Industries
Linens for senior living and care homes
Care homes and senior living communities change linen as often as hospitals but launder it with smaller machines and fewer staff, and their residents live in the linen rather than passing through it. International Linens manufactures commercial bed linen for care facilities that is soft enough for daily living and built for repeated institutional washing, and supplies it in bulk to care operators, healthcare distributors and laundries.
What care facilities need from their linen
- Durability at lower temperatures. Many care homes wash at 60 to 70 degrees rather than the 90 degrees of a hospital tunnel washer, so fabrics must resist greying and staining without the hardest bleach.
- Comfort and dignity. Residents wear gowns and pajamas all day; fabrics must be soft, opaque and homely rather than clinical.
- Fit on varied beds. Profiling beds, pressure-relief mattresses and standard divans in the same building, which argues for knitted fitted sheets that stretch to any depth.
- Colour that hides wear. Blue, green and prints keep bedding looking fresh longer than white.
- Small-batch practicality. Sizes and colours that a small laundry can sort without a tagging system.
Recommended products for senior living and care homes
| Need | Product | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom sheets | Knitted fitted sheets or woven fitted sheets | Knits fit profiling and pressure-relief mattresses of any depth; wovens are economical on standard beds |
| Top sheets | Hospital flat sheets | T-180 for a softer hand, coloured or white |
| Warmth | Thermal and cotton blankets | Light, breathable, quick to dry |
| Finished bed | Woven bedspreads | A homely top layer in colours that hide wear |
| Daywear | Patient pajamas and pants and lapover gowns | Two-piece wear for mobile residents; lapover gowns for dignity |
| Repositioning | Draw sheets | Woven or knitted, for safe moving and handling |
| Pillows | Pillowcases and pillow protectors | Protectors extend pillow life between residents |
Durable commercial bed linen for care environments
The best commercial bed linen for care facilities is a cotton-polyester construction at T-150 to T-180 for woven items and 17 to 22 oz jersey for knits, dyed with colour-fast dyes tested for hot washing. It costs a little more per piece than economy T-130 sheeting and lasts far longer in a small laundry. Every item above is woven or knitted, finished under OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I certified processing, cut and stitched in our own units in Faisalabad, and can be colour coded by floor or resident group.
Who we supply
Care home groups and senior living operators buying direct, healthcare distributors that serve care homes, and laundries that rent linen to them. Most orders ship to the United States and the United Kingdom by container, with pallet-level trial orders for a first program. Send your bed sizes, quantities and colours through the contact page for a quotation within one working day, or read our guide to choosing a healthcare linen supplier.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best bed linen for care homes?
Cotton-polyester woven sheets at T-150 to T-180, or knitted fitted sheets where mattress depth varies, in colour-fast dyed shades. Both are durable in smaller laundries and soft enough for daily living.
Do you supply care homes directly?
Yes, for bulk programs, and also through healthcare distributors and laundries that serve care homes.
Can linen be colour coded by floor?
Yes. We dye to shade cards and can add hem stripes for sorting.
What sizes fit profiling beds?
Most profiling beds take a 36 x 80 or 36 x 84 mattress; knitted fitted sheets cover any depth. See our bed sheet size guide.
Are the fabrics safe for fragile skin?
Processing is certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I, the class defined for baby articles, and knitted sheets have no hard seams under the resident.