Content about Home

“What would you say are the most common errors in laundry processing that lead to higher-than-necessary energy, fuel or water costs?”

Chemicals Supply: Carrie Armstrong, Ecolab Eagan, Minn.

Optimizing the laundry processes and following the recommendations will help with the reduction of higher-than-necessary utility costs. The following are common errors in laundries leading to additional costs; these are in the order of processing, not necessarily in order of magnitude.

• Incorrect Sorting, or No Sorting, of Soiled Linen by Soil Content, Soil Level and Linen Type — Not sorting will result in all loads washed in heavier formulas than necessary, which generally requires higher temperatures and more water exchanges and leads to reduced linen life. If heavy-soil contents are washed on a regular soil formula, rewash/stain percentage will increase. This results in additional rewash/stain loads processed, some of which would not be necessary if properly sorted. Reclaim formulas generally feature higher temperature and extended wash times, resulting in added utility costs.

• Not Loading to Optimal Capacity — Under-loading and overloading results in additional washes. Under-loading does not utilize the capacity of the machine, thus wasting utilities. Overloading results in additional rewash due to inadequate soil removal (which can also be the result of under-loading).

• Incorrect Wash-Formula Selection — Wash formulas are developed for the soil types, soil levels and fabrics for optimal soil removal. Each is specific in time, temperatures, water and chemicals for each classification. Not selecting the correct wash formula is similar to incorrect soil sorting.

Selecting a heavy-soil formula for a light-soil classification results in increased utilities, as these formulas generally include higher temperatures, additional water exchanges and extended wash times. Selecting a light-soil formula for heavy soil will result in added rewash.

• Wash-Formula Structures — The formula structure and programming of the wash machines are critical for cost control and require optimization. Times, temperatures and water exchanges may be reduced given the textile types and soil levels being processed. An extensive review of wash formulas may result in changes in flushes, rinses, time or temperature. Additionally, ensuring that all machines are programmed identically will result in more consistent results.

• Incorrect Extract Times — Too-short extract time results in the textile being too wet, thus requiring extended dry times. Extract times that are too long use energy unnecessarily.

• Incorrect Dryer Formulas and Loading — As with incorrect washer loading and formula selection resulting in added utility costs, this same concept carries over to the use of the dryers. Overloading will result in extending the dry times, adding to energy costs, plus it shortens linen life.

• Rewash and Stain Reclamation — Not having an established rewash and stain reclaim program results in increase of utilities. Rewash encompasses textiles that have fallen on the floor, mis-feeds through folder/ironer, are still dirty, etc. Stain reclamation is the category for which the wash formula has not been adequate to remove the stain. A reclaim formula generally requires higher temperatures and extended times.

• Postponed Equipment Maintenance — Leaking drains, water valves, steam valves, etc. result in added utility costs.

• Chemical Program — New technologies and laundry product programs are available that can offer customized solutions to reduce water and energy costs. Lower-temperature washing, sanitizing and disinfecting products can shorten processing times.

At each point of the laundry process, errors occur that can increase utilities cost. Continued monitoring and training of personnel will help keep these in control. In addition, your chemical supply representative can consult on ways to help with laundry efficiency.

Long-Term-Care Laundry: Gary Clifford, Pines of Sarasota, Sarasota, Fla.

From my experience, the single most wasteful error is the improper loading of washers and dryers. If you run your machines under-loaded, you will waste not only energy, fuel and water but also chemicals and time.

It doesn’t take any more time or effort to load at the proper levels if you just do it! I realize that everyone wants to be busy, or at least look busy at all times. However, it is clearly beneficial to accumulate and process the correct size loads. The time spent waiting can then be appropriated to wherever you need it.

As an example, the first time I did a late-hour check on laundry at my first OPL in healthcare, the night washer was not sorting everything, just throwing whatever was in the bags in the washers and washing them on the setting for heavily soiled linen. He figured he could eliminate a step that way and save himself a lot of work.

Maybe he did save time and effort, but what a terrible waste of chemicals and utilities. After the proper sorting and loading procedures were reviewed with him, along with the reasoning behind them, it was never a problem again and our chemical expense dropped noticeably.

For those of you working at long-term healthcare facilities, make sure you have adequate washes for heavily soiled linens. A separate setting for this is essential in eliminating rewashes and quality-control problems. Even if you have to hold heavily soiled linen in the sorting cart for a while to get a full load, you can certainly save a lot by doing so.

You will also find it helpful to schedule a recovery load for trying to save badly stained linens prior to taking them out of circulation. Even if you only save half a load, it is linen you may normally would have thrown out.

It is also important not to overload the washers or you will waste your chemicals and utilities on rewashing. It is a bit of a balancing act, but one that can be easily accomplished with education, cooperation and teamwork.

Be sure that you do not ignore proper loading and temperature settings on your dryers. Over-loaded and under-loaded dryers waste a lot of energy and fuel and can also lead to lost time and excessive wear of your linens. And be sure your temperature settings are correct for the loads you do. Too much heat is as bad as too little heat for your linens and is extremely wasteful. Today’s dryers feature multiple settings, so be sure to use them correctly.

Involve your representatives from your laundry chemical, linen and equipment companies to help you fine-tune everything to get the best, most efficient results for your investment. They will be glad to help with this important task. With their help and your attention to the details, you can be sure you are not wasting energy, fuel or water.

Tomorrow: Answers from the commercial laundry and equipment manufacturing sectors.
Click here for Part 1.
Click here for Part 2.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — When striving toward a properly equipped hotel laundry facility, owners and operators have a number of factors to consider, including the right equipment mix, new technologies, types of machines and unique industry challenges.

The proper selection of commercial laundry equipment can have a significant impact on several key operational factors—namely time, money and utilities.

Before the Equipment, You Need A Distributor

Whether shopping for laundry equipment for a new hotel/motel or looking to upgrade an existing operation, it is important to connect with a reliable, established distributor for product guidance and future maintenance. The best laundry distributors are those that have a long history in the business and have received positive reviews for the customer service they provide — both before and after the sale.

It also is wise to look for a distributor with solid warranty and service agreements, factory-trained service technicians and a full parts inventory, so replacement parts can be obtained with minimal downtime. For example, if laundry equipment stops working on a busy Saturday, having a distributor that will send a service technician out promptly with the replacement parts needed for repairs is crucial to keep up with the flow of guest needs.

A reputable distributor will help ensure the laundry room is designed to efficiently meet the needs of the hotel staff and guests. The arrangement should accommodate a good workflow and have proper ventilation and enough space on all sides of the equipment for maintenance and operation. Distributors also can help owners calculate how many loads of laundry will be required to accommodate the average flow of guests.

Finding the Right Mix

To maximize a laundry operation’s efficiency, there are a few variables that need to be considered. For example, how many hours will the equipment operate per day? The answer to this question is dependent on the number of rooms, types of linens laundered, etc. and directly affects the variety and size of the equipment needed.

Another factor that needs to be addressed is the hotel’s target market. If hotel guests are generally business travelers, the type and the amount of linens vary greatly compared to a full-service resort where multiple towel types, robes, linens, etc., are required for daily guest use. Depending on the types of linens and the amount of laundry at the on-premise facility, a distributor can help determine where more or less equipment would ensure a smooth laundry operation.

A simple rule of thumb for preliminary discussions about the capacity of equipment needed to stay ahead of hotel/motel laundry needs is one pound of washer capacity for each guestroom. For instance, if a hotel has 100 rooms, it would need approximately 100 pounds of washer capacity. For dryers, hotel owners and operators would want to select equipment that provides approximately 30-50% additional capacity, in this example, around 150 pounds of dryer capacity.

Generally, owners and operators with more than 40 to 50 rooms opt for two smaller washers, which allow for laundry to be done continually throughout the day, instead of waiting to do all of the linens at one time. Also, in case the equipment breaks down, a second unit is there to keep up with the guests’ linen and towel needs.

Technologies Save Money, Time and Linens

The largest cost in a hotel laundry is labor, which can comprise 50-60% of every dollar spent. One of the best things a hotel owner can do is to upgrade the washers to models that have higher spin speeds, which remove more water from linens. This leads to a reduction in the amount of natural gas consumed in the drying process by shortening the dry times. Higher-extraction washers can cut drying times 20-40%.

Housekeeping operators stand to recoup the price difference between efficient and less-efficient on-premise laundry equipment in labor savings over a few years.

High-spin washers help hotels keep the cost of linen replacement down, as shorter dry times help increase linen life. Most of the damage to linens occurs in the dryers, when linens are tumbling in temperatures of 160-180 F for anywhere from 25 to 50 minutes.

Tomorrow: An additional challenge...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Gaylord Opryland Resort is taking guest reservations for a Nov. 15 reopening, just six months after massive springtime flooding from the adjacent Cumberland River left the hotel, the legendary Grand Ole Opry and the company’s other area facilities severely damaged.

As of mid-September, clean-up and remediation work had been completed and construction was under way, according to Pete Weien, senior vice president and general manager, who posted an update on the resort’s website.

CHICAGO — There is a great deal to consider when deciding whether to use reusable or disposable textiles when providing patient care. Single-use disposables are viewed as being convenient and less costly—reusables proponents frequently rely on life-cycle analyses in an attempt to disprove the latter—while reusables offer a decidedly greener alternative.

I read with interest your article in the June 2009 issue of American Laundry News titled Define criteria for ragging out linen, then train staff to recognize signs, take action. There were many excellent points brought up by your Panel of Experts.

I feel that you missed an opportunity to suggest to your readers that they should consider selling their discards to a reputable wiping cloth company.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Recent lab tests determined that Maytag Commercial Laundry High Efficiency (HE) front-load washers cut utility costs up to 60% and clean better than the competition, the company says.

The tests, performed in an approved testing facility to the American Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) HLW1-2006 laundry industry standard, concluded that the washer achieves superior cleaning performance while providing energy savings.

“This may seem like a silly question, but what’s the difference between liquid detergents and powdered detergents? How do their cleaning abilities and storage characteristics compare? Is one type more environmentally friendly than the other?”

FAIRFIELD, Iowa — Factory Made, a new television series on the Discovery Channel, will feature Dexter Laundry products in an episode airing Wednesday night, Dexter announced.

A crew of four visited Dexter’s headquarters here in March for three days of filming in Dexter Laundry’s manufacturing facility and its foundry, which produces gray and ductile iron castings, including several components in Dexter washers.

“Sometimes, we get so caught up in getting the work processed and to our customers that we don’t keep the laundry production areas as clean as they should be. What tasks should we be performing regularly to keep our facility clean? To what degree do we need to clean our equipment and how often?”

In order for my customers to be responsible for linens and garments, I suppose they need to be instructed or reminded about abuse. What steps can my operation take to train them and minimize these occurrences? Is it possible that we’re abusing the linen during processing and/or distribution?

My hotel has upgraded its guest-room linens and bedding package, as well as its restaurant linens. It’s made a sizable investment, so the pressure’s on to clean, handle and store these goods carefully for the longest useful life possible. What advice can you give me?

ATLANTA — Thanks to their hard work in rolling out Candlewood Suites’ new bedding collection, housekeepers at 142 hotels in the United States and Canada were invited to take a day off from cleaning at home.