Textile cabinets with ultraviolet light has a great effect on hygiene

The logistics around workwear in the healthcare industry is a contributing factor to the spreading of infections between personnel and patients. Analyses show that by installing antibacterial UVC light in textile cabinets used for retrieving workwear like TEXI Dispenser Cabinets, the bacteria count on the clothes is reduced by 80%. This can be of great importance in reducing the spread of healthcare-associated infections.

At Texi, we’ve developed a new kind of UVC-lamp for textile cabinets that utilizes short-wave ultraviolet light whenever the cabinet is closed. These lights have a bactericidal effect on microorganisms such as spores, fungi, bacteria, and viruses that gather on the clothes.

How it works

Each time someone opens the cabinet to collect their work clothes, a circulation of air is released, and the fabric gets exposed to microorganisms both from the person and the room outside. The UVC light immediately turns on when the door closes, and the light stays on until the microorganisms/germs are neutralized. If the door opens again, the light automatically turns off to prevent exposure to the people outside.

Positive results from measurements

To measure the effectiveness of the antibacterial lights, we took help from Hygiene Diagnostics AB. The measurements were made at Texi’s office in Norsborg, and we used two of our TEXI Dispenser Cabinets for the study. One of the cabinets was installed with the UVC-lights, and the other one left without. We placed petri dishes on each shelf of both cabinets to collect the bacteria inside, and one outside the cabinets as reference. The cabinets then were filled with the kind of workwear typically used within healthcare.

The cabinets were closed for 15 minutes to collect the airborne bacteria, and afterward, all of the petri dishes were examined. And the results were, to say the least, positive!

80% lower bacteria count

The results showed that the air was 80% cleaner in the cabinet exposed to the UVC-light, compared to the cabinet without the lamps installed – and 88% cleaner than the air outside. Also, the measured value for the cabinet with the antibacterial light was close to the limit values of how sterile storage spaces are classified.

This indicates that the UVC-lights has a high germicidal effect in the air and the clothes inside the textile cabinets. Thus, it is a useful tool in the fight against healthcare-associated infections.

/ Petter Nilsson