Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
General facility and infection-control information only; this is not medical advice and not a design or compliance determination for any specific building.
Short answer
A linen chute is a vertical chute in a multistory facility through which bagged soiled linen is dropped to a collection room. The CDC’s environmental infection control guideline says contaminated textiles in bags can be transported “by cart or chute,” and that chutes need proper design, maintenance and use because a falling bag can push airborne contaminants through the building.
What is a linen chute? Definition and scope
In CDC and VA usage, a linen chute is a transport route for soiled linen in multistory institutions. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) design manual PG 18-10, Material and Solid Waste Management, Linen and Trash Chutes (May 1, 2023), describes gravity chutes, used alone or combined with horizontal pneumatic chutes, for moving soiled linen and waste. The alternative named by the CDC is the cart, covered in the linen cart guide.
A chute is a means of transport, not a treatment step. Nothing in either source says a facility must have one: the CDC recommendation is written as “if laundry chutes are used.”
How a linen chute is used in practice
The CDC guideline (Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities, 2003) gives the mechanism and the use rules:
- The hazard: “the piston-like action of a laundry bag traveling in the chute can propel airborne microbial contaminants throughout the facility.”
- Closed bags: ensure laundry bags are closed before the filled bag is tossed into the chute (CDC category II).
- No loose items: do not place loose items in the chute (category II); loose, contaminated pieces of laundry should not be tossed in.
- Air pressure: chutes should be maintained under negative air pressure to prevent the spread of microorganisms from floor to floor.
- Overall recommendation: if chutes are used, ensure they are properly designed, maintained and used so that aerosol dispersion from contaminated laundry is minimized (category IC, which cites ANSI/AAMI ST65:2000).
The categories (IC, II) are the CDC guideline’s own ratings. The guideline text dates from 2003, so read it as CDC guidance rather than as a statement of current law in any jurisdiction.
Gravity versus pneumatic, and what the VA manual requires
VA PG 18-10 section 5 says to consider gravity chutes, standalone or combined with horizontal pneumatic chutes, for soiled linen and waste in multistory institutions, and to comply with NFPA 82. It applies to VA projects; it is a design manual for that agency, not a universal rule.
Where the two sources fit together
The CDC text covers how a chute is used; the VA manual covers how it is built. Read together, the VA design controls line up with the CDC’s stated hazard.
| Topic | CDC guideline (use side) | VA PG 18-10 (design side) |
|---|---|---|
| Airborne spread | Falling bag acts like a piston and can propel contaminants through the facility | Gravity chutes must have negative pressure relative to the charging area, so aerosols do not discharge when charging doors open |
| Air pressure | Maintain chutes under negative air pressure | Same intent, written as a design requirement |
| What goes in | Closed bags only; no loose items | Vertically aligned charging doors of one chute are interlocked so only one station is charged at a time, reducing jams |
| Separation | No chute-specific rule in the CDC passage | One chute system for soiled linen and a separate one for general waste; single dual-purpose chutes must not be used; separate charging areas, shafts and discharge rooms |
| Fire protection | No chute-specific rule in the CDC passage | Gravity chutes of at least 24 inches in diameter, penetrating the roof, in a fire-rated enclosure, with automatic sprinklers, discharging into a sprinkler-protected fire-rated room |
| Collection | No chute-specific rule in the CDC passage | Terminal rooms sized to accumulate 24 hours of collected material; access rooms large enough to hold the collection cart with doors closed while the attendant charges the chute |
The fire-protection items in the VA manual sit alongside the life-safety framework described in the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code guide, which lists laundry and rubbish chutes among the surveyed items.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
For infection preventionists, the useful reading is that the bag is the control: a closed bag with no loose items, dropped into a chute held under negative pressure, is how the CDC text limits aerosol spread. For anyone reviewing a building project, the VA manual shows what one large agency specifies for separation, interlocks, enclosure and sprinklers. For related background, see the ICRA guide on infection-control risk assessment and the healthcare-associated infection definitions guide.
Common misunderstandings
A linen chute is not a general trash chute
The VA manual requires separate systems for soiled linen and waste, and says single-chute, dual-purpose systems must not be used. It also says trash chutes are not to be used for hazardous waste, medical waste, cardboard boxes or recyclable materials.
A chute is not required
The CDC wording is conditional (“if laundry chutes are used”). Carts are the other route named in the same sentence.
The 24-inch figure is not a general code
The 24-inch minimum diameter and the other dimensions come from the VA design manual for VA projects. Other facilities answer to their own authority having jurisdiction.
FAQ
What is a linen chute?
A vertical chute in a multistory building used to send bagged soiled linen down to a collection room, as an alternative to carrying it by cart.
Why does the CDC say chutes need special care?
Because the piston-like action of a bag traveling in the chute can propel airborne microbial contaminants throughout the facility.
Can loose linen go down the chute?
No. The CDC guideline says loose items should not be placed in the chute and that bags should be closed first.
Can the same chute carry linen and trash?
Under the VA design manual, no: soiled linen and general waste get separate chute systems, and dual-purpose single chutes must not be used.
Sources
- CDC / HICPAC, Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities (2003), laundry and bedding section; overview page https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/environmental-control/index.html. Date checked: 2026-10-30.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, PG 18-10, Material and Solid Waste Management, Linen and Trash Chutes Design Manual, May 1, 2023, published at https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/VA/VADEMAN/dmAT-SWM_2023.pdf. Date checked: 2026-10-30.
