The 60° difference: why temperature is the cheapest upgrade to your wash
There is no shortcut to decontaminating firefighting PPE. There are five pillars that work together: the quantity and quality of detergent, the water temperature, the washing time, the mechanical agitation and the rinsing. Get them working in harmony and the results are dramatic. Get one wrong, and you leave carcinogens in the fabric.
The importance of washing and rinsing temperatures has been overlooked in the UK for too long. Because PAHs are oil- and fat-soluble, they become easier to lift as the water warms. Independent testing shows the jump from a ‘standard’ 40°C industrial wash to an optimised 60°C wash with specialist detergents takes PAH removal from around 45% to more than 90%. That is not a marginal gain. It is the difference between kit that looks clean and kit that is clean.
How clean is your cleaned kit? Download the whitepaper here.