Report released by councilman Ritchie Torres, who is pushing new bill

To an unsuspecting guest, they may look fresh and clean .

But the bed sheets in New York City hotels might not have been washed at all, a new report claims.

This is because most of the large industrial laundries that wash linen for such venues do not adhere to industry standards for cleanliness, according to the shocking report, released by a city councilman.

And the same can apparently be said for restaurant napkins and hospital bedding across the region.

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'Ironed, not cleaned': Most of the industrial laundries that wash linen for New York City hotels do not adhere to industry standards for cleanliness, according to a new report, released by a city councilman. Above, although the bed sheets at such hotels may look fresh and clean, they might have been ironed, not washed

'Dirty containers': The report describes a dangerously unclean environment inside industrial laundries which sees clean bedding being transported through New York City hospitals in dirty bins and bags (pictured)

The report, written by Council Member Ritchie Torres, describes a dangerously unclean environment inside industrial laundries which sees hotel sheets being re-ironed after use instead of washed.

In these cases, workers have been told not to bother cleaning the sheets if they look okay, it says.

It also details how restaurant napkins and tablecloths are visually inspected instead of thoroughly washed, while clean bedding is transported through New York City hospitals in dirty bins and bags.

Some of these containers may be covered in body fluids and chemicals when they are used, it claims.

The report, obtained by Fox 5 News, focuses on commercial laundry firms in the city which have a 'public health risk', not Mom & Pop laundromats and dry cleaners, which have strict health policies.

One worker interviewed for the report said the same bins were used by a company to carry clean and dirty linen. The 'excrement or blood' was 'wiped out with a towel, that's all,' said Jose Uman.

Health risk: The document, written by Council Member Ritchie Torres, who is sponsoring the Clean NYC bill, also details how restaurant napkins and tablecloths are visually inspected instead of washed (pictured)

Some bedding containers may be covered in body fluids and chemicals when they are used, the report says

Another employee reported that one client's bed sheets were sent back to them after being 'ironed, nothing more' because the washing machine had broken, according to the New York Daily News.

Mr Torres, of the Bronx, is sponsoring the Clean NYC bill, alongside Council Member Dan Gorodnik in a bid to force all of the city's 50 industrial laundries to attain licenses and improve public health.

'There’s a public health risk. Improperly laundered fabric could easily spread illness,' said Mr Torres.

The bill, which was introduced in February and apparently has the approval of more than two dozen City Council members at present, would impose citywide regulations on the laundry industry.

Councilman: Mr Torres (pictured) is sponsoring the Clean NYC bill, alongside Council Member Dan Gorodnik in a bid to force all of the city's 50 industrial laundries to attain licenses and improve public health

Different rules: At present, only laundromats open to the public are required to attain industry licenses (file picture). The proposed bill would also offer thousands of workers protective equipment, such as gloves

At present, only laundromats open to the public are required to attain licenses. The bill would also offer thousands of workers protective equipment, such as gloves, which some currently may not wear.

Only five of the city's industrial laundries are certified under the industry's voluntary standards, the report says. However, the other 90 per cent may be forced to sign up if Mr Torres's bill becomes law.