In pictures

Explainer

A widely used thermal disinfection standard

Explainer

An example colour scheme

Explainer

Chart

In this article

What the wash demands
Typical items and fabrics
Colour-coding
What we supply, and what we don't
Questions to ask any supplier
Quantities
Import notes for the Gulf

Short answer: hospital linen is chosen for how it behaves in a disinfecting wash. Infection-control teams want fabrics that take high temperatures again and again, a colour system that keeps clinical areas apart, low lint, and labels that survive. Softness comes after all of these.

What the wash demands

A widely used thermal disinfection standard

71°C

held for at least 3 minutes

65°C

or held for at least 10 minutes

Hospital laundries disinfect with heat, chemicals or both. A widely used thermal standard holds the wash at 71°C for at least 3 minutes, or 65°C for at least 10 minutes. Your hospital's laundry policy will state its own. Linen must survive that hundreds of times.

Requirement	What it means for the spec
Repeated high-temperature washing	Poly-cotton or strong cotton, colour-fast dyes, heat-rated thread and labels
Chemical disinfection	Dyes and fibres that tolerate the laundry's chemicals
Fast processing	Fabrics that dry and iron quickly
Low lint	Tightly woven sheets. Lint matters most near wounds and equipment
Traceability	Durable woven or printed marks, sometimes barcodes or tags

Typical items and fabrics

Item	Common choice
Bed sheets and draw sheets	Poly-cotton, plain weave
Pillowcases	Same fabric as the sheets
Patient towels	Cotton terry, mid-weight
Blankets	Cellular cotton or washable blends
Mattress and pillow protectors	Waterproof, wipeable or washable

Poly-cotton is common in hospitals because it lasts longer in hot washing and dries faster than pure cotton. The blend ratio should be stated in the tender and on the label.

Colour-coding

An example colour scheme

General wards

Isolation

Theatre

Staff

Hospitals use colour to stop linen moving between areas.

One colour for general wards.
Another for isolation rooms, often handled in water-soluble bags.
A distinct colour or mark for theatre linen.
Staff uniforms and patient linen kept visibly different.

The scheme is the hospital's own. Send it to the supplier, with colour references, before quoting.

What we supply, and what we don't

We supply

Hospital bed sheets and pillowcases

Patient towels

White or dyed, to a written spec

We do not make

Sterile surgical drapes

Reusable theatre gowns

Items regulated as medical devices

We can supply hospital bed linen, pillowcases and towels to a written spec, in white or dyed colours. We do not make sterile surgical drapes, reusable theatre gowns or other items regulated as medical devices. Those need specialist manufacturers with the relevant device approvals.

For chemical safety of the fabric, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is available on certified lines. Other certificates sit with specific certified units and are confirmed per order. Ask for what your hospital's policy requires and we'll say plainly whether we can provide it.

Questions to ask any supplier

What wash temperature is this fabric and its dyes rated for?
What is the shrinkage after repeated hot washing?
What is the fibre blend, and is it on the label?
How long do the labels and marks last?
Can you match our colour-coding scheme with consistent shades between orders?
Can you provide test reports for this product?

Quantities

Hospitals hold more sets per bed than hotels, because linen is changed more often and laundry takes longer. Your laundry policy sets the par. Tell us the beds and the par, and we'll turn it into an order.

Import notes for the Gulf

Goods ship from Cochin, 7 to 10 days by sea to the UAE and 8 to 12 to Saudi Arabia. Check with your importer what registration healthcare textiles need in your country.

See our page for hospital linen in the GCC, then send us your spec.