treating larger loads of washing, as is likely to be the case in a real laundry setting. This result can give reassurance that such cleaning is effective.
The implications of these findings – particularly for care & nursing homes and hospitals and other healthcare settings where pressure is mounting to ramp up laundry infection control protocols – are hugely significant in the fight against COVID-19 and the protection of both service users and staff.
I am really excited about the results of these tests as here at JLA we play our part in eradicating this terrible virus. We have been developing and refining the OTEX laundry system for over fifteen years and its benefits to our customers are clear - full eradication of disease, including coronavirus, even at low temperatures and a significant reduction in operational cost coupled with a meaningful benefit to the environment. The system has been designed to be easy to use with real time verification of the disinfection process on every wash which provides a unique audit trail of full compliance to regulatory standards.
The university study findings represent one of many accolades for our innovative OTEX system, having been previously recognised by the NHS Rapid Review Panel in 2009 (set up by the government to fast track new technology to address hospital acquired infections), achieving the highest grade (level 1) for infection control products.
More recently, assessment of compliance with current Public Health England HTM01-04 guidelines for the decontamination of healthcare linen. The OTEX ozone system is also fully supported in line with the EU Biocidal Products Regulation.
The OTEX laundry system is available as part of our ‘Total Care’ subscription – giving customers brand new appliances for no capital outlay and protecting you from the cost and hassle of unexpected breakdowns.
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De Montford University Study: Executive Summary
There are lots of claims are being made about the power of ozone disinfecton - but at JLA we fund our own research into uncovering the science our customers need to see for complete peace of mind.
Download the summary to access the facts and figures that show OTEX is the only system proven to remove all traces of coronavirus in laundry.