Although we do not know to whom we can attribute this piece of wisdom, we can appreciate the truth behind it. Nothing impacts your guests’ impressions more than the condition of your linens; and a negative impression will significantly cloud their judgment of your other amenities.
Having the proper laundry system in place is the key to a positive first impression and controlling your laundry room costs. Properly sized washers and dryers are one of the keys to processing all the laundry that needs to get done in a day in a timely manner. But there are other features that need to be considered aside from capacity that affect the cost of a wash. A quality washer should have the programmability of at least 4 wash rotation speeds and give you six water level choices. The rotation affects the quality of the finished product and the longevity of the linens. The levels control the cost, we need enough water to make sure everything is saturated yet not too much water that it affects the agitation and dilution of the cleaning chemicals. You should be able to choose up to six extraction speeds with high speed reaching a minimum of 350 G-Force. The high G-Force can cut dry times up to 50% improving throughput and lowering utility costs. Yet not everything should or needs to be spun out at 350 G’s. Having extract speed programmability will help extend your linens usefulness. You should be able to program a wash cycle with only one fill or up to 21 fills at the proper levels and correct water temperatures required. Ensuring that loads are cleaned properly, eliminating re-cleans. You should have the option of twelve independent chemical injection signals and allow for signal duration programming. The washer should be equipment with an internal suspension system capable of absorbing 95% of the transmitted dynamic energy (vibrations) eliminating the need to bolt it floor. This suspension system is what allows the washer to achieve its high G-Force, removing more water from the washer drastically reducing dry times. The suspension system not only lowers operating costs but will lower installation costs.
A quality dryer should have easy to operate controls. You should have the ability to have preset timed dry cycles. Some laundry room attendants prefer the timed dry cycles because it helps them with their “system”. Unfortunately this “system” isn’t always the most productive. The wash cycle lasts 35 minutes, set the dryer to 45 minutes and spend 30 minutes to fold the last load. This system ends up with a wet load of laundry in a basket, a load possible getting over dried in the dryer and the attendant has a 15 minute break between every load. The dryer should be able to program the timed cycles with time and temperature so it finishes when the washer finishes. But timed cycles are still a guessing game. And more often than not the loads end up being over dried. Check the lint screens on your dryers, the finer the lint the more your linens are being over dried. So the dryer should have an option for an automatic dry cycle. When used with our high speed soft mount washers the automatic dry cycles offer the most time and utility savings. The automatic cycles measures the moisture content of the load, shuts the heat source off when most of the moisture is gone and goes into cool down, shutting off completely when the load is cooled off. The dryer should allow for modifying the automatic cycles to the desired moisture content and temperature so the dryer load is done when the wash load is done. You should have the choice between single action and reverse action tumbling. The reversing action will keep your king sized sheets, comforters and duvet covers from getting tangled up so they will dry evenly. It also helps shorten the dry times. On most dryers reversing motors are an option with a small up-charge. Any additional costs are quickly offset by the utility savings.
Any property with restaurant, banquet facilities or convention center that processes their own linens should have a flat work ironer. That crisp look of your linens can only be achieved by processes them with a flat work ironer. The more seasoned laundry room attendants call them Mangles. We have ironers that can fit any application. If you simply want to process your napkins or are looking to handle your king size sheets or 120 inch round table clothes. Adding an ironer to your laundry room can give your property’s linens the high end look that will make a favorable first impression.</left)
Uses of Ozone in the Laundry Room
Ozone (O3) is an activated form of Oxygen (O2) that will naturally convert a foul-smelling substance into a non-odorous substance. Ozone works be casting off its 3rd atom into any other organic element thereby oxidizing it or converting it to another substance. Ozone will deactivate and destroy molds, bacteria, viruses, fungus and mildew.
Disinfecting and Deodorizing Prior to Washing:
Conditioning textiles in a properly constructed ozone room prior to cleaning can effectively treat mold, mildew and odors, typically eliminating re-cleans. Conditioning times vary depending on the degree of mold, mildew or odors, some taking as little as two hours to treat, while others may require up to 12 hours.
An effective ozone room is constructed to be as air tight as possible, with an exhaust fan large enough to create negative pressure in the room which prevents the ozone from seeping into work areas. The ozone unit should be placed high in the room to allow the ozone to “fall” over the items being conditioned. The ozone unit and exhaust fan should have on/off switches on the outside of the room to prevent employees from breathing the ozone. The room size and door openings should be designed with consideration of the product to be treated in mind. Ozone generators are sized based on the size of the ozone room.
Washing With Ozone:
Ozone in the wash is designed to enhance commercial laundry operations by improving quality and reducing costs. Ozone helps reduce operating costs by reducing energy use, water use, chemical use and cycle times. Ozone improves quality by eliminating bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms as well as lifting fibers giving laundry a softer feel and longer shelf-life. Ozone is very aggressive and requires little time to achieve the desired results, dissipating quickly in water.
Four Design Approaches to Using Ozone in the Wash:
Diffusion
– Using the Diffusion system, ozone is injected directly into the washer drum throughout each step of the wash cycle. This system puts linens in direct contact with ozone and provides longer exposure. Diffusion is designed to constantly charge the wash water with low levels of ozone throughout the entire cycle.
Direct Water Injection
– Using the Direct Water Injection system, ozone is introduced into the wash cycle via venturi into the cold water supply. This is a single charge system and the wash water is not recharged once it enters the wash wheel. This system is designed to inject higher levels of ozone during the fill step of the cycle only in order to prevent the linens from overexposure to ozone.
Charge System
– A charged systems is a variation of the direct water injection system. A charged system mixes ozone with cold water and continually recycles it prior to injection into the washer to reach even higher levels of ozone at the fill step of the wash cycle. As withe the direct water injection system, the water is not recharged once it enters the wash wheel.
Recirculation Injection
– This system is the most complex and expensive of the four systems. Using the recirculation Injection systems, water is recirculated between the washer and the ozone generator providing the wash cycle with constantly charged water. This system can handle heavy microbe loads, but with the PPM controller, recirculation pumps and lint filters, it requires continual monitoring and maintenance.