On

LAUNDRY IN HOTELS

Submitted to Osmania University in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the

degree of bachelor of Hotel Management & catering technology for the academic
year 2015-2018

Name: D.VIGNAN REDDY

HT.NO: 1674-15-806-020

Green Fields of catering and hotel maganament technology

(Affiliated to osmania University)

Sri Nagar Colony road Panjagutta, Hyderabad-72

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 A project report on

LAUNDRY IN HOTELS

This is to certify that this is bonafied of the project work entitled

“LAUNDRY OPERATIONS IN HOTELS” done by the student

Mr. D .VIGNAN REDDY

(HT.NO:1674-15-806-020)

Lecture Principal External

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 GUIDE PROFILE

Name: MR. SUNIL BODA

Education:

Designation:

Experience:

Hotel:

Present position in hotel:

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 CERTIFICATE BY THE GUIDE

This is certify that the project entitled ‘’LAUNDRY IN HOTELS’’

is a record of research work done by to get the bachelor

degree of hotel management and catering technology under Osmania university,
Hyderabad under my guidance and supervision

The subject on which the project has been prepared is his original wor The research
work rentirely an independent work on the part of the candidate but for
the general guidance offered by me

MR:

DEP:

HOTEL:

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 DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT

I, D. VIGNAN REDDY student of BHMCT final year 2nd SEM from pinnacle
institute of hotel management and catering technology. Hereby declare that this
project entitled. “LAUNDRY IN HOTELS” a research study undertaken by me to
study in partial requirement for award of the bachelor degree of hotel management
and catering technology under Osmania University, is the record of the research
work originally done by me under the guidance and supervision of hotel

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I Sincerely express my gratitude to Ms. Y. Sridevi (principal) “pinnacle institute of

hotel management and catering technology Hyderabad’’ For her guidance. I thank
her for sparing her valuable time and providing continues support throughout the
course of the project

My thanks to my guide Mr. ( ) hotel for being a support throughout the project
and helping me about the matter and giving his valuable suggestions

My thanks to our faculty and friends for helping guiding me about my project

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 INDEX

CONTENT SHEET

S.NO TOPIC PAGE NO

01 Initial page of the project 01
02 Name of the title 02
03 Guide profile 03
04 Certificate by the guide 04
05 Deceleration by the student 05
06 Acknowledgement 06
07 INTRODUCTION of ORIGIN OF LAUNDRING 08
08 Laundering is production 20
09 THE LAUNDRY OF TODAY 12
10 Planning 18

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 1. THE ORIGIN OF LAUNDRING
You may wonder why something, which through thousands of years has been a
Household task suddenly became an industrial process.
1.1 THE EARLIEST INDUSTRIAL LAUNDRIES
There are many myths about this innovative change. The Americans prefer the explanation,
that when the gold diggers went out to dig during the California Gold Rush, there were no women
in the mines to do the men's laundry. Not that it mattered much men know that men smell but when,
on a rare occasion, a woman came by the saloons, it could be of some importance to be clean and
wear clean clothes.
The first washing machine
A story is told that a smelly prospector, longing for female company, on his way to town
hooked up a jury-rigged washing machine to a donkey engine (a small steam engine used for
loading and unloading), and the first mechanised washing machine was invented. In other words,
men found a technical solution to a social problem the lack of women. There might be something
to it. Through the ages, washing has been one of the most gender-specific tasks in both American
and western European cultures. More often than not, no women meant no washing.
And since the first washing machines appeared, we have seen the consequences of this work
pattern. At the time of the gold rush, between 8 and 12% of Scandinavian women were employed
as domestic servants. Today it is less than 0.1%. Back then, only 4% of American women worked
outside the home. Today it is 90%. Few developments, if any, have had a more profound impact on
the national western economies than that of women's entry into the labour market, made possible
among other developments, by the mechanising of the more labour demanding household tasks.
But the story about the smelly prospector is probably apocryphal. Already during the beginning of
the 19th century, a good while before the gold fever raged in California, parts of the washing
processes in small craft laundries were already mechanised.
The truth is more likely that the heavy laundry work in households was hard, tedious, slow
and never-ending. Large, heavy pieces of cloth soaked in a boiling solution of water, lye and soap
took its toll on the back, shoulders, arms and hands of the women.
It took two days to work through the washing of the household's clothes and five days later
you could start all over again; and so it would repeat, year in and year out. Rough, red and swollen
hands bore clear testimony to the women in town who washed the clothes themselves and who had
no people to do the dirty work, literally speaking.

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 Fig 1.1 donkey engine and tree fellers
Washing machines in the laundry industry
It was simply not possible to bring these practices into industry. Industrialisation of the rest
of society, primarily the textile industry, brought the need for mechanisation of the washing and
drying processes. Already at the end of the 1700s, at least one English textile manufacturer had a
system of steam-powered machines in his factory used for washing and drying.
But it was only when the cities grew, when water pipes and sewers were laid in the ground,
and when the requirements for cleanliness increased with the under-standing of the causes of
disease, that the industrialisation of the laundry industry really took off.
In 1782 a patent application for a Sidgier machine to carry out the mechanical washing of
clothes was filed, but when designing most of the washing machines for use in-house, the inventors
sought to imitate the human (female) hand scrubbing the clothes. Out of twelve illustrations of
washing processes and machinery in Benjamin Butterworth’s "The Growth of Industrial Art" from
1892, eleven are exclusively depicting women carrying out the process.
1.2 THE WAYS OF INDUSTRIALISATION
Only one of the illustrated machines produced for commercial use is not operated by a
woman. There is no operator of that machine; it is powered by a belt connected to a steam turbine
arrangement. Like similar contemporary machines, it consisted of a rotating drum, which forced
water through the clothes by a combination of rotation induced g-force and gravitation in much the
same way that centrifugal machines are working even today, over one hundred years later.

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 Fig.1.2 boundary laundry
Ingenuity, in combination with a requirement of large quantities, replaced house-work with
industrial solutions, and hereby the feminine with the masculine.
The paths of technologies part
During the 1800s the innovation of technology came to a crossroads. Household machines
followed one path - the industrial machines another. At the end of the century housewives
purchased mass-produced copper boilers to replace the set coppers, but also wash- and scrubbing
boards, wringers, ironers, clothes lines and numerous other, more or less ingenious, patented
appliances, at lower and lower prices.
The logic of manufacturing
In contrast, the trend of industrial machine development followed the logic of factory
manufacturing. The engineers split up the laundry tasks into specific process steps and incorporated
the craft of washing in the machine design, while taking advantage of economies of scale. For
example, hand ironing was replaced by large cylindrical ironer rolls and chests, which had no place
in the households, but could iron hundreds of sheets every hour in the laundries. Laundries grew
larger. The market development forced laundering out of the hands of the craftsmen, in a business
characterised by many small operating units, and into a business dominated by factories with fewer
but larger industrial units. The business went from craftsmanship via manufactures (hand made in
large scale), to mechanisation, mass production and division of labour.
The technical development in the direction of larger and more specialised machines and a
higher degree of automation, supported the industrialisation.

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Laundering is production
Notwithstanding that the term "wash" in official statistics is still rated as a service, laundry
operations today are actually distinguished by the industrial production's characteristics. Laundry
factories are large buildings with several complex flows of goods, dozens of specialised machines
and up to several hundred people engaged in the operations.
The modern laundry operation is characterised by the typical production's traditional
features such as:
 Identifying portion sizes on continuous batch washers(batch sizes).
 Sizing of the customer’s on-site textile supply(stock sizes).
 Frequency between collection and dirty clothes at the custmer’s premises (collection time)
and time from collection, sorting, washing, finishing and delivering of the clothes in the
laundry(lead time).
And, as with any production, the laundry operation is subject to a run of complex
constraints, scarce resources and priorities that determine the laundry cost profile and
responsiveness. Besides being talented, the competition in today's markets requires laundry
operators to show sharp professionalism in the preparation, making and implementation of
management decisions.
1.3 SPILL OVER EFFECT
Concurrently with industrialisation and specialisation, the laundry operations became
increasingly more unpredictable and complex. Specialisation, which to begin with only covered the
first process steps in the laundry, came to play an increasingly important role in other areas of the
laundry.
Industrial complexity
The productions became so complex that they grew to be immeasurable. There were too
many variables. It is a mathematical fact that an increasing number of variables can make any
system break down. The industrialisation brought with it too many restrictions and compulsory
relationships. The operation of laundry factories favoured other and different conditions than the
operation of small craft shops and households. In the small craftsmen-shops, dependencies were
fewer and less strict. One or only a few people could handle and command all the functions, and
decisions could be undone and remade.
In the industrial operation an individual only carries out, and holds responsibility for, one
or a few steps in a series of special functions, which leads to interdependencies. A workstation is
dependent upon previous (upstream) and subsequent (downstream) workstations' work rate, quality

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and decisions.
The internal workflow and storage of work-in-progress became important. Conveyor speeds
and cycle times forced fixed, invariable work rates and the lanes in the conveyor systems forced
fixed, invariable batch sequences. The new types of machines forced the operating managers to
make decisions that could not be un-done, and to make them earlier than before
A conveyor in front of a continuous batch washer (CBW) forces the wash room manager to
determine batch sequences when the batches are queued in the conveyor systems, long before each
batch is loaded into the CBW and the consequences hit the shop floor. The CBW design advances
certain category sequences baths must be utilised, chemical residues reused, tumble driers loaded
evenly, and some category sequences do this better than others.
The time, from a decision is made and until it is put into effect, is getting longer and is today
measured in hours, while the possibilities of remaking a decision have almost been eliminated by
equipment design. In other words, today it is necessary to predict the course of events several hours
into the future, while at the same the economic impact time has increased. More than ever, it is
necessary to plan well. But the planning for a laundry operation has become as complex as the
production itself. To eliminate this complexity, most laundries have specialised on market
segments. The laundry has, by concentrating on one or a few types of customers, been able to
remove big chunks of article numbers in the category catalogue, thus reducing the number of
variables.
Specialisation removes variables
Dedicated processing lines were developed in the laundries; one line for sheets, one for the
duvet covers, one for pillowcases, etc. Whole laundries were specialised to a single type of product,
e.g. dust control mat laundries, flatwork laundries

2. THE LAUNDRY OF TODAY

2.1 The Laundry's Function and Objective
With the soiled goods in the sorting area and an impatient market waiting outside, the industrial
laundry's primary function is to prepare the work for processing.
Function and objective
Historically, the laundry's function has always been its purpose: prepare the work for reuse.
However the industrialisation has made the cost of running small laundries, tied to a single
customer, too high compared with the benefits which can be gained by collecting and centralising
the laundering from more customers in one site. The simple equation that the more pieces to spread
the investments over, the better equipment you can afford to invest in, has meant that the laundries

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have become larger and larger and they have begun serving more and more customers. Washing
clothes is no longer only a matter of having clean clothes on the body. It has also turned into a matter
of economy on an industrial scale, for the customers as well as for the laundries themselves.
The practical function of washing clothes has become a means to achieve the economic
objective of reducing costs and making money.
Throughout the 20th century, the economic advantages of centralising the laundering and taking
advantage of specialisation has become ever increasing. The heavy laundry work and the falling
laundering prices enticed the households to send the clothes to the laundries. The requirements for
cleanliness grew. Laundries grew accordingly – until household washing machines were so cheap
and easy to operate, that they spread from the wealthiest homes into all households. The 60s and 70s
drained the laundries of private household customers.
But the demands for cleanliness kept growing at a steady pace. Through the expansion of
manufacturing, food processing, healthcare and tourism industries, new market needs evolved.
Needs which were larger than the households' and which could drive an entire industry.
When defining the laundry's objective, in most cases you now have to add to meet an economic
goal. Whether it is to earn money in a private laundry company or to minimise costs in a large
business.
When we build, equip and operate an industrial laundry, both its practical operation and its
economic objectives have to be met.
Dry-cleaning
Clothes can however, be made ready for reuse in other ways than by washing. During washing
a dissolution and dispersion of contaminants in water is taking place, but other liquids can also be
used. Some fabrics even require washing in water-free liquids, such as hydrocarbons – dry-cleaning
instead of washing, but the functional logic is the same. Many laundries have supplemented their
equipment with dry-cleaning machines and offer dry-cleaning on par with washing.
Dry-cleaning can, in some cases, solve stain problems which washing cannot. Whether the
clothes are dry-cleaned or washed, the customer is usually less concerned with the process, as long
as the clothes come back clean at a low price. The techniques of, and the requirements for, dry-
cleaning is a chapter entirely in itself and will not be discussed further here.
2.2 The Laundry Conditions
Each splitting up of the laundry processes into sub-processes has been done with the purpose
of specialisation (to increase employee productivity) or automation (to completely eliminate the
need for manual intervention). In the modern laundry, the clothes passthrough a series of sequential

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process steps, which are all created to increase the quantity produced per working or clock hour.
Automation and bottom line
Advanced industrial laundries are, as a consequence, characterised by a high degree of
mechanisation, automation and specialisation, and high employee productivity, while older
laundries are characterised by manual processes and low employee productivity.
This is not to say that modern laundries automatically earn more money than laundries with
older technology. Automation in itself does not necessarily translate to higher margins. When the
automation is a consequence of a market with large, stable and homogeneous volumes of the textile
categories and qualities that the laundry has specialised in, then the possibility for good earnings
exists, however it still depends on market prices.
Therefore, there are markets where automation is ill-suited, where the quantities or categories
vary strongly over the seasons.
In other words, earnings are a result of the laundry's capacity to meet market demands at the
price the market is willing to pay, and does not necessarily have to do with the company's
technological level. Laundry investment decisions are, like in all other industries, depending on the
return on the investment, the ROI, that is the asset's ability, for as long as it is competitive, to return
the depreciation of the entire investment.
The processes in the laundry production
Almost all laundry categories' way through the laundry production can be divided into the
following process steps:
 sorting in and categorisation (pre- or post-sorting, registration)
 preparing for the washing (separation, pocket-emptying, labelling)
 portioning (process route conditioned pool or portion wash, registration)
 washing (prewash, wash, rinse)
 water extraction (pressing or centrifugation)
 drying (pre- or full drying)
 separation
 machine ironing
 finishing
 heat pressing
 hand ironing
 folding
 sorting out

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  picking
 possibly packaging
with stocks and buffers for storage of work-in-progess between each process step, in addition
to stocks of bulk and finished goods at each end of the laundry.
Connected processes outside the laundry production
From the time the work leaves the laundry and until it comes back again, it goes through a
number of processes, which can be divided into these steps:
transportation to the customer
• storage on-site
• dressing in / bed making / table laying
• use
• undressing / removing / clearing
• storage on-site, and
• transportation back to the laundry
Since the laundry's combined influence on the customer's economy is crucial to their choice
of laundry, each of these sub-processes must be carried out economically for the customer and with
the greatest possible quality per cost ratio.
Tear down the walls
Depending on the competitive situation, the laundry cannot free itself from looking at its
performance, as part of a working process with a customer, causing both direct and derived costs
for the customer. The laundry does not just provide a piece of clothing on a cart in the courtyard at
the customer's site. The laundry is part of the customer's total business - a part, the customer with
good reason would choose not to include, if he is given a better total alternative.
This is both a limitation, because it requires the laundry to take wider considerations than
just its own output, but it also offers the laundry a number of options.
To deliver a product or a service that reduces the customers costs, not only on the
laundering, but maybe also on cost drivers, that are not at first related to the laundry services, puts
the laundry in a stronger competitive position. New possibilities surface: rental care is just one,
which has improved the laundry's business economics and the customers cash position, paid for by
cost reductions on textile in-vestments (by the textile supplier), by increases in the productivity (by
the employees), and by reductions in the consumption of water (by the water supplier) and
chemicals (by the chemical supplier).

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Planning:-
Internally in laundries the industrialisation has meant specialisation, more people and more
tasks. The risk of unpredictable production requirements, bottlenecks, lack of supplies, goods
congestion, allocation chaos and missed deadlines has risen correspondingly.
At the same time, the outside competition has inexorably increased the requirements for
low operating costs and forced the producers to justify every decision financially. Today, even the
smallest change counts. This has created an internal efficiency pressure and an external price and
lead-time pressure, but this can be relieved by controlling the flow of goods through the right
planning methods, control of the production, utilities consumption and opera-tor deployment.
With goods flow scheduling and synchronisation the laundry's operating economy is kept
in control, i.e. its variable or operating costs. Operating economy and the bottom line is a direct
result hereof. Somewhat simplified, one could say that the industrialisation of production has
required a similar industrialisation of planning.
and each of these activities covers features that are both labour and knowledge intensive.

Important activities in a modern laundry's operation therefore include:

1. coordination of the production with the market's demands
2. dimensioning of capacities and stocks
3. sizing and allocation of production buffers
4. picking and prioritisation of batches for production
5. planning of product flow routes through the laundry
6. allocation of employees to workplaces
7. supply of consumption articles
8. distribution of products
Other activities in the laundry production
Finally, statistical purposes, wage and collective agreement systems, public authorities and
industry associations may prompt additional functions in the laundry, for example:
 weighing in
 piece count at the pre-sorting station
 piece count at each workstation
 documentation of processes, qualities and hygiene
 certification
 surveying of supplies and

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  measurement of emissions and the administrative burden of legislation
This was a brief review of basic tasks in the industrial laundry production. Now; what products
flow through the laundry during a working day – where does it all come from.
2.3 What Does An Industrial Laundry Process Do
Wherever you find a need to produce, rent, use or recycle textiles in a larger scale, you will
also find industrial laundries. The list of textile categories is long. Where textiles are produced or
used to wear, for hygienic purposes, to protect, functionally, ornamentally in a larger scale. All
these purposes can give rise to an industrial laundry.
Textiles in all shapes and sizes
These are just a few examples of uses. You might probably be able to come up with even
more.

Laundry specialization
The specialisation of laundries has centred on these textile types and their treatment in the
laundry production, which has created concepts such as: flatwork laundries, dust control mat
laundries, and garment (workwear) laundries The laundry's geographical location to the customers
it serves, has also given rise to specialisation, which has led to special laundries (on-premise
laundries) such as: hospital laundries, prison laundries cruise ship laundries, hotel laundries and
nursing home laundries
The distinction between the laundries
In industry terminology, laundries on the same site as the customer they serve (On Premise-
Laundries) are distinguished from laundries located away from their customers (Central Laundries).
On-Premise Laundries (OPLs) are typically found in hotels, hospitals, cruise ships, residential
homes, factories, etc.
We also distinguish laundries, which rent out textiles (Linen Suppliers) from laundries,
which primarily wash the customers' own textiles (which can be both On Premise and Central
Laundries).
Moreover, the largest industrial laundries (Heavy Duty Laundries, HDLs) are distinguished
from the smallest institutional laundries (Professional Laundries, PLs). The limit between these two
types is at approx. 15 metric tons of work per week. Professional Laundries are typically college
laundries and coin operations, where the machines are smaller than in Heavy Duty Laundries, but
not so small as in the households. Machine sizes (measured on washer extractors) in the
Professional and Heavy Duty Laundries range from 5 kg. up to 450 kg. per batch.

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 Fig.2.1 On Premise Laundry(OPL)

The industry can also be divided into privately run and publicly run laundries, where the
latter typically are OPL 's, located in close proximity to hospitals, nursing homes or prisons.
Finally, laundries are distinguished by their production methods, where pool-laundries
primarily wash clothes in large pools of similar, non-customer-specific textiles (equivalent to stock
production in other industries) and where portion-laundries. primarily wash the textiles in customer-
specific-portions (the equivalent to make-to-order production).

Fig.2.2 linen supplier

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 Fig.2.3 professional laundry

3. LAYOUT AND ORGANISATION

You now have knowledge of the laundry's market, market needs, laundry products, and its
competitive conditions. You also know that the historical starting point. The following is focused
on quality, eligibility, benefits, and drawbacks of the technical solutions, rather than the task they
solve.
3.1 MECHANISATION OF THE WORKING PLACES
The physical layout of the laundry and its workplaces is usually based as a convenient and
practical starting point on the process routes down the laundry, starting with soil side storage,
uncategorized clothes, followed by areas for sorting-in, washing, water extraction, drying, etc., with
room for storage between the different working places.

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 Fig.3.1 steps in production process

Laundry Layout
The laundry has often soil side storage and sorting-in at one end of the building, sorting-out
and packaging in the other and all the individual process steps distributed like beads on a string
down through the building in between, as in the schematic overview of the production below.
3.2 The Primary Storage System
When the clothes are received in the laundry (before they are sorted and categorized), they come in
bags, bundles or on carts, either stored on the floor (in carts) or hung up in rail systems (in bags)
mounted in the ceiling (the primary conveyer storage system).

Fig.3.2 Storage of soiled, unsorted clothes in carts on the floor

The Differences
There are a few key differences between the two storage layouts (floor and ceiling):
by storing in carts you (usually) have the freedom to choose any cart, giving access to

20
specific customers' goods and perhaps specific categories required in the production or
sorting out (if sorted at source). On the other hand, carts on the floor carries with them a
heavy task of unloading and emptying the bags (usually weighing around 10-30 kg per
bag). By storing in a conveyor system you avoid the heavy work of moving carts (the bags
run on the rail systems in the ceiling) and emptying the bags (they are hung in a strap at the
bottom of the bag and are easily emptied by opening the bag). On the other hand, the
conveyor system imposes precedence in the choice of bags, which forces you to take the
bags from one end and work your way through the line of bags, line by line. In smaller
conveyor systems the precedence constraint can, however, to some extent, be overcome by
a recirculation loop.
3.3 Sorting-in
Identification of the type of fabric, emptying pockets, separating and opening the
clothes, removal of foreign items, labeling, counting, and (pre)sorting in chutes or carts is
still almost exclusively done manually.

Fig 3.3 sorting chute

Weigh-in of batches
The weigh-in of each category in the quantity needed to fill the machines down-
stream can take place in several ways, but the larger, modern laundry has placed the sorting
staff on a platform under which the batches can pass either in wash bags or on an
(automatic) conveyor belt.
The number of necessary sorting chutes on the platform depends on how many
categories the laundry needs to sort simultaneously per customer type (when, for example,

21
the trucks bring back linen from hotels, hospitals, or industries).
The textile pieces are dropped in the sorting chutes, which may have a counting frame
integrated, which counts the number of items passing by.
Data Recording
The sorting-in function is also responsible for recording all necessary data for each
batch that is sent downstream into the production, i.e. category, quantity, perhaps priority,
customer, process route, and choice of location in the queue area, so that all subsequent
processing can be carried out without any further information required.
Pre-sorting
The advantage of pre-sorting (i.e. sorting prior to washing) is that it is possible to
categories in order to know what's washed, to control what's washed together, and to get
the opportunity to remove any foreign objects before washing. It is also an advantage, that
the laundry has the opportunity to adjust batch volumes, if batches from a customer are
under- or overfilled. Finally, it is an advantage that (mainly) the laundry can sort the textiles
while they are dry and light.
3.4 Internal Transport and Classified Storage

Fig.3.4 a bag in the conveyor system

The categorized clothes are then stored in soil-side-conveyor systems, either on

tracks in the ceiling (in a conveyor system), or in carts in line-up-bays on the floor in front
of the washing machines.

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 Fig 3.5 bags in the soil-side conveyor system

Conveyor-systems
A conveyor system is a number of parallel rails mounted to the ceiling and sloping
down towards the drop points (e.g., from the sorting platform to drop points in front of the
washing machines). Wash bags in sizes between 25-150 kg are suspended from a trolley
with two or more wheels, and can, by itself (with gravity), move down the tracks.
The conveyor system only requires energy to a limited extent (for the pneumatic stops). On
the other hand, it takes time to run a bag down to the drop point, which complicates
recirculation and random selection of bags on the tracks.
This constraint can be softened by dedicating an entire line to a specific category
(e.g., track 1 holds duvet covers, track 2 sheets, track 3 small terry towels, etc.), but
dedicated tracks limit the possibility of utilizing the entire conveyor system's capacity to
its full potential since it is not a given that the incoming volume of a specific category fits
the dedicated conveyor capacity. For the same reason, a system with many, short lines is
for planning purposes more favorable, than one with few, long lines, given the same
number of positions.

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 Fig.3.6 conveyor system with few long lines

3.5 Washing
From the line-up bays with the categorized batches one or a series of batches are
selected, which are brought forward to the washing machines' openings manually, on
conveyor belts, or along conveyor system lines.
Loading the Machines
The loading of the washing machines is, in the larger, modern laundry, done automatically
by leading the wash bag along conveyor lines up to the drop point over the machine chute
and the bag is opened automatically by means of pulleys,
The clothes in the bag fall (in the right amount) into the machine and if the sorting-
in, the storage system, and the washing machines are connected electronically through a
network (Local Area Network, LAN), all the information needed for the washing is
automatically transferred to the washing machine, which then selects the correct program.
The washing process starts.

Fig.3.7 a step conveyor loading a continuous batch washer

Mechanical Action
The washing machine's main contribution to the washing process, besides
accommodating the encounter between the clothes and the wash liquor, is the mechanical
action although it has given way to chemical processing throughout the ages.
Laboratory studies in the late 1950's showed, that what a drum washer takes 20

24
minutes to wash clean, a rocking washer takes 10 minutes and a rotor washer only 3
minutes. That the drum machine, nevertheless, is the most widely used is due to the fact
that it, compared with the rotor washer, solves both the washing and the drainage, it is
reliable, durable, easy to manufacture, inexpensive to buy, has a tradition in the laundries
(dating back to 1840), and the cycle time (historically) has not been that important until
recently in the industrialisation process.
And where the washing time is not that important, as in the households and coin
ops, the most widely used machines are still today the auto-extracting drum washers,
whereas the washer in the modern industrial laundry today is a continuous batch washer, a
CBW. In the following we will have a closer look at these two machine types.
The Washer Extractors
The washer extractor loads between 5 and 450 kg usually divided into 1, 2, 3, or 4
compartments or pockets (although there are examples of machines with up to 16 pockets).
A Washer Extractor's Drum Split
The pocket split serves the purpose to reduce the size of the batches to be washed,
easing manual loading and unloading, while keeping to the machine sum-load high. It also
serves better balancing of the drum during spinning. The other side of spinning in the
washer drum is that the portion weights need to be very closely matched (or rebalanced
using ballast tanks) since otherwise the entire machine will get out of balance, which may
have catastrophic consequences.

Fig.3.8 an open-end triple pocket washer extractor

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 Fig.3.9 an open end, single pocket, washer extractor

The Washer Extractor's Operation Principles

The fundamental function of the washer extractor is to accommodate the encounter
between the dirty clothes and the wash liquor in a smooth, stainless, perforated and rib-
equipped steel drum, enclosed in a waterproof jacket that ends in a tank at the bottom of
the machine. With the batch of clothes well in place, the drum is filled with the baths in the
order in which the washing is progressing, i.e. first pre-wash, then main wash, culminating
in the final rinse. The batch stays in the drum and the baths change. The drum rotates and
the perforated ribs lift the clothes out of the liquor creating liquor flow (interfibre fluid
motion), and let it fall into the liquor again, causing a mild mechanical action. This principle
is space saving (machine sizes can be kept at a minimum), but re-quires that the baths are
drained after each washing step.
Water Reuse
A good part of the laundry's economy is, therefore, to allow water collection in
tanks and recycle as much as possible. The reason for this is of course the possibility of
reducing water consumption, but since the washing detergent is usually dosed so that there
is a slight excess of chemical (wash) action left in the liquor when it is drained, it is also
possible to reduce chemical consumption a bit, by reusing the wash liquor in the pre-
washes. Furthermore the wash liquor from the main wash also has excess temperature
(whether it be 40, 60 or 85°C), which, when recycled, reduces energy consumption for bath
heating (raw water is usually only 8°C).

26
 Fig.3.10 steel storage tank for waste water

Processing Time
Time has an even greater influence on laundry economy than consumptions of
water, chemicals and energy because the laundry pays by the hour and because a clock hour
in the laundry usually spells some 30-50 staff hours. One of the main concerns in the
laundry, therefore, has to do with maintaining high work efficiency, but also to keep a
steady flow of goods and high machine efficiency three considerations which are not always
in line.
These three performance indicators are, by professionals, called Employee
Allocation Efficiency (EAE), Batch Allocation Efficiency (BAE) and Resource Allocation
Efficiency (RAE), and depict the efficiency with which the planners are able to keep
batches flowing down the process lines in the laundry and – at the same time – keep people
and machines busy. And it is a trade-off or a balancing act because increasing one of the
indicators is usually only possible at the cost of the other two. You probably recognize the
situation: with lots of batches lined up in front of every working place in the factory you
are able to keep high employee efficiency, but buffers reduce lead time.
Time, in all its aspects, is important in the production. In laundries that means time during
which:
 batches are idling (in queues, buffers or storages)
 machines are idling
 employees are idling
 transportation time
 preparation time
 processing time
The Continuous Batch Washer (CBW)
The CBW loads between 25 and 170 kg per batch, but whereas the washer extractor
can only contain one batch (one category) at a time (possibly divided into more

27
compartments) the CBW can contain a larger number of batches and categories at the same
time.

Fig.3.11 universal continuous batch washer

Cycle time and program time
When the first prewash in the CBW is over, for example after 4 minutes, the clothes
are pushed on to the next prewash. After another 4 minutes, the clothes are pushed on to
the first wash. The total time, in which the clothes are inside the continuous batch washer
(program time) is in this way divided into a number of equally sized part times: cycles.
Because all of the compartments in the continuous batch washer are welded together into a
long cylindrical drum (possibly 20 meters long), the cycle times in every compartment have
to be the same. If you e.g. would like that the clothes should have a processing time in the
first compartment of 4 minutes then the processing time will have to be 4 minutes in all
compartments. Every 4th minute every compartment's batch will be pushed forward to the
next compartment – a new batch is filled in the first compartment simultaneously and a
completed batch will be pushed out of the last compartment.
But, as we already experienced with the washer extractors, the main washes take
more than 4 minutes – they might for example take 11 minutes. If you want the first main
wash to take (at least) 11 minutes, then the washing process will have to be divided into
three compartments, each with a cycle time of 4 minutes (for example compartments 3, 4,
and 5). Hence the washing time for the first main wash will be 3x4 minutes, or 12 minutes
in all. The rest of the wash and the rinses should be dimensioned in the same way and the
continuous batch washer might therefore end up being 12 compartments long (1
compartment for the first pre-wash, 1 for the second prewash, 3 for the first main wash, 3
for the second main wash and 4 for the final rinse).
Capacity of the Continuous Batch Washer
Instead you could have chosen a cycle time of 2 minutes. The prewash would then
divide itself to two compartments instead of 1 and the main wash would divide itself to 6
compartments instead of 3. The continuous batch washer would have been twice as long,
but would still have the same accumulated prewash, main wash, and final rinse times. With

28
24 compartments instead of 12 the program time would still be the same (24 times 2 minutes
= 48 minutes), but the cycle time would have been 2 minutes. Every second minute a batch
would therefore be pushed out when the continuous batch washer was running and the
capacity of the washer would therefore be twice as big (with the same portion size). If the
batch size is 50 kg, then the total time capacity would be 60 minutes / 2 minutes x 50 kg =
1,500 kg clothes per hour. With program times of 48 minutes (excluding spinning) and
batch sizes of e.g. 100 kg in comparison, 12 washer ex-tractors (= 1,500 kg / 60 minutes x
48 minutes / 100 kg) would be needed to match a 24 compartments 50 kg continuous batch
washer. But a 24 compartments CBW takes up a lot less space than 12 washer extractors,
so the CBW are also preferable when it comes to space in comparison to the washer
extractors.
The Principles of the Continuous Batch Washer
The same basic elements apply for the washing in the continuous batch washer as
in the washer extractor, i.e. a combination of mechanical action, time, chemistry, and
temperature. Furthermore, many of the conditions, which are mentioned under washer
extractors, also apply for the continuous batch washers, e.g. distance of the ridges, percent
of perforation, hole size, wash liquor ratios, though the sizes are a little different.
E.g. the volume ratios for the continuous batch washers lie in the region of 55:1 to 60:1
litres drum volume per kg clothes in the first compartment (against 10:1 to 13:1 in washer
extractors) and 30:1 to 36:1 in the following compartments caused by the condition that the
drum does not rotate all the way around as in the washer extractors. The wash liquor ratios
are approximately the same in the CBWs as in the washer extractors (i.e. in the region of
5:1 litres per kg clothes).
The Mechanical action in the Washing
And under these circumstances, it is harder to create a G-factor of 0,7. Hence the
tendency has been that the mechanical action has been worse in the continuous batch
washers than in the washer extractors, although the manufacturers of the continuous batch
washers are inclined to deny this. Continuous batch washers therefore have, in a historical
aspect, always been known to function better in the categories, which are the least dirty,
e.g. duvet covers and sheets, whereas e.g. smocks from slaughterhouses and the fishing
industry have been more difficult to get clean in the CBWs. With a little humour injected,
one could say, that the continuous batch washers have been best for cleaning clothes, which
are already clean. Only when the cycle is brought to an end, does the drum turn a whole

29
round and a new cycle can begin.
The Water Reuse is Built In
The condition that the clothes are being pushed through the continuous batch
washer from compartment to compartment at the same time makes the conditions for the
use of the continuous batch washer very different. As a consequence of the pushing
principle (and the perforated compartment partitions), it is possible to tilt the washers’ axis
of longitude a little bit. As a result a slight gradient in the washer will emerge – from the
last to the first compartment and thereby you are able to make the water stream against the
movement of the clothes from the final rinse zone, moving through the washing zone and
on to the prewash zone.
The water is slowly moving through the clothes, through the compartments and the
zones, from one end to another. The effect is that the farther through the continuous batch
washer, the clothes move, the cleaner water they will meet. These CBWs are called counter-
flow washers, and the water reuse is built in, even though in new washers pumps are used
instead of the gradient. At the time when the water arrives at the first compartment, it has
been used to rinse, wash, and prewash, in this order and it cannot get any dirtier. When it
leaves the machine the last function is consequently to moisten and rinse the clothes from
food scraps and larger particles in the first compartment of the continuous batch washer.
Emptying of the Continuous Batch Washer
Another downside to the continuous batch washer is that if the washer is stopped -
there are clothes in all of the compartments. The batch in the first compartment has only
had a prewash, the batch in the second compartment has not yet been washed, etc. If you
want to take out the clothes without having to fill in new ones this is done by running each
compartment empty. But running an empty CBW consumes almost the same amount of
water (because of the need for lubrication of the rubber o-rings), as running the continuous
batch washer filled so it is expensive to empty a CBW. Unless you have a need for capacity,
which requires a continuous production on the CBW, you cannot count on get-ting the full
benefit of the advantages from the CBW when it comes to water consumption, though it
will still be better than older washer extractors.
The Cycle Time Applies to All Batches in the Washer
A third downside is that the cycle time applies to all the batches in the CBW. If you
have variations in the cycle times (categories with different washing times) it again has
great demands for the planning of the orders of categories in the washer. If you e.g. fill 11

30
batches with a cycle time need of 2 minutes in a 12-compartmented CBW and then merely
fill one batch with a cycle time need of 4 minutes in, then the cycle time will increase for
all the batches in the CBW. Both the 11 portions, which are lying upstream, and the 11
following batches downstream will gradually have their program time extended, depending
on their position in the CBW. This condition of course also applies by queue and waiting.
When a CBW is waiting e.g. because all tumble dryers are full, then all the batches in the
CBW will wait in the washer and not only the finished portion, which is on its way out of
the last compartment. The processes in all the compartments of the washer stop.
The Universal Continuous Batch Washer
A development, which has really pushed the penetration of the continuous batch
washers into the market, is the development of the universal continuous batch washer. The
universal continuous batch washer has impermeable separations of the compartments, both
in the outer and inner drum so that the baths are not mixed between the compartments. The
counter-flow, when it is wanted, is achieved by the means of pumps. When counter-flow
is possible this will be pumped between the compartments whereas there will be fresh water
or reusable water pumped in when the counter-flow has to be switched of. The advantages
of the counter-flow pipes are kept and, at the same time, the most substantial downside (the
mutual impact of the baths) is abated.

Fig.3.12 universal continuous batch washer-principal drawing

3.6 Draining
When the wash is concluded the clothes are soaked and should be drained before it can be

31
completed.
Principles of Draining
Draining can be done in fundamentally different ways:
 Dripping and air drying (e.g. on a clothesline or in a tumbler),
 Spinning (in a washer extractor or a separate spin dryer) or
 Pressing (in one- or two step presses),
Each with their specific pattern of costs and time consumption and qualities.
Time is a pivotal element in the modern, industrial operation of a laundry and the historical
drying by the hanging up of clothes, which takes hours, is therefore no longer useful other
than for single, difficult pieces like curtains.
Spinning
As a washer extractor already has a perforated, axle-mounted drum with the
possibility of rotation, it has been natural to exploit the opportunity of dimensioning the
machine for high rotation so that the draining could take place directly in the washer
extractor. In this way, today, it is possible to create a gravitational effect on the clothes as
much as approx. 600 G, a very powerful intensity. The spinning is at once both an efficient
and relatively gentle way of driving out water from the clothes. Residual moisture after
spinning (measured as the weight of the residual water in the clothes in proportion to the
weight of the clothes when dry, in percentage) is normally between 40 and 60%. The
difference is discernible on the clothes.
Presses
As a continuous batch washer does not have the same, natural, built-in possibility
for spinning, it has been of some importance to consider other faster ways to drive out the
water from the clothes. Gravity's or the centrifugal extractor's "pull" in the water may be
replaced with a mechanical pressure, which is done in the membrane presses making them
an alternative to the centrifugal extractors. The presses are also faster. The membrane press
consists of a basket with perforated bottom for containing the clothes, a membrane, which
can close up on the rugged surface of the clothes and a hydraulic pressure system, which
can provide pressure on the membrane and, via the membrane, against the clothes.
At the end of a pressing cycle a hard compressed batch of clothes in a large "cake" ("press
cake") or “cheese” comes out of the press.

32
 Fig.3.13 a membrane, basket and bottom of a single stage press
Pressing takes time and leaves residual moisture in the clothes depending on the
pressing time, but whereas the spinning took 2½ to 4 minutes, the pressing only takes 1½
to 4 minutes. Although it has been difficult to reach the same low levels of residual moisture
as in the best centrifugal extractors, the higher level of residual moisture has been an
acceptable cost to gain access to the advantages of the continuous batch washer. Some
products, though, cannot be pressed e.g. barrier sheets; some products cannot be pressed
fast enough e.g. duvets which are under the risk of bursting or rupturing; and some product
cannot be pressed hard enough, e.g. special types of work clothes, which are under the risk
of crumpling, thus the pressing of these products have to happen in several steps with
incorporated pauses between each step.
The Two-stage Press
The presses are made as single- or two-stage presses where the single-stage press
works as described above. The two-stage presses are in principle nothing more but two
single-stage presses, which are assembled after each other, and they both follow the cycle
of the continuous batch washer. Instead of the whole step of press-ing is happening in one
cycle it is allocated in the two-stage press over two steps: one pre-press and one main-press,
but the extra, price-raising step of pressing has solely been used for compensating on the
missing pressure in the given cycle time.
There is a tendency for problems to occur with crumbling and creasing in a press
more frequently than with spinning. Another disadvantage by press is that buttons, certain
types of RFIDs, and other solid objects in the clothes can be pressured into breaking or
breaking out of the clothes. The presses also have the limitation, that certain types of
clothes, which the water cannot or only hardly penetrates, are under the risk of bursting
(like balloons) by pressing e.g. dust mats and barrier sheets where the water is often stuck
in pockets.

33
3.7 Transport between Draining and Drying
Washer extractors in the older laundry are emptied manually into carts, which are
manually driven to the places of deployment in front of the tumble driers.
In the modern industrial laundry the presses or the centrifugal extractors are emptied at the
end of the continuous batch washers and the washer extractors automatically empty the
clothes out on a shuttle, which will carry the batches to the first available tumbler.
Pairing of Batches
In some cases the tumble dryers are dimensioned so that they require 2 or more
batches of clothes from the continuous batch washer (e.g. a 35 kg continuous batch washer
followed by 70 kg tumble driers). Thus pairing of batches demands that two or more
successive batches have the same needs of drying-time and drying temperature and pairing,
therefore, makes it more difficult to plan the order of the batches in the continuous batch
washer (reduces the freedom of planning), which makes the possibilities of realising a
laundry’s fully economical potential more difficult.
The shuttle can be used in a limited form of storing batches by e.g. holding 2 or 3 batches
at a time and it can therefore take part in balancing an asynchronous tumbler process and
reducing potential waiting time on the continuous batch washer.
3.8 Drying
From the draining almost all types of clothes are carried to tumble dryers, either to
be fully dried or to be pre-dried, or just for breaking up the press cakes (in some cases
garments are being carried directly to tunnel finishers, and dust mats directly to folders, by-
passing the tumble drying process step).
Principles of Tumble Drying
The tumble dryers are using the same principle as air-drying on a washing line on a
hot day, i.e. using hot, dry air, to evaporate the water. Only here, the air current and the air
temperature are artificially increased to minimise the drying time. The heating sources are
either gas, steam, or oil depending on the local supply and prices.
The clothes dry by being lifted up in the perforated drum bottom of the tumbler and it then
soars in the drum, avoiding being pushed up against the drum wall or falling down on the
bottom again.

34
 Fig.3.14 a tumble-line with pass-through tumble dryers
Loading the Tumble Dryers
The loading of the tumble dryers in the modern industrial laundry is done
automatically, directly from the draining machines and here is a quick approximation,
which you can use for the capacity calculation of tumble dryers:
Necessary number of tumble dryers downstream from a continuous batch washer
average drying time
Number of tumble dryers=aveage washing cycle time

Drying times are decided on the basis of:

 the residual moisture in the batch when the drying process is started,
 the target residual moisture in the batch when the drying process is ended, and
 the tumble dryers' ability to evaporate water.
Tumble dryers are available in batch sizes up to 250 kg both as open pocket and
as pass through-machines. The filling ratios come in a range from 25:1 and 30:1 litres of
drum volume per kg clothes.
The Advantages of the Modern Tumble Dryers
The modern tumble dryers have advantages compared to the earlier models.
 automatic filling and emptying
 recirculation of the whole or part of the discharged air
 heat exchanging exhaust air with fresh air
 automatic residual moisture measuring
 automatic emptying of the lint filter

Drying Times
The drying times for pre-drying are usually around 2-8 minutes whereas main

35
drying takes between 10-30 minutes. Batch separating in tumble dryers usually takes about
1-2 minutes and serves as sole purpose to separate the items of the press or centrifugal
"cakes" to make it possible to have access to each piece of clothing. Today this task can be
solved by the so-called cake-breakers, which do nothing but break the press cake and
separate the batch items.
When the drying is finished the tumble dryers are emptied under rotation either by
blowing out the textile pieces, by making the machine tilt a little so the clothes fall out, or
by pushing the clothes out with inclined ridges. When investing in a tumble dryer the
conditions which first and foremost need to be considered are: price, heating source,
evaporation rate, noise, drive, residual moisture measuring device, quality of components,
and demands for maintenance usually in this order.
3.9 Transportation in the After-Processing
From the tumble dryers the batches of clothes follow different process routes, de-
pending on the character of their finishing requirements. There are several solutions to the
need for transportation, depending on the volumes which pass through the different process
routes. The majority of transport though, lead to a small area of storing of batches (a buffer)
either in line-ups on the floor or in storing lanes in the addict.
The buffers and their control are strictly important for the controlling of the pro-duction. In
the second part of the book we will approach the meaning of the buffer, the issues, and the
solutions more closely.
In the older, smaller laundry the dryers are emptying the batches into a cart, which
is manually pushed on in to the production and then placed in the buffers in front of each
working station.In the modern, larger laundry the dryers are emptying the batches out on a
con-veyor, which leads the batches to conveyor bags in a bag hoist, so that the clothes from
here on can be transported to each workstation in bags under the addict, until they are
dropped in front of the relevant workstation in the after-treatment. At every workstation
there will be a small batch.
3.10 Batch-storing on Clean Side
The storing of batches on or between processing stations in the production are called
Work In Progress, or most often just WIP. WIP is stored in the buffers in front or behind
the many workstations in the production of the laundry.
The Buffers
The WIP is either placed on the floor, in carts of many different shapes, sizes and

36
materials, in bag conveyors or hanger systems in the addict (Clean work Systems). In the
modern laundry a great part of the storing in the production is placed in the addict mainly
to make room between and in front of the workstations.

Fig.3.15 conveyor bag on rails

Precedence is a Disadvantage
A disadvantage of the conveyor systems is that they enforce the batch order a
precedence which has the unfortunate consequence that, once a decision is made about the
batch (category) order, this decision cannot be remade. A major part of the planning
flexibility is lost here. This makes the planning more difficult and re-quires the planner
strobe able to foretell the consequences of their planning decisions a long time in advance.
The sorting-in suddenly has to be capable of assessing the consequences, which the order
of the sorting will get through the production all the way to the sorting-out many hours
ahead. But are they able to do that? It is a principal question, which it is worth taking into
consideration, for its consequences are profound.
Oceans of Clothes
And this is actually exactly what has happened in pace with the industrialisation.
With the clothes the laundry parries the consequences of bad planning. But with such
quantities we lose touch and sense of value with the clothes, not only our own people in
the production, but also our customers. Only a few laundries know exactly how much linen
they have in circulation – just as only a few customers know how much they have in stock.
Billing systems are based on how much is delivered to the customer disregardinhow much
is returned. But the amount (which only represents the loss of linen and textiles, not the
other, financial losses caused by bad planning and bad control) quantifies the importance

37
of material flow control to a laundry's finances, a proportion, which we should take into
consideration, when we invest in production equipment or textile stocks, and when we
design machines and call for facility tenders.

3.11 Separation and Shaking

To fully exploit the ironer lines and the tunnel finishers when they run, so that no
energy or capacity is lost by having too large gaps between the pieces of clothes or actual
idling, a kind of preparation of the batches of clothes is often required.In the older and
smaller laundries the preparation is done by hand in the way that the batches in the carts
are separated manually, piece by piece, and each piece of clothes is put handling friendly
on desks or in elevation carts. You call this separating, because the long pieces of clothes
(as sheets and tablecloths) are often twisted and intermingled into one big lump.
In the larger and more modern laundries they have automated the separation and
put in automatic separators between the dryers and downstream buffers. The separators
then does what the human hand would have done, that is, putting a claw down the batch of
clothes and grabbing the first piece it meets, lifting it out of the pile and dropping it e.g. on
a conveyor, which supplies the after-treatment machines.
3.12 Piece-Storing on Clean Side
If you have already grabbed a single piece of clothes during separation and also
know that each piece later has to be placed in the feeder clamps of the ironer line, then it
would be rational to deliver the pieces in such a way that this could also be done
automatically. Piece storing solves this task. At the same time the piece stor-ing hands the
opportunity that you can store a large number of pieces and thereby ensure a continuous
production once the ironer line is started.
The piece storing is carried out by putting two corners of each piece of clothes
(typically sheets, table clothes or duvet covers) in a pair of clamps, which is led by conveyor
rails up under the addict, letting the pieces hang down from the addict in their full length.
When the ironer line is running, the pair of clamps automatically delivers the corners of the
piece of clothes to the feeder clamps, which spread out the piece and feed it to the ironer.
The need for interference by human hand is reduced.
The disadvantage is that the buffer has to be emptied considerably fast as the pieces
of clothes air-dry faster when they hang spread out in this way (which will deteriorate the

38
quality of the ironing).

Fig.3.16 piece stored clothes in front of the ironer line

3.13 Feeding, Ironing, and Folding

The smoothing of the clothes in the industrial laundry is automated to such an
extent, that now it is possible to iron many thousands of pieces of clothes per hour with
only 2-4 persons in front of the ironer and a single person behind it. But these high velocities
of production have, at the same time, required that both the feeding of pieces in one end of
the ironer and the folding of the pieces in the other end have had to be automated as well.
Feeders
To make the feeding able to have the same high process speed as the ironer, the
number of feeder stations has, through time, been enhanced up to 4 operators directly on
the feeder. If there is a piece storing installed in front of the feeder, the possibility exists of
building up a stock, which reduces the influence of the work speed of the operators on the
speed of the ironing as well as making it possible to place an optional number of operators
in front of the piece storing. The feeders functionally work in a way where they spread out
the piece of clothes very tight by spreading the clamps from each other (it is required that
the clothes can take the traction, which is not necessarily the case, when it comes to
privately owned clothes) and at the same time brushes make sure that the clothes are still
stretched both lengthwise and crosswise during its passage into the ironer. There are also
feeders without clamps.

39
Ironers
In the ironers the damp clothes (app. 40-50% residual moisture) are stretched over
a smooth steel surface which are so hot (160-250° C) that the evaporation happens in a few
seconds and leaves the clothes smooth in a quality, which is hard or impossible to
achieve by hand ironing. The faster the evaporation, the better the finish. One single quality-
disadvantage by ironed clothes is the potential marks after the guide tapes, which are pulling
the pieces of clothes off the cylinders.

Fig.3.17 ironer cylinders, the chest, and the bridge in cross-section

The Process
The clothes are exposed to a high pressure and intense temperatures as they pass
between the ironer's hot steel chests and cylinders. At the same time the evapo-rated
moisture from the clothes is sucked out through the perforated cylinders.
The higher pressure, the hotter steel, and the bigger the surface of heat, the more powerful
evaporation you get. And the more powerful evaporation, the shorter pro-cessing time and
the better finish you get.
But as the temperature has a natural limitation, since the clothes can burn if the heat
is too strong, and the pressure places strain on the construction of the ma-chine, the heating
surface has always been one of the parameters, which has had the greatest significance for
the ironer's ability to evaporate, and therefore also always had the focus from the side of
the engineers.

Folders

Fig.3.18 the ironer line with feeder, scanner, ironer and folder

40
The Principal Function of the Folder
The principal function of the folder is to create an edge, a pleat or a hem around
which the clothes can be folded so that the item's size is reduced with every fold. The folds
are created either by folding the garment around knives or small cylinders or by making an
opening between two pinch rollers and forcing the fold by means of air gusts.
Folding, Step by Step
The folding of a sheet could look like this:
 a first, longitudinal middle-fold (length-fold), which halves the breadth,
 a second longitudinal middle-fold, which halves the new breadth,
 a first lateral middle-fold (cross-fold), which halves the length,
 a second lateral middle-fold, which halves the new length,
 possibly a third lateral middle-fold, which halves the new length.
This fold is called double-half-fold (or two-half-fold). Principle drawing of a double
half fold, and is very common in the Middle and Southern Europe, more because it presents
a nice pile of clothes in the linen-room than because it makes the bed-making easy or leaves
the bed better looking.
Folding Types
Other folds of importance.
 half-fold
 French fold (tri-fold, closed)
 S-fold (tri-fold, open)
 M-fold (quarter fold, open),

Fig.3.19 principle drawings of folds

41
 The ironer-folder must be able to receive all types of clothing, which you may iron,
whether it is ironed in 1, 2 or 4 lanes. If nothing else, it must at least allow the garment to
pass through without being folded. There are even ironer lines, which combine the lanes so
that small items are ironed side-by-side in two lanes on one side of the ironer and larger
items over the two lanes in the other side (split ironers). Conceptually the split ironers
require an unseemly lot of time to synchronize with the other working stations. Usually
they run empty on one side or the other, and there are almost always queues in front of this
type of ironer.
Optical Scanning
In the ironers it is often the first and last time under the process of the production
that the clothes are spread out in their full size. In no other places in the laundry is it, in the
same way, possible to examine the (flat) clothes for finish quality (cleanness, holes, stains,
spots, discolorations, etc.).
Earlier it was the responsibility of the ironer operators to examine for quality, but
now this job has also been automated by the means of optical inspection, so that the
operators can concentrate on feeding the machine. The scanner is installed as an integral
part of the ironer line and is controlling the finish quality on the item's way from ironer to
folder.

Fig 3.20 optimal scanner

3.14 Finishing

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 In the larger, modern laundry the garments (shirts, jackets, trousers, coats, coat
dresses and other types, which cannot be finished on the ironers) get their finish done in
tunnel-finishers.

Fig.3.21 the tunnel finisher.

The Fundamental Function of the Tunnel Finisher
The process is made up of 4 process steps (and in the tunnel finisher, 4 zones):
The Basic Elements of the Process
The basic, functional elements of the process are:
 temperature,
 time,
 steam-/air ratio, and
 stretch.
If you compare the basic elements of the wash, chemicals are replaced with the steam
air ratio and the mechanical action is applied by means of the stretching, but also these basic
elements to some degree have a compensatory relation to each other.
Procedure
The steam wets and heats the textile so that it will be pliable to stretching. After-
wards the hanger-positioned clothes are exposed from above to a powerful stream of air-
mixed steam and this stream creates a pull in the clothes as when a flag is flapping in strong
wind. Subsequently the moisture is dried out of the clothes with dry gas- or steam-heated
air and finally the clothes are air-cooled slowly below the thermo-elastic temperature-area.
Laundry Identification
Because of the large numbers of garments and item relations, the branch has,
throughout many years, shown great efforts in reducing the time and efforts necessary to

43
recognize each piece of garment. For many years, labeling was known as a little heat seal
patch with a number or a name. In the neck, on the breast pocket, in the waistband, on the
ankle, or where ever you could find room for it. In the laundry you would have had to have
every single piece of clothes in your hands to read the customer number, and this takes
time.
Bar Codes
Then the bar codes came along in the beginning of the 1970’s, as we know them
from our groceries. Originally, they were classified in the international Universal Product
Code-system. The system was developed to fulfill a need of fast reading of prices at the
cashiers in the stores with groceries and for better controlling of stocks, but soon spread out
to all sorts of shops and into the industries.
Consequently, the bar code is only a number, but a sort, which can be read
mechanically. To this number a lot of information can be attached, e.g. the purchase-price,
the sales-price, the placement, the date of use, the last date of washing, the ID bearer,
modifications, etc. The information is saved in the central computer sys-tem of the
company, with the bar code as the unique identifier. By reading the number a central
computer is capable of finding the relevant and actual price with-out the operator having to
do a manual registration for example. But if the codes do not have to be read outside of the
house there is no further need for standardisation. You can make your own numbers and
systems. And the laundries do this. If systems already exist with numbers in the
bookkeeping, these can be transferred to a bar code system in a seamless transmission. Else
there are a large number of standard systems, developed by the equipment suppliers, which
can be adopted in the laundry.
The bar codes has increased the reading and decoding speed, but still the code has
to be found and properly held (within line of sight of the reader) to be read and this slows
down the pace compared to other laundry processes.
RFID's
A chip (microchip, transponder, tag or RFID - Radio Frequency Identification)
consists of a silicone micro-processer, a metal coil of aluminium or copper, which works
as aerial, and a protection cover made of glass or polymer. The whole RFID-system consists
of a chip (with aerial), a reader (with aerial) and a computer system. Reader and antenna
are collectively known as an RFID station. The reader (the transceiver – which both
transmits and receives) is supplying the inactive chip with electro-magnetic energy and a

44
radio signal, which the chip modulates for the purpose of receiving and sending data to the
reader. The distance of activation is up to 1 meter and does not contain a need of being in
line-of-sight as opposed to the bar codes. The systems are also multiple readable now,
working by the means of an anti-collision-feature.

The RFID-system is a classified radiofrequency-band with certain breadths. Every

RFID-system is working within a single band width, e.g. the low-frequency band 30-500
kHz. Usually it is the low frequency systems, which are used in the productions.
After finishing and possibly sorting, the garment has to be folded in the same way
as the flatwork, but whereas the ironer-folders are fully integrated in the ironer lines, the
garment folding often happens as a separate process step. The conditions, which first and
foremost need to be taken into consideration when investing in a tunnel-finisher are: price,
medium of heating, process speed, finish, ergonomics, hangers, quality of components and
demands on maintenance usually in this order.

3.15 Folding
Besides the ironer folders, you will find garment and terry folders in the industrial
laundry and they work from the same principles though on different scales.
Terry and garment folders fold the clothes around a template of knives by means of air
gusts or metal swords.

Folding, Step by Step

The folding of the garments is usually divided into 3 steps, depending on the type
of clothes and the feeding method:
 a first (lateral) cross-fold (halves the length of the item),
 two concurrent (longitudinal) length-folds (leave the item in its final breadth)
 a second cross-fold (leaves the item in its final length).
The terry folding (which also includes undergarment, stretch sheets, diapers etc.)
usually includes 1 length-fold and 1 or more cross-folds.

Types of Folding
The terry-folders make these folds:

45
  half-fold,
 closed tri-fold (French fold),
 open tri-fold (S-fold),
 fourth-fold,
 special folds, and
 by-pass.
Most folders pile the clothes in stacks in certain numbers before the pile is pushed
out. Some folders even sort the stacks in lines of similar garments. Depending on the
speed of the operators, the capacity of the folders is around 1,000 pieces an hour
(with cycle times about 3-4 seconds).

4. THE LAUNDRY’S SUPPLY

The most important supply in the laundry is water, energy and chemicals (excluding
labour). Even though the water in reality only represents a small part of the operating
accounts in the laundry, the water consumption, the quality of the water and the treatment
of the water is a core competence and interest in most laundry-person’s perception of the
handcraft.
4.1 Water
The volume of water consumed by coin-operated laundries and household washing
machines is more than twice as great. You may wonder why so much water is used in the
laundries and textile factories, as water is not included as a part of the textile, and the water
only functions a medium, which carries the washing chemicals into the fabrics and the dirt
away from it. But washing is, at the same time, one of the keys to higher hygienic
standards, which is the key to higher living standards. Thus, water is in more than one way
the means to higher living standards, but at the same time also one of the scarcest resources
globally.
Even though industrial laundry processes use fewer resources than on-premise-
laundries and domestic washing, the scarcity of drinking water require that our industry
maintain high ambitions in regards to consumptions and emissions from its processes. In
general, this calls for sharp, practical positions and approaches to our use of water, like:
 being the most basic element of all life forms’ corporeal metabolisms, water
is the most basic element of life,
 as fresh water is the only constituent of the hydrological cycle that connects
water sources with life forms, any intervention in the hydrological cycle is

46
 crucial and must be eliminated/limited with regards to:
1. occurrence
2. volume
3. duration
4. quality
5. impact
Water Supply
The laundry is supplied with water from municipal or private water works, from
own drillings, seas, lakes or rivers, and the quality of the water varies a great deal depending
on its sources and treatment.
The Hardness of the Water
If the acidic rainwater is passing through dissolvable compounds of calcium or
magnesium, the acid in the water will dissolve them and lead them to the groundwater: thus
the more acidic rain and the chalkier underground, the harder the groundwater. The quality
of the water in lakes, seas, and rivers looks like the quality of the rainwater and almost does
not contain any hardness or salts. On the other hand, it is often so full of bacteria that it can
neither be used for drinking nor washing purposes without first being treated. The hardness
can be divided into a temporary and a constant hardness
Temporary Hardness
The temporary hardness is due to dissolved chalk, which can be removed by boiling
the water, which drives the carbonic acid (binds the chalk) out. What is left is the solid
chalk (as incrustations), but as practically all laundry water today is ion-ex-changed, you
will no longer meet the problem of temporary hardness in laundries.
The Constant Hardness
The remaining constant hardness is mainly due to gypsum (calcium sulphate,
CaSO4) and magnesium compounds. These compounds cannot be boiled out of the water,
as they may remain dissolved also in water free from carbonic acid. The constant hardness
can though, in spite of the name, easily be removed by using an ion exchange column, such
as most laundries do.
Determining the Hardness
There is an easy way of determining the hardness of water. Hardening constituents
in the water bind soap, making lime-soap (or soap curd) which removes some of the
dissolved soap's properties, such as its ability to foam or form suds. Only when all

47
hardening constituents are bound the water begins to foam when shaken. If you keep adding
drops of a standard soap-water solution to a measured amount of water until there is
constant foam when shaken, the number of drops of soap solu-tion is a simple indication
for the hardness of the water. It is a cheap and reliable method, which also contains a touch
of handcraft.
Water tests are made on a daily basis in the laundry, but it is not always possible to
catch raw water intrusion. The ones responsible for the washing have to be ob-servant of
the state of foam in the washer extractors (where foaming soaps are being used). If there is
an intrusion of raw water, the foam in the wash liquid "dies" (is decreased) at once, and this
is a warning of the need for instant special precautions.
Concurrently with the natural soap being replaced with the (non-foaming) deter-
gents, the washing assistants have lost this possibility and likewise the continuous batch
washers, that lack the possibility of seeing the washing liquid, have totally eliminated it.
The hardness of the water can be removed either by means of chemicals or ion exchange.
Removing the Hardness by Ion Exchange
Today, practically all laundries soften all their process water in ion exchanger
columns, which leave the original 870 grams of residual salt per m3 in the water, but no
degrees of hardness. Softening by means of ion exchanging lets the raw water pass a filter
resin bed usually consisting of small, 1-2 mm. diameter, plastic beads, which are capable
of exchanging the calcium- and magnesium ions in the hard water's bicarbonate
combinations with the sodium ions from regular salt.
In principle, a substance such as zeolite A in Figure 98 beneath is charged with
sodium ions. In the zeolite a crystalline network is formed by silicon-oxygen bonds and
aluminium-oxygen bonds (the dark spheres are oxygen, the light ones are silicon or
aluminium) and creates in their interior a series of long channels. In these channels positive
sodium ions from the salt are bound. When the hardness-forming calcium and magnesium
ions pass, sodium ions drive them from their places in the water's bicarbonate combinations
and engage instead to the zeolite.
Since the sodium bicarbonate does not precipitate in the laundry processes (in
contrast to the boiler plant processes), the impact of the hardness in the laundry is
neutralised. On the other hand the sodium bicarbonate converts into soda by heating and
the soda yellows the cottons content of oxalic cellulose, e.g. during ironing. To prevent
yellowing you can add more acid in the final rinse water.

48
 Ion exchanges exist in the nature (chitosane and zeolite), but the modern filter
substances consist of small, porous, synthetic polystyrene beads with a relatively big inner
surface (50-100 m2 per gram).
4.2 Steam
In a historical perspective, the heat supply necessary for the processes in a laundry,
has been delivered as steam. Today there are alternatives like electricity, gas, and oil, which
gradually are pushing the steam out of the laundries or at least divide the central boiler
room into decentralised heating units, closer to the processes in the laundry, at the same
time reducing idling and transmission losses.

The Production's Requirements of the Steam Supply

The demands in the production for the steam-supply are: high, constant working
temperature (working pressure), e.g. 160° C, and dry steam.
With the large, a-synchronic flow rates in the laundry’s steam consumption, it can
be hard to meet the demands. When an older washer extractor starts with e.g. 100 kg of
clothes, it will consume in the region of 45 kg steam in a matter of the heating from 10° to
60° C of the first wash, i.e. in a matter of 1-5 minutes. In a smaller laundry with 5 of these
machines placed side by side for example, plus the other steam consuming machines
(tumble dryers, ironers, tunnel-finishers, presses etc.), the steam consumption can vary
from almost nothing to about 300 kg of steam per 1-5 minutes, corresponding to 4,000 kg
steam per hour during peak demand (when all the machines are pulling steam at the same
time).
With a smaller boiler (the largest continued production of steam is 2,500 kg per
hour), situations might emerge where the boiler cannot supply the needed amount of steam.
The pressure and the steam temperature will drop and thereby all the process speeds in the
laundry will drop: the washes and the tumble dryers will take longer time, the ironing will
not completely dry the clothes, they will have to be ironed again, etc. The speed in the
whole laundry drops, but the costs from the employees accrues at the same pace, increasing
the cost per produced item. A constant pressure of steam is indeed very important in a
laundry.
Wet Steam

49
 When the water evaporates in the boiler, droplets of un-evaporated water can be
pulled from the boiler and up in the vapour and with the steams into the steam pipes. The
steam becomes “wet” and contains fine droplets of water, which does not have nearly the
same content of energy as dry steam and which might even have brought dirt from the
boiler with it, which causes more wear in the pipe works and valves. Besides, the moist in
the steam can get onto the heating surfaces of the machines and cool and make the transition
of heat from the steam more difficult. Finally, the water drops will quickly fill the steam
traps up and can in some cases overload them. The best and most secure operation is
achieved with dry steam.

50
Steam Drying
Steam can be “dried” by reducing the steam pressure in the piping, which will
also secure a constant steam pressure, e.g. by reducing the initial pressure in the boiler
from 11 bar to a pipe pressure of 8 bar. Variations in the boiler pressure will then not
be seen in the production unless the boiler pressure drops to under 8 bars.
Demands for the Quality of the Steam
The quality of the steam is important for the unproblematic running of the
heated machines in the laundry production and for the life of the machines. Important
precautions are:
 correct alkalinity for protection of the boiler steel,
 correct content of bicarbonate in the boiler water,
 no hardness,
 correct total content of salts in the boiler to reduce the risk of boiling over,
 correct phosphate excess for the prevention of incrustation and corrosion,
 correct sulphite excess for the prevention oxygen contents in the boiler water.
The Evaporation Ratio
In practice you will therefore find, that from 1 kg of oil, only 8-13 kg of steam
will be produced. This number, the evaporation ratio, is an important key figure in the
economy of the laundry.
The Efficiency of the Boiler
The production of the boiler might then be e.g. 10 kg of steam with an
energy content of (at 11 bar) 2,780 kJ per kg oil (with a low fuel value of 36,000
kJ), corresponding to an efficiency of: 10 x 2,780 / 36,000 = 77%.
4.3 Chemicals
Another of the four base parameters of the wash is chemicals. Chemistry is
a complex subject and research area. The following review only mentions headlines
and a little bit of history and will not make the grounds for the operation of an
industrial laundry's wash section.
Types of Chemicals
The most important types of chemicals, which are used in the industrial
laundries, are: tensides (soaps and detergents), alkalis, enzymes, acids, bleaching
agents, and adjuvants.

51
Tensides
Tensides are all substances, which have the ability of removing dirt when they
are dissolved in water. How simple it may sound, the removing of dirt from a textile
includes more abilities, that is: reduce the surface tension, wet the surface of the textile,
penetrate the fibre structure, disintegrate the dirt, cling to the water on one side and the
dirt on the other, disperse the dirt (spread it out and keep it floating in the water) make
sure that the dirt is not re-deposited on the clothes.
If dirt and oil were not disintegrated and dispersed by the tensides, it would have
had a tendency to flocculate, that is, gather in larger and larger lumps, which would
cling to the textile again. The more disintegrated the dirt is, the easier it is to disperse,
rinse and wash out of the textile.
Micelles
The surface-active substances in the tensides consist of long non-polar chains
with polar ends. The chains create spheres, micelles (cf. Figure 102 beneath), where the
polar (hydrophilic) ends are turning outwards, that is, out against the solvents. The inner
of the micelles, the polar (hydrophobic) ends, are fat dissolving and can obtain fats –
the fat creates an emulsion in the water. The outer of the micelles, the polar spheres,
have great solubility in water.
A certain concentration of the surface-active substance is required in the solution
to make it possible to create micelles. This threshold concentration is called the Critical
Micelle Concentration and the conductivity of the solution is – to a certain extent – an
indication of the micelle concentration.The function of the micelles is to surround the
dirt, break it into pieces, lift it away from the fibres of the clothes, and keep it floating
in the water.
Electrical Charge
The tensides are classified regarding their electrical charge. Anionic tensides are
the most important and most used. From these the Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonates –
abbreviated LAS – are the most common. As fat-soluble substances the tensides are
dangerous for the living creatures’ cell membranes, which consist of fat and protein.
Dissolved in water their hydrophilic part is negatively charged and can react with the
hardness-creating positive (calcium and magnesium) ions. The anionic tensides are
especially suited for oil-based dirt, but often cannot be alone.
Non-ionic tensides are electrical neutral when they are dissolved in water, which
keeps them from being deactivated by the hardness in the water. They consist of alcohol

52
ethoxylates; they are especially suited for emulsifying oil-based dirt and are
often mixed with anionic tensides. Cationic tensides are positively charged when they
are dissolved in water and therefore they do not react with the also positively charged
hardness-creators. They have important wetting, foaming, and emulsifying abilities, but
they are not very good tensides.
The Soap
At the time of Homer, they did not use chemicals at all (except from water).
They washed by stamping the clothes against flat rocks in the river with their bare feet.
Already around 600 BC in the Phoenician culture they made soap. The first references
to soap in the literature can be found in the Greek doctor Galen in the second century
BC. Plinius the Elder (who died by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79) writes about soap,
but not its use in the washing. He writes that the galls coloured their hair with an
ointment, which was made by boiling the goat tallow (fat) with ashes of wood (which
contain the alkaline soda). This is the simplest way to make soap. According to a roman
legend, the name soap derives from the mountain Sapo where they sacrificed animals.
The rain washed the alkaline out of the dead bodies and ashes from the woods on the
mountainsides. In the Tiber by the foot of the mountain the woman realised that the
clothes were cleaner and easier to wash, when they used this mix of alkaline and ashes,
which they picked up from the clay of the river.
Types of Soap
Soap is an alkaline-salt from a fatty acid. We distinguish between hard (sodium
bicarbonate) soaps and soft (potash) soaps. It is almost exclusively the hard soap, the
so-called neat-soaps, which are being used industrial.
Neat-soaps are made from liquid and solid fats.
Solid fats can be:
 Tallow,
 Lard, and
 Palm kernel fat.
Liquid fats can be:
 Oleic acid, and
 Olive oil.
Detergents
An estimated 90% of the tensides (soap and detergents) used in the laundries,
are synthetic detergents. The detergents, or the sulphonic soap, emerged as a

53
consequence of the fat rationing under the First World War. The first industrial remedy
appeared on the mar-ket in Germany (Persil, a product with perborate and silicate). The
first remedies however consisted of short-chained molecules (alkyl naphthalene
sulfonate-types) and were best suited as humidifiers. E.g. in modern industries, the fatty
acid alkyl naphthalene sulphonate is made from sulphur trioxide (in the form of gas)
and alkyl benzene, which then is neutralized with the alkali caustic soda, and you then
get an anionic tenside, which possibly can be spray-dried to powder.
Wet Water
Water, under a natural atmospheric pressure, is in itself not very fast in
penetrating the clothes and making it wet and thereafter drain from the clothes again.
The water molecules seek together because of their electrical polarity. The effect is that
the surface tension of the water practically minimises its surface area. Water's sur-face
tension creates a threshold value for penetrating the surface and making new surfaces,
which will stop the water from penetrating threads and fibres. One of the tensides’ most
important functions is therefore to decrease the surface tension – they are “surface
active”, i.e. they are capable of decreasing the surface tension of the water. When the
particles have been loosened from the clothes, the surface active substances will lie as
a membrane around the particles, keep them floating in the wash liquid, and stop them
from clinging to the clothes again.
The surface tension is easily shown to the naked eye if you put a drop of water
on e.g. a mirror. From the side of the nature the drop has a certain size, whereas drops
of soap dissolutions are smaller. From 1 millilitre of clear water there will be about 25
drops, whereas 1 millilitre of soap water can make around 65 drops. Because the soap
water penetrates the clothes more easily, we say that the water has been made “wetter”.
The Amount of Foam
Earlier the dosage of soap was adjusted in proportion to the amount of foam in
the machine. The foam height in a washing machine is an expression of the excess
washing activity in the wash liquid, but the excess washing activity in the liquid also
has to do with the amount of clothes and how dirty it is, so the dosage of various qualities
from the same category of clothes can be difficult and should be closely supervised
during the washing processes. The foam cannot be too tall because this will

54
stop the mechanical action and it is an expression of an unnecessary excess
consumption. But it cannot disappear, either, because then the wash liquid has lost its
washing ability. Earlier, when the washer extractors with glass doors let the wash room
operators see the wash liquid, it was very important to constantly supervise the wash
liquid in the machine. It is either harder or almost impossible with the continuous batch
washer.
Alkali
The alkalis have no direct washing ability in themselves, except for the fact that
they are able to emulsify fatty acids and mineral oils. But they will saponify the fatty
acids. You are in this way able, to a certain extent, to “make” soap by washing greasy
products, e.g. lab coats from the butcher’s productions processes, with al-kali.
The alkali is used in the wash:
 for sustaining a pH-value, which can give the soap the best possible washing
performance,
 to affect certain types of soap, e.g. fatty acid and proteins, so that they are
easier to remove from the clothes,
 to soften the water, if there are any residual lime or magnesium compounds
in the water, and
 to remove residual fatty acids from the clothes.
An alkali is characterised by a pH-value of between 8 and 14.
Types of alkali
Throughout the times different types of alkali have been produced, e.g.:
 sodium hydroxide (caustic soda – soda lye in dissolved form)
 potassium hydroxide (caustic potash solution, in dissolved form)
 metasilicate,
 calcined soda,
 ammonia water (ammonium hydroxide), and
 borax.
The Acids
The acids are characterised by an acidic reaction (pH-value between 0 and 6)
when dissolved in water. The acids are not normally used in the washing but only for
the lime soap treatment, for bleaching, or for neutralisation of the alkali.
There have been a number of acids in use in the laundries. Some of the liquids acids

55
are: hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, carbonic acid, acetic acid, and formic
acid, and some of the solid acids are: oxalic acid, sodium silico fluoride, and zinc silicon
fluoride. In the washing processes today, only acetic acid and oxalic acid are used, the
acetic acid for acidification in the last batch of rinse water (for neutralisation of residual
alkali from the main wash) and the oxalic acid for removal of rust stains from the
clothes.
Bleaching
Bleaching is an important process in most laundries, because it both brings back
the whiteness to the clothes, which have become grey, and removes spots, and at the
same time has a powerful potential damaging effect on the textiles.
Bleaching can be done, so that the clothes suffer no harm, but it takes professional
understanding, attention and process control.
Types of Bleach
Bleach comes in two different types: oxydating (chlorine or oxygen containing),
remedies and reducing remedies.
Chlorine-Based Bleaches
For the chlorine-based bleaches almost solely sodium hypochlorite is used,
which is bought as a ready-to-use bleaching essence, and gives a gentle, even and
predictable bleaching. The bleaching essence can contain various levels of active
chlorine. Bleaching essence of standard concentration has to contain around 140-150
grams of active chlorine per litre, but active chlorine is bound during regular decay and
by exposure to light and warmth so the bleach gradually will lose its strength by
exposure to regular sunlight. The bleaching either takes place in the prewash or during
the rinses.
During the bleaching the temperature is important mainly because it helps
getting the best possible performance of the chlorine without it becoming too aggressive
and to avoid chemical wear on the clothes. Except by cold bleaching, which is the
gentlest way, but also the slowest, the temperature in the fibres should not be higher
than a little more than 40° C and the wash liquid should have a pH-value of 10. With a
temperature around 40° C and a pH-value of 10,5-11 it is possible to reach a good
bleaching effect with a relatively low chemical wear during an 8-10 minute bleaching.
However, the chlorine reacts, with an increasing temperature, more and more
ag-gressive towards the cotton fibres and the division of the chlorine to salt and

56
oxygen begins (at 55° C). With the increasing temperature of the wash liquid, the
chlorine will “burn out”, but on the way the cotton is worn more and more. Therefore,
you should rinse chlorine out of the clothes more than “burning” it out, as it has been
carried out in practise in many laundries.
Oxygen-Based Bleaches
Of the oxygen-based bleaches a number are used in the industry, mainly
hydrogen peroxide, and the currency of the oxygen-based bleaches is gaining.
Compared to the chlorine, the hydrogen peroxide has the advantage that it is (of course)
chlorine- and odour free, but it has the same or many, even bigger dam-aging effects on
the clothes, especially if the washing lye’s alkalinity rises above pH 11,5. For the sake
of the environment the combination of low alkalinity remedies win, e.g. caustic potash
solution, and bleaching with oxygen is gaining currency in the laundries.
Softeners
Softeners are added to the final rinse and have more purposes. Earlier it was an
important purpose to put a little odour on the clothes. Now, with the penetration of
synthetic fibres in the textiles in the market, one of the most important purposes is to
reduce the risks of static electricity.The softener will layer thin around the textile fibres
and has the purpose of making the clothes seem softer. But the layer also reduces the
textiles' ability to absorb water, so if used on cloths or towels, it will decrease the suction
capacity.
Complex Phosphates
Many of the complex-forming phosphates have in time become prohibited by
the means of legislation (metaphosphates, polyphosphates and pyrophosphates), but
they have served the purpose of binding possible residual hardness in the washing water
without precipitation, which can leave unwanted incrustations in the clothes. In the
phosphate free washing detergents, the phosphate has been replaced by, among others,
citrate, zeolite A, polycarboxylates, which are not poisonous to water living creatures
or (expected to be) a hazard to the environment, but also a tran-sition of EDTA
(Ethylene Diamine Tetra-acetic Acid, which among others is used in the treatment of
arteriosclerosis), NTA (Nitrolo Tri-acetic Acid) and phosphates, which are damaging
for the environment.
Starch
Starch serves several purposes:
 to make the clothes stiff,
 to give an appearance of the clothes being thick/heavy,
57
  to keep the clothes smooth and clean for a longer time, and
 in some cases to reduce the risk of lint from the clothes.
Starch is made from plant-parts, e.g. from potatoes (large starch grains) and dif-
ferent sorts of grains as rice (small starch grains) and maize (big and small starch
grains). Usually rice- and maize starch is used in the laundries. The extracted grains of
starch are suspended and, when stocked, kept floating in cold water by constant stirring.
The starch is added in the final rinse. By the following machine ironing,
pressing, or hand ironing the grains are heated, melts and stick to each other, so the
starch will form a thick starch mass, which binds fibres and threads together. The effect
of the starch is reduced by powerful spinning and can be partly deleted during tumble-
drying.
Enzymes
Some dirt types can be particularly hard to remove with regular wash-active sub-
stances or stain removers, e.g. when the dirt is in copious amounts or is dried into the
clothes. One of the largest progresses in the washing detergent industry is the
development of enzymes (organic catalysts), which today are found in practically all
prefab washing detergents. The enzymes all have in common that they catalyse the
processes (by “cutting” the dirt into pieces) so that a wash can be fully efficient at 40-
60 °C with enzymes, as well as a wash at 90 °C without enzymes. There are several
types. The proteases work against protein in e.g. grass, blood, dairy products and eggs.
The amylases work against starch in e.g. rice, pasta and porridge. The lipases work
against fats, both vegetable and animal, in e.g. butter, olive oil, chicken fat, and lipsticks.
Finally the cellulases help “cutting” the cotton fibrils away and make the main fibres
smoother, softer, clearer in the colour, and more resistant to dirt.

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 5. THE LAUNDRY OF TOMORROW
Where the laundry industry is heading is to a greater extent determined by the
pressure, which the market's neighbouring businesses and the costs of the production is
putting on the laundry’s economy, environmental liabilities and demands on revenues.
A Market in Steady Growth
We know about the global market of clothes washing, that it is steadily growing
with a yearly growth rate between 5 and 10% and that there for a long time in the future
will be an increasing need for the washing of clothes, so in this aspect everything seems
good. On the other hand we also know that washing is one of the oldest professions and
that the branch is mature to a rare degree, which calls for hard competition and
accumulating of the economics of scale, which again calls for a concentration of
laundries and suppliers in larger concerns and groups.
Optimisation along the Supply Chains
Hard competition makes hard demands for the production and optimisation of
the processes and flow of products, which calls for more automation and better control
analysis as well as industrialisation of the planning and reporting of the employees and
management. Fewer and larger laundry concerns, which supply larger units (industries,
hotels, hospitals and more), means an increasing need for optimization between the
production units – in the supply chain – in the same way as it has happened in other
business-to-business-industries with the use of computer and network based tools of
planning.
Blurring of Sectored Barriers
Finally the fierce competition in the business with well-known, thoroughly
tested
and widespread technologies also gives rise to neighbouring products, solutions and
technologies coming into the market from other industries, replacing the service of the
laundries, such as e.g. disposable products.
To compensate the laundries will eat their way into other markets, as we have
seen them do, e.g. into the cleaning industry (as service providers with facility service).

5.1 THE MARKETS

The Borders are Moving
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 And the cleaning lady, in all her shades, is a very good example of how the
borders of the market are gradually changing. One Scandinavian laundry group has
actually taken the hotel-cleaning cart to their hearts and designed it, so that it – at the
same time – fits both requirements, cleaning lady and laundry, thus it can be used for
packing clothes in the laundry and afterwards can be used to collect the dirty clothes in.
The laundry has taken over the carts delivery, which traditionally has been developed
and delivered by the suppliers of the cleaning services or cleaning agents. But also some
of the products, which are lying side by side of the laundries' own products in the cart,
as e.g. toilet paper, hand soaps, shampoo bottles and paper napkins, have slowly become
a part of the product selections in the laundry – so the cart can be packed in the laundry,
ready for use at the customers.
If the cleaning lady in the hotel were replaced by a cleaning lady in a hospital,
the side products would be e.g. disposable diapers, incontinence sanitary towels and
disposable sponges. If we chose a waiter in a restaurant, the side products would be
paper napkins, dinner mats, candles and machine-washing detergents. And nothing
speaks against the laundries bringing in these products in their selections. If you look at
what the cleaning lady needs herself in carrying out her job, then it is, besides working
clothes and cleaning carts, items like buckets, mops, robber gloves, washing detergents
for the floor, universal cleaning detergents, polish systems and cloths.
The Horizontal (Transversal) Spread
Independent of how the laundry phrases its business, there is a long list of
neighboring products, which to a certain extent can replace or supply the services of the
laundry. The laundry competes with these products, but the same products can also be
seen as a potential for further development of the laundry’s business area. We call this:
spread in the breadth, horizontal or transversal spread.
The Vertical (Longitudinal) Spread
The market will also open up in another respect, along the working processes
and the value chain, by including work in the laundry's "tool box" which has earlier
been carried out by the cleaning lady or the nurse and thereby serves as an additional
refinement of the services from the laundry. You move the borders of processing. When
the cleaning lady needs to wash the floor for example, then a part of her job is

to wet the mop in a floor cleaning detergent, and when the floor cleaning is done, she
will throw the mop in the wash. But when the laundry has the mop wet anyway, in the

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final rinse of the wash, it is actually kind of crazy that the laundry spends a lot of energy
on drying it, so that the cleaning lady can wet it as soon as she receives it.
It is somewhat smarter and cheaper for everybody if the laundry in the final rinse
adds floor-cleaning detergent and then only spin the mops. Then it will be ready for use
when it is delivered, which eases the cleaning lady’s job, whilst reducing the laundry's
energy costs. The laundry will then be larger and a more integrated part of the solution
to the tasks of the cleaning lady, which both expands the business area of the laundry
and competes more fiercely with other laundries. It will get more intimate with the
customer.
There have not been many examples of longitudinal spread in the laundry
industry, because here the laundries have not been that inventive, but other aspects such
as packaging of the duvet covers in room sets and packaging of garment parts in
employee sets are examples of current longitudinal spread. Also other aspects of the
companies’ tasks blend. E-trading systems allow the laundry customers to request
clothes, to see their stocks, or to return the clothes to the laundry without being in
personal, physical contact with the laundry's administration. And the laundry avoids a
tedious, tiring and costly administrative routine typing in the customer requests, which
are normally handwritten.
5.2 THE PRODUCTIONS
Competition always makes the laundries and their suppliers rethink the
production processes, their basic elements, connections and borders, but admittedly: the
last decades actually have not brought any technological breakthroughs at all. We are
still ironing in ironer lines after almost the same principles as 30 years ago. We still
fold… We still press…
The Techniques are Refined
The existing techniques are refined, rather than new ground breaking ones
developed, with so-called technology leaps. A couple of techniques have floated around
for some time, that is the multiple readable RFID-tags, which would radically change
the preconditions for the sorting-in, sorting-out and controlling of the holdings, and
ultrasound washing, which maybe is more exotic than realistic. Maybe structure-reading
(scanning for recognition) is a reachable technique, which will increase the automation
of the sorting-in, but otherwise there do not seem to be any ground

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breaking new techniques on their way. The textile industry may put its money on I-
Wear in the coming years, that is clothes, which are enriched with IT functions, such as
small GPS-senders in fire suits, voltage nets in soldiers shirts, pulse and temperature
detectors in baby clothes and this might have an influence on the laundry services, but
only to a limited extent. Focus will partly be moved more and more to the laundry
processes’ environmental liabilities and new environmental relieving technologies –
cleantech. If the industry accepts the challenge, it can have a decisive influence on the
reputation of the industry and its solutions, which may influence market penetration and
revenues.
Development engineers are still working on reducing the costs of the laundry
processes by continuing the industrialisation, refining the techniques and bridging
productionsections by means of automation, replacing people.
Focus on Payment Costs
It is fully in tune with the laundries’ wishes of reducing the costs. And as one of
the largest types of costs is payment, the focus is still on the places in the laundry, where
the need of operators is biggest. There are most people in the transitions to and from the
after treatment, i.e. on the way from the tumble dryers to the ironer lines, from the
tumble dryers to the folders and from the tumble dryers to the tunnel finishers and so
on, and again between the after-treatment machines and
And on the Clothes
Another big cost in the laundries is the clothes – we know, that very large values
disappear every day from the laundries. Textile item labelling and circulation control
are methods of preventing and reducing these losses. But even though labelling might
be payable, the repeated reading (every single time the piece of clothes comes to the
laundry) is expensive when carried out manually, especially when it comes to reading
in industrial volumes, i.e. many thousand pieces a day. A breakthrough in the costs
controlling of the laundries would therefore be a payable method to control the path of
each piece of clothes.
Bar codes have been one step on the way, but they still have to be found by hand
and read one by one. Multiple-readable codes, e.g. chips, which allow all the pieces of
clothes in one bag to be read at once from a practical distance of e.g. ½-1 metre would
be a revolution. But the RFID-tag has to be cheap, small, flat, able to sustain water,
heavy pressure and high temperatures again and again, and these are

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 hard demands. We have not really got this chip yet, but it looks like it is within
technical and economical reach.
Another possibility for fully implementation of the RFID-technologies would
be to look at the value and the cost of marking along the value chain, from the textile
manufacturer via the laundry to the laundry customer, e.g. a hospital. With an RFID
standard, which all parts of the value chain is able to benefit from; the cost will also be
able to be spread on all parts of the chain. There will be more "shoulders" to carry the
cost and therefore it will become within reach to everybody. Controlling each piece will
give the laundry the possibility of an even better control of the processes, because it
makes it capable of adding a long list of information to the clothes such as:
 when it was taken into use,
 how many times it has been washed,
 if it has been repaired or changed in any way,
 last time it was in the laundry,
 which category it belongs to,
 how it should be washed and finished,
 where it is in the production right now,
 where it is supposed to be in the finishing stock etc
Formalised Planning Systems
Now that we are on the subject of formalised collection of data and registration:
Formalised planning methods are gaining a footing in the productions, forced by the
necessity to find and eliminate any redundant cost, and by the fact, that there are
obviously no new ground breaking process techniques in sight in the near future.
Awaiting technological breakthroughs, we have to see everything through EVA-glasses
(Economic Value Added, where every penny has to bring the company closer to
fulfilling its function and purpose – or it should not be spend at all).
When the processes are automated, the machines are trimmed and maintained,
when the working force is trained, competent and ready, then planning is the most
efficient method of controlling and reducing major parts of the laundry's costs. You
have already seen how many possibilities there are for planning the batch sequences,
how far the consequences of the actual batch sequence, process route choice and
operator allocation reach.

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 Computer based planning tools and visualization of the production and planning
results, the so-called Management Information Systems (MIS), begin to spread in the
business, from the bigger western laundries to the smaller eastern.
You also know now, that planning needs are oriented toward the production, the
distribution, the stocks and the work force, on short, medium and long term. As most
costs in the laundry have connections to the decisions made in the production and the
controlling of the stocks on short and medium term, it has also been here, that the first
software solutions turn up, and soon they will be catalysed by multiple readable tag-
solutions. With the formalised computer based planning, there will also be an emerging
awareness of the technical limitations, imposed on most of the production equipment,
and this will move the machine and material development in the direction of more
flexible solutions and laundries, in order to make it easier to utilise the expensive
capacities.
5.3 THE SUPPLIERS
The laundry, which is no longer considering its services isolated from their
usage at the laundry customer, but is considering itself as a part of its customers’
processes and structures of costs, is stronger in the competition. You will not get passed
it: the laundry’s only raison d’être is to follow the needs of the market, in a competition
with the other laundries’ services and even substituting solutions.
Cross the Geographic and Business-Related Borders
One of the roads for following the market's needs is relating more to the
customer and letting your solutions be based in the total process across geographic and
business related borders according to the notion: there is a task, which needs to be solved
– how do we best solve it, if the laundry and the customer join forces, uniting their
knowledge about washing and after-treatment processes with the knowledge of
demands, qualities and preconditions? But what about the suppliers to the laundries?
Can they allow themselves to consider their solutions isolated from the processes and
connections, in which they are supposed to be used and fit into? In the old days, a
machine supplier could deliver his device on a pallet in the court yard and let the laundry
take it from there, but the laundries are figuring it out now. They have worked out what
it is we need to know something about in the laundries and what our core competence
should be.

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 Running the laundry, of course, is our core competence. But nevertheless our
suppliers expect us to have an opinion about material thickness, geometric tolerances,
machining allowances, steel qualities, and to prefer one nuance of hammer lacquer to
another, because this is what they talk to us about.
The Rest
Of course, finish quality, delivery predictability, lead-time and credit is
important, when we sell. And, of course, noise, working heights, delivery time,
certifications, credit, the colour of your tie, and the like is important, when we buy. But
the differences between the articles leaving the laundry are so small, that they are in
reality like mass-produced standard goods, in standard qualities. Should a laundry or a
laundry supplier at long last be able to differentiate himself from the crowd, be it on
functionality or quality, in the end it still comes down to the cost – be it the initial
expenditure or the operating cost. Better quality or better working environments are just
added bonuses, which the customer more or less expects to come free. But we hit upon
something important there: the distinction between initial expenditure and operating
costs. Total variable costs make up some 70% of the laundry's cost complex. Write offs
only 2-5%. Should we let our suppliers get away with supplying us products on a pallet
in the yard, and just leave it to us to take it from there?
Can We Allow Ourselves Not To Care?
Can the laundry suppliers allow themselves to consider their solutions isolated
from the processes and context, which they are to be used in? It's your money. If you
think you can afford to talk about the colour of the hammer lacquer, then yes. But in
that exact moment, when you realize that you are not only paying the bill just once, but
every day and every time you use the machine, and that all solutions should be aimed
at either increasing the flow of goods or reducing the costs of operation, then a machine's
initial expenditure becomes less important. As we get together with our suppliers in
these kinds of co-operations, which some of the laundries have with their customers,
then the relationship often becomes so close, that the acquisition price on a product is
playing a minor role, which puts the alternative machine suppliers checkmate. Strange?
The equation is quite simple.
When the Most Expensive Is the Cheapest one

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 Try considering the aspects for a moment. If we asked our suppliers to quantify
their solutions based on our specific circumstances and routines, this would, for one
thing, mean that in other words: everyone but the machine supplier himself.

The laundry gains by asking the suppliers to base their offers on the operating
situation, of course, but actually so do the suppliers. It allows them to make better and
more efficient solutions. And it promotes responsibility on both sides, because the
model aims the laundry's and its suppliers' efforts at the same target, bringing.
• machine A was going to be 320,000 whereas they with
• machine B was going to be 260,000
10 x (320,000-260,000) - (80,000-60,000) = 580,000.
seemingly expensive machines might, all things considered, be the cheapest, if
we compare operating conditions, which in some cases would allow us to buy higher
quality and maybe even choose bigger solutions (e.g. a continuous batch washer instead
of a washer extractor), and for another...
one of the reasons why machine B was cheaper in operation could be, that it
was supplied with a piece of software that eased, tracked or optimised the use of the
machine and its contribution to the material flow (e.g. optimised the category sequences
through a CBW and a dryer line), and it could mean that...
when a machine supplier's solution is cheaper than his competitors' in operation,
the discount is paid for by his colleagues in the laundry, that is the water, chemical,
energy, textile and workforce suppliers. them closer together – joining forces, exploiting
knowledge. That is, if our suppliers are able to quantify their solutions in our laundry's
context. But are we not able to demand the same kind of professionalism in our industry,
as professional buyers do in other industries?
But From Whom Should We Buy?
In this particular example, where a supplier is the turnkey supplier, you may ask:
Why should a laundry operator choose to buy all his machines from a turn key supplier,
if he, as an alternative, is able to piece together his plant equipment with the cheapest
washer extractor, the cheapest dryer line, the cheapest ironer line, and so on, from
different, independent suppliers in the market? (And dear supplier please do not sing a
song about the steel quality, continuity in supplies, material thickness, hammer lacquer
nuances and so on. We are actually trying to run a business here).
The answer is quite simple: Only if the joint turnkey solution is able to give us
the necessary quality and working environment, at the lowest total cost in our particular
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production, i.e. operating and maintenance cost, as well as write offs. Everything else
is wheedling talk and cheap port.

Patchwork Solutions
Try to turn the question around: Why should a laundry operator piece together
a solution with machines and equipment from a number of different, independent
suppliers, who don't have anything to do with each other, and will do anything to blame
one another, and wouldn't take ownership of even the smallest problem – when he is
able to acquire a complete solution from one and the same responsible turnkey supplier,
knowing that the machines are built to work together, with a qualified estimate of the
operating costs, based on concrete product mixes and category sequences, maybe even
with an efficiency enhancing software included, and where he is able to take out a
maintenance contract on the entire solution.
Haven't got a clue. There is no sensible reason to make it harder than necessary
on yourself, and especially not if it's going to cost you more in the long run. So shouldn't
we evaluate each offer on their contribution to the total economy in the laundry? And
shouldn't we demand from our suppliers that they understand our productions and are
able to qualify as well as quantify their solutions with respect to our specific
circumstances. Why, yes of course. All arguments speak in favour of it. Nothing speaks
against it except, perhaps, carelessness, lack of insight or respect.
So Where Does it End?
You might ask. Are the laundry suppliers supposed to issue operation or cost
warranties? How deep into the laundry do they have to go? Why not supply the laundry
owners with management teams, if the material flow really is determined by planning,
and costs determined by the material flow? Why not lease out entire laundry interiors,
with production equipment, management and the works? Yes - why not? That would
certainly be taking full responsibility for solution impacts. It may not be the most natural
development in the industry – and then again, maybe not so farfetched, when you
consider the perspectives. It wouldn't be that much different from the kind of facility
service the laundries themselves have embarked upon, taking over the cleaner and her
functions – with the Danish ISS group's activities up through the 80's and 90's as a
renowned example.
The Value of a Good Reputation

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 There is a great step in the development though, which comes from the
acknowledgement that the business is small and that the “quick pay-off” does not exist.
It is about taking responsibilities for your actions. There are only a limited number of
laundries, they all know each other, and they know all the suppliers.
The suppliers can only come back if they delivered a proper product at a proper
price in a proper way. And this also applies to the laundries: we can only go back to a
customer, if every single one of our laundry’s representatives have behaved themselves
properly in regards to the customer and done the job well. It is when we fail this
approach that new laundries are able to get into the market and grow bigger. Less radical
steps include data generating and data usages in the laundries.

Data Levels in the Production

Very shortly put, you can identify 3 levels of data in a production: In many years
the machine suppliers’ focus has been solely on the first level, the control. In the last
few years more and more applications of historic data has shown ,up and it would not
be sticking one's neck out too much to expect, that focus in the future will be on forward-
looking, dynamic data e.g. in the form of simulation, best practice-, planning or
optimisation systems.

Small Steps Forward

Incremental steps in this direction is the on-going development of supporting
software like data collection and visualisation systems, the introduction of RFIDs and
PCs in the production, bridging the automation gaps between wash room and finishing
sections, and the gradual improvements of the already known techniques and
technologies.

EQUIPMENTS AND CHEMICALS USED IN

THE HOTEL

EQUIPMENTS:
Equipments company
Dry cleaning machine Supreme
Calendar machine Electrolex
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Washing machine Electrolex
Dryer machine Electrolex
Callor press machine Forenta
Hand cop press Forenta
Coat/Blazer press machine Forenta
Room number tagging machine Thermo-seal
Flat press machine Forenta

CHEMICALS:
Chemical purpose
Softner Towels
Cristle For white colour linen
Clorine bleach Colour clothes brightness
Supreme Guest clothes
Asitone Pen ink stain
White petrol Dipsticks, food, oil stains
Hydrofluoric acid Rust stains
Soften chemical Dry cleaning

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Details of various processes in laundering is furished below:

Collection & Transportation

Collection of linen may be done in the Linen Room, if the laundry

is off-site but is usually in the laundry itself, if the laundry is on-premises.
Certain linen items are collected separately such as kitchen uniforms or
dusters are from butchery aprons and dusters, surgical ward in a
hospital. The linen is usually packaged in canvas bags lined with
polyvinyl or elasticized net bags called ‘skips’ for transportation.

Trolleys and collapsible wire cart can be used to transport soiled as well as clean linen. If laundery
planned at the construction stage, an in-built chute is used for transporting linen from the floor pantries.

Arrival

On arrival, linen must be dealt with as quickly as

possible to ensure fast turn around time for linen. There
must be a separate section for guest laundry.

Marking:

Marking may be temporary (guest laundry) or

permanent (monogramming of hotel linen). For guest
laundery initials of the guest as well as the room
number helps provides a clear identification and
helps correct billing.

Sorting

Sorting is carried out according to the type of fabric

and item, colour and type of soil. Sorting is done to
separate those articles that need dry cleaning from those
that will go through the normal wash process. Those that
need mending or stain removal must be separated so that
they can be dealt with accordingly. Also, different articles
take a different wash process in terms of temperature of
water, type of laundering agent, length of wash cycle,
whether hydro-extraction should be done and if so, the
length of the hydro-extraction cycle. In hospitals, the

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infection risk necessitates the need for using gloves when

sorting out linen.

It takes less effort to pre-sort soiled linen than to

post-sort washed linen which is 50% heavier in weight due
to water retention. Post-sorting is often essential in
healthcare processes.

Weighing

Weighing is carried out to conform to the capacity of

the washing machine and to avoid overloading. Repeated
overloading can cause the machine to breakdown.
Underloading will lead to wastage of detergents and water,
both cold and hot.

Loading

Loading is often done manually or with a certain

degree of full or partial automation. Machines may be top
loading, front loading or side loading.

Washing

This process is designed to perform three basic functions:

removal of soil / dirt

suspension of soil
discharge of the soil from the machine to the drain

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In the wash process, the following factors must be

considered:
i) Setting Length of Wash Cycle
If the cycle is too short, the linen will not be cleaned properly
and sufficiently. I f the cycle is too long, there will be
unnecessary wear and tear and the clothes may actually
become dirtier as a result of redeposition of soil.
ii) Temperature of Water
For hot water washing, if the temperature of water is too high,
it is likely to damage the linen. If the
temperature is
inadequate, the chemicals will not work effectively.
iii) Water Level
Incorrect ‘dip’ levels can alter the concentration of the laundry
agents rendering them ineffective. In case of a gentle action,
the water level is usually higher forming a protective envelope
to the delicate linen.
iv) T y p e a n d Am o u n t o f Detergent a n
d the Time of
Dispensing
This is also a crucial factor that affects the quality of wash

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deciding which laundry agent should be used is dependent

on the nature of the fabric being washed. Too little detergent
will result in an incomplete cleaning process. And too much
may remain as a residue on the cloth after the rinse cycle is
complete. It is important that the laundry agent is introduced
into the wash cycle at the appropriate time for best results.
v) Mechanical Agitation
This refers to the centrifugal action brought about by the
movement of the drum that causes friction between the linen
articles and is radically affected by overloading or
underloading as it affects the speed of the drum. Modern
machinery often operates on sensors, which are capable of
gauging and maintaining optimum conditions for a specific
load.
vi)Rinsing
Once the wash cycle is completed, rinsing is carried out at

 least twice. The purpose of this stage is to:

• remove residue of laundry agents,
remove suspended dirt,
lower the temperature of the wash load by the use of
using cold water.

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A running rinse with an open drain is more effective but aLaundry

larger volume of water is utilized.

Hydro-Extraction

Is the removal of excess moisture through centrifugal action and is equivalent to

wringing in hand washing. Draining must precede hydro-extraction and hydro-
extraction must precede tumble drying. Some articles cannot be hydro-extracted
so there is a pumping action to draw out the water from the linen load. Too short
an extraction time will increase the drying time and may hinder the proper
operation of finishing equipment. The compact mass of hydro-extracted clothes
is referred to as ‘cheese’.

Unloading
Transferring washed linen from the Hydro-extractor to the Tumble Dryer is
normally done manually. It may be done by an automated system where the
‘cheese’ is unloaded onto a conveyor belt that will transport the linen to the next
set of operations.

Tumble Drying:

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This process is capable of rendering the linen completely dry by blowing hot air
ranging between 40º C and 60º C onto the articles. For articles that are
susceptible to damage by heat, there is the option of simply air drying by
circulating air at room temperature.

Finishing

For those articles that require a pressed finish, ironing and pressing are usual.
Articles like blankets, towels, candlewick bedspreads, hosiery, etc. that do not
require a pressed finish are only tumble-dried.

Folding
Can be done by machine but in most cases is carried out completely manually.
Employees in this area are the one ones who ‘reject’ stained or damaged linen.
Correct folding is important to the appearance of the article and makes it
convenient to store and use.

Airing
This is essential prior to storage, especially if the articles are to be stored in
closed shelves. It ensures that any moisture that is likely to cause mildew will be
got rid of.

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Storage

Should be properly done in a well-designed storage space.

Linen should be allowed a rest period to recuperate before it is used
again. As a general rule, at any given time, approximately 50% of the
total linen inventory should be on the shelves, 25% in use and 25% in
processing. The storage area must be isolated from the soiled linen and kept
clean.
Distribution

The linen is issued to the unit / department for use and is usually done by linen
trolley

LAUNDRY OPERATION IN HOTELS

LAUNDRY
Hotels may elect to have either an on premise laundry or use an off-site laundry. The
decision on which one to use may be influenced by the size of the hotel, its location or its
star rating. In any hotel establishment, a lot of dirty linen accumulates in the various units
and departments. It is essential to ensure a continuous supply of linen, which is well
laundered, so that operations can be carried out smoothly and efficiently. Linen is an
expensive item, so how it will be laundered requires serious consideration. People involved
in handling linen should have some knowledge of the process. Moreover, the Housekeeper
and Linenkeeper should have a good rapport with the Laundry Manager. Although it is
essential that good quality linen be purchased, the life

of the linen depends on the care of linen in use and the treatment it gets at the laundry.

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Laundry

The principles of laundering is:

1. Removal of dirt and stains from the linen articles

2. Restoring linen articles to their original appearance as

far as possible.

A good laundry facility ensures the following:

careful handling of linen articles while laundering

correct processing and use of a suitable laundry agent

while materials are kept white, excessive bleach is not used

proper counting and records maintained to avoid shortages of linen

speedy operations to meet with operational requirements

sound policies regarding damages or loss.

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A commercial or off-premises laundry refers to laundering activities performed outside the

establishment i.e. given on a contract basis to specialists in the field. In a rare circumstance,
the laundry is contracted and on-premises. An on-site or on-premises laundry, however,
refers to laundering activities carried on within the establishment by staff employed by the
hotel.

What is an on premise laundry (OPL)?

This is where the laundry is situated somewhere within the hotel premises. The hotel will be
able to process all hotel linens for use in hotel rooms and restaurants. In some cases, the
hotel may also have a dry cleaning facility which will enable them to process all items
needing to be dry-cleaned including guests‟ clothing and hotel soft furnishings.
Where there is an OPL, the hotel will own all the laundry equipment, all linen items and
employ all laundry staff. The hotel will also be responsible for maintaining all laundry
equipment.
There are advantages and disadvantages to having an OPL
Advantages of having an OPL
The hotel has total control over the quality of linen used because they can select and buy the
quality and quantities required

The hotel has total control over the quality of the laundering and finishing processes

The hotel has total control over the scheduling of staff working hours and the scheduling of
maintenance and repairs i.e. Staff may be rostered off during quiet periods and rostered for
extended hours if necessary during very busy periods

Where the OPL also processes guest dry cleaning and laundry, the revenue generated from
this will help to offset some of the operating costs.

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Disadvantages of having an OPL

The hotel will have to outlay a large amount of initial capital expenditure to
purchase all laundry equipment including its installation and ongoing
maintenance

The hotel will have to outlay a large amount of capital expenditure to purchase
all hotel room and restaurant linens and its ongoing replacement The hotel will
need to find a location for the installation of a laundry facility. This may mean
that space that could be used for revenue generation, such as a restaurant or
additional guest rooms, may be sacrificed for this purpose
There will be additional staff to recruit, train and manage

The hotel will need to purchase all laundry supplies such as chemicals, trolleys,
packaging, and coat-hangers

The hotel will incur additional utility costs including gas, electricity, water and
sewage costs

There will be a “noise and vibration” factor associated with

washing machines and dryers. The laundry will need to be located well away
from guest rooms and guest areas

The hotel will need to have ample storage areas to store both clean and soiled
linen

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In the case of major machine breakdowns, laundry staff may be idle and
production halted, causing disruption and linen shortages to the operation.
The advantages and disadvantages of using an off-site laundry
Advantages of using an off-site laundry
All capital expenditure of machinery and linen is the responsibility of the laundry
service provider

All utility, maintenance and staffing costs are borne by the laundry service
provider

Regular scheduled deliveries and collection times

The hotel will know all unit processing costs and can budget accordingly.

Disadvantages of using an off-site laundry

Off-site laundry providers may not accommodate requests from hotel owners to
purchase specific styles of linen items. (Five star hotels may have to use the
same quality linen as a two star property, for example)

The hotel operator does not have full control over the quality of linen processing

The hotel will need staff to count all clean linen received and check against the
delivery docket. Shortages and damaged linen will need to be managed so that
pre-determined stock levels can be maintained

Because the laundry is located off-site, there is less flexibility and, should there
be a need for certain items such as additional napkins, the level of service to the

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guests may be compromised because of an inability to make an extra delivery to

the hotel or to make an urgent delivery when there are shortages.

Whether or not to use an OPL or an off-site laundry provider will depend on

The size of the hotel. Usually small hotels and motels will use an outside contractor due to
the large capital expenditure required

Small motels may choose to use an off-site laundry to process sheets and table linen because
of the better results that can be achieved during the pressing process but may also choose to
wash and dry towels in house for convenience and as a potential cost saving

Location. Where hotels are remote (on islands or in the countryside), they may choose to
install a small OPL to process all their own linen

Large five star hotels may choose to install an in-house laundry purely because they require
a high standard of finished linen and also because it saves them money in linen replacement
costs and the benefit of being able to also offer a 24 hour laundry/ dry-cleaning service to
their guests. It also offers flexibility if certain items need to be processed urgently

The decision to use an OPL or an off-site laundry provider will be largely influenced by the
costs involved. Some hotels choose to install an OPL as time progresses whilst others
remove this facility and elect to use a contractor. Costs must always be determined by
analysing all associated costs and consideration should always be given to service and
quality if electing to use an off-site provider

Whilst many hotels will have an OPL, they may contract out the dry cleaning function to an
outside contractor because of the requirement of having specially skilled and trained dry
cleaner operators and the specific training required for the use and handling of the dry
cleaning solvents.

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Dealing with outside Laundry contractors

Should the hotel decide to use contractors for the supply of laundry or
dry cleaning services, it is extremely important that initial negotiations
cover all aspects of servicing the hotel‟s operation and that a written
contract is agreed upon for a definitive time. It is also prudent for the
key Hotel operations personnel to inspect the laundry to ensure that
volume can be handled and to ensure a high standard of cleanliness and
hygiene is maintained. References from current clients should also be
reviewed.
Issues that should be covered in a contract should include but are not
limited to:
The quality of linens provided specifying fibre content and sizes of all
items

The items that are to be provided or washed. This will depend on

whether linen will be leased from the laundry or owned by the hotel and
washed by the laundry

The par levels to be maintained by either party

Days of the week that soiled laundry will be collected and clean items
delivered including frequencies of these e.g. twice a day or three times a
week

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Approximate delivery times – these must meet the needs of the hotel

The provision of transport equipment – whose responsibility is this?

Will trolleys or bags be used?
Provision of service in the case of major equipment breakdowns or emergencies (e.g. fire at
the laundry)
Procedures for rewash of linen received with stains (to avoid additional costs)

Procedures for replacing linen that is worn or damaged (what is and isn‟t acceptable)

Procedure for charging the hotel should there be abuse of linen by hotel staff

Procedure for incorrect deliveries or shortages

How linens will be packed (consider logistics of the hotel)

Procedure for compensation should the laundry damage hotel linen, staff uniforms or guests‟
laundry and dry-cleaning. This is usually stipulated on the guest laundry docket to protect all
parties

Provision of the necessary summary sheets, guest laundry dockets and laundry bags for
placement in the hotel rooms (who will pay for these and what do they look like?). How will
processed guest laundry and dry cleaning be presented and packaged?

Pricing for guests and staff laundry including possible discounts

Procedure for stocktakes

Unit price per item processed

The security of all hotel linens

Contact persons at the laundry and/or hotel to deal with issues arising from the contract

Payment terms

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Length of contract

Termination and renewal of contract.

Identify the equipment that may be found in an on-premise laundry

Introduction
Depending on the size of the laundry premises and the size of the hotel it needs to service,
equipment types and sizes will vary considerably.
The following is a list of the main types of equipment used for processing hotel linens:
Washer extractors (also known as washing machines). These vary in size and can hold
between 5kg and 200 kg of soiled linen. They wash linen and also extract most of the
residual water content by spinning in the last cycle

Continuous batch washers. These are only used where there is a large volume of washing
such as in a five star 500 room hotel where linen is changed every day. The machine
resembles a tunnel and is controlled via a computer programme which can direct the loading,
unloading and drying of linen through automation, reducing the need for several staff
members
Element 1: Identify the role of an on-premise laundry © ASEAN 2012 Trainee Manual
Launder linen and guests‟ clothes 13

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Tumble dryers. These are used to dry towels primarily and can again vary largely in their
capacity – from 5 kg to 80kg

Flatwork feeders. Used to assist in feeding sheets and table linen on to the flatwork ironer.
They are comprised of a series of clips which automatically feed sheets on to the ironer

Flatwork ironer. This is a machine that irons and dries

sheeting and table linen in one pass

Flatwork folder-this is attached to the flatwork ironer and is pre-programmed to

mechanically fold sheets and table linen. The folding mechanism can be switched off when
ironing small items like napkins

Roller irons. These are found in small laundries for ironing small items like napkins and
pillow cases. Larger versions can be used for ironing sheets. The item is passed through the
ironer and returned to the operator for manual folding. The final result is inferior to the
larger flatwork ironer but in motels where the sheets are a blend of 50%polyester and 50%
cotton the result may be satisfactory. They are labour intensive. They would not usually be
suitable for ironing sheets made of 100 % cotton

Towel folding machines. These are machines where dry clean towels are fed manually on to
the towel folder and automatically folded. They may be single lane or multi-lane. The towel
folding machines can be pre-programmed for producing different folds

Presses. Hot head presses are used mainly to press clothes but can also be used to press small
items like napkins and pillow cases. Pressing in this way however is labour intensive and not
recommended for large quantities.

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The following is a list of the main types of additional equipment needed if processing
hotel soft furnishings, guest dry cleaning and staff uniforms
Polymark machine. This is a machine that is used to identify guest garments by attaching
heat stamp labels on to each garment. These labels withstand the laundry and dry cleaning
processes but can be easily removed and do not damage the garments if used correctly

Spotting board. This is a specially designed table used for spotting garments prior to being
washed or dry cleaned. Stains are treated according to their classification with specific
spotting chemicals. The spotting table uses a steam hose which can be used to

assist in the removal of stains and can also generate air to dry the fabric after stain removal.
It is operated by using foot pedals. This piece of equipment should only be used by
experienced and trained staff

Dry cleaning machine. This is a machine that is used to dry clean items that cannot be
washed in water. They operate similarly to a washing machine but use a solvent to clean.
The main solvent in use today is perchlorethylene. The machine cleans and dries the
garments in one cycle

Different types of presses. These are many and varied. There are presses designed
specifically for pressing trousers and others designed to press shirts
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Small trolleys and weigh scale. Trolleys are needed to collect guest dry cleaning bags from
guest rooms and also for sorting garments into categories for washing and dry cleaning. A
scale is needed to ensure machines are not overloaded

Mobile trolley with hanging rack for delivering guest items back to the rooms

Sorting table for receiving and marking items

Shelves or pigeon holes for sorting and collating finished items

Shirt folding machine. This is a template that can be used to fold shirts and tee shirts only.

Miscellaneous equipment that will be needed for the laundering operation of linen include:
Trolleys for transporting soiled linen from the rooms to the laundry

Trolleys for transporting clean linen within the laundry. Please note that clean linen should
NEVER be transported in the same trolleys in which soiled linen has been carried. If the
trolleys are to be used for both purposes, they must be fully sanitised between each use or
have the fabric liner changed and washed

Trolleys for transporting linen back to the floors

Weigh scales. These are used to weigh soiled linen before placement into the washing
machines so that they are not overloaded. If washing machines are overloaded or under
loaded, the wash result will be inferior

Fabric bags for collection of linen

Shelving for linen storage

Chemical pumps and chemicals

Press pads. Covers on the ironing machines and

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presses need to be clean and regularly changed.

Miscellaneous equipment that will be needed for the laundering and dry cleaning of soft
furnishings and guests‟ clothing and staff uniforms include:
Packaging materials such as baskets or cardboard boxes, plastic bags, coat hangers

Marking tape and tags

Dry cleaning dockets and plastic bags

Spotting chemicals, spatulas and tamping brushes.

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Identify the cleaning agents and chemicals used in an on-premise laundry

Introduction
The choice of washroom chemicals is very important. It is absolutely vital to use a reputable
company who can provide the training to staff and support to the laundry operator for
solutions to problems in the wash. If the correct chemicals are not used, this may result in a
large amount of items needing to be rewashed because stains remain, adding to the overall
cost of laundering linen. Using too little or too much chemical in the wash cycle may result
in damaged linen and complaints from hotel guests.
Types of laundry chemicals
Water
Water by itself is not a good cleaner but the chemicals that are added to the water makes it a
medium to allow the chemicals to penetrate the soil and hold it in suspension. Water also
allows the chemicals to be transported to the wash load and to carry away the soiled
solution. It is an excellent rinse aid.
Water quality is important in determining which washroom chemicals will be chosen. Water
may have a high iron or calcium content or even a high volume of vegetable dyes from
plants located by the supplying dam. All these minerals will affect the effectiveness or not of
washroom chemicals chosen. Water testing must be carried out at regular intervals by a
reputable company.
The results of the water testing must be shared with the chemical supplier who will consider
these findings when recommending the choice of chemicals necessary to produce good wash
results.
Hard water will have an impact on the type of detergents selected and the cleaning quality of
the linen will decrease if unsuitable chemicals are chosen. Water treatment of the boiler may
be necessary by a qualified company.
Water temperature

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Washing at a temperature of 70C for approximately 25 minutes will kill most bacteria in
hotel linen (except spores). This is known as thermal disinfection. This temperature is
however not recommended for woollens or synthetic fabrics.
Alkalis
Most soil in linens is acidic in nature and alkalis are used in the first part of the wash cycle to
neutralise the soils in the linen prior to the main washing process. They also assist the
detergent to "wet" the linen, thereby penetrating the soil and holding it in suspension. Alkalis
also assist in converting fats and oils to soap so that they become water soluble.
Builders
Builders can be added to both alkalis and detergents. Their function is to assist in water
softening and to increase the function of the detergent to get better wash results. Common
builders include phosphates, silicates and carbonates.

Detergents
These are used to wash the linen, allowing water to penetrate the soil and hold it in
suspension before rinsing. All detergents used in a commercial laundry are synthetic,
combined with builders to allow fats to emulsify. Detergents have a high tolerance to hard
water and can be efficient at all temperatures. They are more suitable for commercial
laundering than soap which can produce a film when used in hard water.
Chlorine bleaches
These are used to whiten linen and remove residual stains. Chlorine bleaches must only be
used on white linen. Chlorine bleaches if used in excess can cause fabric damage and loss of
tensile strength in linens. They also act as a sterilising agent leaving linen in a sanitary
condition. Chlorine bleaches are available in both liquid and powder form. The most
common chlorine bleach is sodium hypochlorite.
Oxidising bleaches

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These can also be used to remove stains. Examples include hydrogen peroxide and sodium
perborate.
Antichlors
These are used to inactivate any residual traces of chlorine bleaches and they prevent linen
from yellowing. Some contain an optical brightener which makes white linen seem whiter by
increasing light reflection. They are usually added to the second rinse cycle with a high
water level.
Fabric softeners
These are used to soften towels and reduce lint, but are also used in the wash cycles of sheets
to assist in the ease of ironing by reducing static electricity on the flatwork ironer. They are
absorbed into the fabric and form a protective coating. They make towels softer to the feel
and also assist the washman as linen will be easier to pull from the washing machine when
emptying.
Starch
Starch is added to the final rinse in the washing of cotton table linen and chefs‟ jackets to
present a crisp and fresh appearance. Starch lays down a protective barrier on the fabric to
help prevent stain absorption. This makes stain removal in the next wash cycle easier. Starch
should never be used for sheeting due to the stiffness and itch factor!! Care must be taken
not to over use. It is usually in a powdered form and must be pre-dissolved. Starch will not
be absorbed by polyester fibres. Element 1: Identify the role of an on-premise laundry

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Sours or Acids
These are added in the final rinse to neutralise residual alkalis. If alkalis are not removed,
white linen can turn yellow or grey. Some sours also contain optical brighteners.
Precautions when handling chemicals
All chemicals must be treated with respect. If they are not used, stored or handled correctly,
all chemicals have the potential to be hazardous to long term health and compromise daily
safety in the workplace. It is important as an employee to know all aspects of the chemicals
before you use them:
Every chemical is designed for a specific purpose. Each chemical that is manufactured must
have a technical bulletin and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

The technical bulletin will have specific information on recommended usage and packaging
size, along with a description and characteristics of the product

The M.S.D.S. of each chemical contains lots of critical data. It seems like too much
information but it contains:

Hazardous nature of the chemical

The composition of the chemical

Long-term health exposure consequences

Safe handling

Product information

A copy of all MSDS must be available for staff to read and also in case of an emergency
such as an accidental spillage. They must be available for the emergency services so that
they know what they are dealing with should there be a fire or leak

It is important to use the correct personal protective clothing and equipment when handling
chemicals. This should always be readily available and of the correct size for

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individual employees:

Safety goggles or face masks

The correct protective gloves

Protective clothing and footwear

When handling chemicals it is important to always wash your hands after handling them and
never to smoke, eat or drink

Never mix chemicals at any time. To do so may cause a chemical reaction which may give
off toxic gas and may harm your health. The action of mixing will also negate the action of a
chemical e.g. Alkali + Acid = neutral

Always clean minor spills up immediately to prevent falls and slips. This may be possible by
hosing down the spill to the nearest drain or using a mop and bucket

Always use chemicals at the correct dilution rates. To use a chemical that is too strong will
damage the linen and increase costs because of over usage (less is best)

Always add chemicals to water and not water to chemicals. If some should spill, there will
be less harm this way
Element 1: Identify the role of an on-premise laundry

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Always store chemicals correctly at the right temperature and preferably in a secure area

Always use correct equipment for transporting and lifting chemical drums

Chemicals must always be correctly labelled for easy identification and never stored in soft
drink bottles

Empty chemical drums must be disposed of as per local regulations.

What to do in case of a chemical spill

The size of a spill will affect how you deal with it

If the spill is large, all staff should be evacuated from the immediate area

Ventilate the area as much as possible

Call the relevant emergency services to assist and advise

Wear protective equipment at all times in this situation - gloves, face mask,

protective clothing and rubber boots

Try to stop the spill if possible-turn off the tap or place the container on its side. The use of
sand or an absorbent compound is particularly helpful in this case. This can then be swept up
as a solid matter and disposed of later

Wash the area down completely after clean up

Investigate how the spill occurred in order to review all handling procedures. Record the
incident and retrain staff.

Types of dry cleaning chemicals

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The main types of chemicals used for dry cleaning are the dry cleaning fluids and the pre-
spotting chemicals.
The most common dry cleaning solvents in use today are:
a) Perchlorethylene which is a non-flammable chlorinated solvent. It should be stored in a
cool dark place when not in use. It is instrumental in removing solvent soluble soil such as
oils and greases etc. It may however also dissolve decorative items on clothing such as
sequins,
beads, some buttons and synthetic trims. This is the most common dry cleaning solvent in
use.
b) White spirit is an original dry cleaning fluid and has been widely used for many years.
With the outlawing of fluorocarbons for environmental reasons, it is regaining popularity. It
is a paraffin based spirit, has good grease removal properties but is flammable.
c) Hydrocarbon is a petroleum-based solvent which is flammable. It is more suitable for use
on delicate garments but needs a longer wash cycle to allow it to work.
Element 1: Identify the role of an on-premise laundry © ASEAN 2012 Trainee Manual
Launder linen and guests‟ clothes 19

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Pre-spotting chemicals used on the spotting table usually include the following:
Ink remover (for wet and dry ink)

Protein remover (for blood, faeces, egg, milk, perspiration and soil stains on collars)

Paint, oil and grease remover (for paint, lipsticks, oils and greases)

Rust remover (for residual blood stains )

Tannin remover (for coffee, tea, red wine and some fruit juices)

All-purpose spot remover (for general light soiling stains)

Most chemical companies who provide spotting board chemicals will also provide a stain
removal guide chart which can be pinned to the wall for easy reference.

Identify the documentation that is used to monitor, control, and charge for items
laundered
Introduction
Where the hotel has its own on-site laundry, most of the documentation used is for the
purpose of charging the guest for the laundry or dry cleaning service. All other
documentation is used for internal purposes to monitor operating costs such as payroll,
chemicals and utilities.
Where the hotel uses an off-site laundry, that company would produce a daily delivery
docket and invoice with a monthly statement itemising all goods processed on behalf of the
hotel with all relevant charges.
Where hotels use a contractor to process guest laundry and dry-cleaning, the hotel usually
receives at least a 10% commission for handling the goods on behalf of the contractor .i.e. if
the charge to launder a guest shirt is $10, then the guest would be charged $10 by the hotel,
but the contractor would only charge the hotel $9 for this item.

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Where hotels provide a guest laundry and dry cleaning service, the following is a brief
overview of the process:
The room attendant places laundry bags (either plastic or fabric) and laundry dockets into the
wardrobe or drawer when cleaning the guest room.

This docket may be in duplicate or triplicate depending on the hotel's accounting processes
.It will have all the most common items listed complete with itemised charges for each item
and a space for the guest to complete his name and room number.

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When the guest requires this service he should complete the docket with his name, room
number and quantity of items to be processed on the relevant lines

The docket is then placed in the bag and the guest may take it to Reception by 9 or 10 a.m.
(in smaller hotels) or call Housekeeping or Valet service for the laundry to be collected
(larger hotels)

The staff member will collect the laundry from the guest room and must check that the
docket is complete with all guest details. If not, the room number should be noted on the bag

If this is not done, the laundry may still be processed but will be unable to be returned to the
guest's room or

charged for as it will be unidentified

If the laundry is on-site at the hotel, the staff member will deliver the bags directly to the
laundry for processing

If the laundry is off-site, the laundry will be delivered to a central point within the hotel such
as the linen room or Housekeeping office to await collection by the laundry driver. Some
guests may give their laundry bags to Reception or even to the doorman. This must all be
sent to the central point

Here the staff member will enter all guest items on to a summary sheet

The summary sheet is a record of all guest names and room numbers whose laundry or dry-
cleaning has been received for processing

All the guest bags are placed into a fabric laundry bag ready for collection

A copy of this summary sheet is given to the laundry driver with all the guests‟ bags

The laundry will then process all items to be laundered and dry-cleaned.

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A copy of the summary sheet will be returned with all guest items later in the day for cross-
checking and a list of charges for each guest

The laundry charge will be added to the guest account either by the linen room or
Housekeeping staff via a computer or a copy of the summary sheet will be given to
Reception for posting

The linen or Housekeeping staff will then return all clean and checked items to the guest
room neatly packaged.

Other documentation used:

In many hotels, if guest garments are received by the laundry in a damaged condition (torn
or frayed), the hotel may return the items to the guest unprocessed advising the guest of this
and requesting permission to proceed. This is to minimise a financial claim against the hotel
by the guest.

Where stains cannot be removed from a garment, a note is attached to the garment to advise
the guest that whilst the garment has been cleaned, unfortunately the stain could not be
removed.
Figure 3 – Sample Advice Form
Identify the linen items that may be laundered in an on-premise laundry
Introduction
Hotels have many items that will need to be laundered or dry-cleaned. The most common
items requiring laundering will include:
Sheets (all sizes)

Pillow cases

Pillow protectors

Duvet covers

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Mattress protectors

Mattress toppers

Duvets

Pillows (polyester or microfibre fill)

Bath towels

Hand towels

Coloured towels (used in hairdressers or in massage rooms)

Bathmats

Face washers

Bathrobes

Table cloths (all sizes)

Coloured table linen

Napkins

Tray mats

Staff uniforms

Guest laundry
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Cleaning cloths

Tea towels

Glass polishing cloths

Mops.

Items requiring dry cleaning

The most common items in a hotel will include
Curtains

Cushion covers

Table skirtings

Chair covers

Bedspreads and bed skirtings

Blankets

Pillows (feather fill)

Staff uniforms

Guest dry cleaning.

Identify guest clothes that may be laundered in an on-premise laundry

Introduction
Guests will request that all manner of items be laundered or dry-cleaned. Guests sometimes
request some items to be laundered when essentially they may need to be dry-cleaned and

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vice versa. It is important that laundry staff check all fabric care labels
and follow these procedures.
Items that may require laundering:
Shirts;-this is the most commonly requested item in large hotels

Undergarments

Socks

Tee shirts

Singlets

Golf shirts

Blouses

Dresses

Nightwear

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Tracksuits

Gym clothes

Handkerchiefs

Jeans

Baby clothes

Baby napkins (this should be at the laundry manager‟s discretion depending on

the level of soil).

Items that may require dry cleaning:

Suits

Coats

Ties

Evening gowns

Dinner suits

Trousers

Jackets

On occasions there may be special requests for dry cleaning. Items made of
suede or which have delicate decorative trims should not be accepted for dry
cleaning if the expertise of the staff is insufficient. The processing of suede

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garments is a specialised field. Many guests request a Press Only service. They
request that items should be pressed only, usually because they have been
crushed in suitcases whilst travelling. Items that are very heavily soiled should
not be accepted for press only. Guests should be contacted and advised that the
item requires laundry or dry cleaning. This is in order to protect laundry staff from handling
soiled clothing and also the heat from the pressing process can set some stains permanently
on to the garment.

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Describe the roles of staff employed in an on-premise laundry

Introduction
To complete all the tasks required in the laundry, there will be many staff employed. Staff
may be employed as laundry attendants or may have different titles depending on their
individual roles. The names of the positions will vary from laundry to laundry but all tasks
need to be completed.
For the processing of linen items these titles include:

Sorter. This is the name given to the people who sort the soiled linen which arrives at the
laundry. Linen needs to be sorted into different categories as it will be washed on different
wash cycles, at different temperatures and with different water levels. Towels, for example,
are usually more heavily soiled than sheeting. Sorters must also sort out any rubbish from

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linen such as tissues, soap or guest clothing which may have been inadvertently stripped
from the bed along with the sheets. It is not uncommon to find cutlery or food scraps
amongst table linen. If these items find their way into the washing machines, they can cause
damage to those machines and also to the linen being washed. Sorters may also be
responsible for weighing the linen so that washing machines are not overloaded

Washman. This is the person who loads and unloads the washing machines with the correct
amount of linen of one category. They may also take on the role of operating the tumble
dryer. When sheets are removed from the washer they are then transported to the ironing
section and may need to be laid out or “roped “ ready for feeding on to the ironer

Tumbler dryer operator. This person will load and unload the dryers and transport towels
and bathrobes to the folding section within the laundry

Feeder. These are the people who place sheets, pillow cases and table linen onto the feeding
part of the machine that then rolls the linen on to the flatwork ironer for drying and ironing

Ironer operator. This person removes the ironed and folded goods off the flatwork ironer
and stacks the linen into piles ready for transport back to the guest floors and restaurants

Towel Folder. This person feeds dried clean towels on to a machine which then folds the
towels in a pre-programmed fold. They record the counted linen

General wash hand. This person would circulate in all sections of the laundry and work
wherever there is a need or a pressure point

Despatch clerk. The despatch clerk will check the quantities and quality and ensure the

necessary paperwork is completed before the linen is delivered back to where it comes from
or laundry is returned to the guest room, depending on the system that is used within the
laundry. They may even be responsible for delivery of clean linen back to the guest floors or
in-house linen room

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Truck driver. A truck driver will only be needed where linen is processed for other hotels
or in an off-site laundry.

With the exception of the truck driver, all laundry staff should be cross-trained in all aspects
of the laundry operation and be able to handle all tasks. This ensures flexibility when staff
are sick or on holidays. Due to the repetition and sometimes monotonous tasks, it is
recommended to rotate staff at regular intervals.

For the processing of items requiring dry cleaning these titles include:

Marker/sorter. This is the task of receiving, checking, marking and sorting all garments
that pass through for either laundering or dry cleaning. Garments need to be

checked for quantity and for items possibly left in pockets such as tissues, pens or coins.
They are then marked for each guest so that items can be identified once processed, sorted
sorted into different wash loads or dry cleaning and per fibre care label
General laundry hand. This person would place items in the washing machines, assist
inmatching guest items after they have been processed and may also assist in

pressing or collection and delivery back to the guest room

Dry cleaner. This person is extremely well-trained in all aspects of dry cleaning including
spotting and pressing. They must have an excellent knowledge of fibres and fabrics, stain
recognition and their removal. This task must be performed by a qualified person only

Pressers. As the name implies, they would press all items that need pressing. This would
constitute 95% of all items processed in the laundry/dry cleaning section

Despatch clerk. As previously mentioned, this person

would check for the quality and quantity of the finished product and ensure all paperwork
has been completed prior to being returned.

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Establish costs associated with operating an on-

premise laundry
Introduction

The costs of operating a laundry or dry cleaning operation are many and varied.

These include:

The initial capital outlay for all pieces of laundry and dry cleaning equipment and its
installation

All ongoing maintenance costs for all laundry machinery

The recruitment, induction and training of all laundry staff

All payroll costs including weekly wages, staff benefits, holidays and additional leave
payments

The initial cost of purchasing all linen items that are used both in Housekeeping and Food
and Beverage departments

The ongoing purchasing of replacement linen items which wear out or are prematurely
damaged either through misuse or poor laundering techniques

The cost of all utilities including electricity, gas, water, air conditioning and sewage disposal
costs

The maintenance of the main boiler and water testing and treatments

The cost of all washroom chemicals and dry cleaning chemicals

The cost of replacement pads on all presses and ironers

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The cost of all incidentals such as coat-hangers, packaging materials, laundry bags and
trolleys. Laundry Flow Diagram

Cross contamination between laundered and soiled garments is of serious concern and
closely monitored under HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)
recommendations/regulations and other laundering best practices. OPL is passionate about
adherence to these best practices and operates a two tier process to ensure full compliance.

All OPL laundering solutions and services are segregated into two clean room working
Areas, namely LOW-CARE for soiled garments and HIGH-CARE for clean garments. Of
paramount importance is that there should be no overlap or compromise between the two

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processes. Our laundering services are audited on a regular basis to ensure that the highest

standards are consistently maint

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The cost of replacement pads on all presses and ironers

The cost of all incidentals such as coat-hangers, packaging materials, laundry bags and
trolleys. Establish costs associated with operating an on-
premise laundry
Introduction
The costs of operating a laundry or dry cleaning operation are many and varied.
These include:
The initial capital outlay for all pieces of laundry and dry cleaning equipment and its installation

All ongoing maintenance costs for all laundry machinery

The recruitment, induction and training of all laundry staff

All payroll costs including weekly wages, staff benefits, holidays and additional leave payments

The initial cost of purchasing all linen items that are used both in Housekeeping and Food and Beverage
departments

The ongoing purchasing of replacement linen items which wear out or are prematurely damaged either
through misuse or poor laundering techniques

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The cost of all utilities including electricity, gas, water, air conditioning and sewage disposal costs

The maintenance of the main boiler and water testing and treatments

The cost of all washroom chemicals and dry cleaning chemicals

The cost of replacement pads on all presses and ironers

The cost of all incidentals such as coat-hangers, packaging materials, laundry bags and trolleys.

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of the laundry operation and be able to handle all tasks. This ensures flexibility when staff
are sick or on holidays. Due to the repetition and sometimes monotonous tasks, it is
recommended to rotate staff at regular intervals.
For the processing of items requiring dry cleaning these titles include:
Marker/sorter. This is the task of receiving, checking, marking and sorting all garments
that pass through for either laundering or dry cleaning. Garments need to be
checked for quantity and for items possibly left in pockets such as tissues, pens or coins.
They are then marked for each guest so that items can be identified once processed, sorted
into different wash loads or dry cleaning and per fibre care label
General laundry hand. This person would place items in the washing machines, assist in
matching guest items after they have been processed and may also assist in
pressing or collection and delivery back to the guest room
Dry cleaner. This person is extremely well-trained in all aspects of dry cleaning including
spotting and pressing. They must have an excellent knowledge of fibres and fabrics, stain
recognition and their removal. This task must be performed by a qualified person only
Pressers. As the name implies, they would press all items that need pressing. This would
constitute 95% of all items processed in the laundry/dry cleaning section
Despatch clerk. As previously mentioned, this person
would check for the quality and quantity of the finished product and ensure all paperwork

has been completed prior to being retu Establish costs associated with
operating an on-premise laundry
Introduction
The costs of operating a laundry or dry cleaning operation are many and
varied.

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These include:
The initial capital outlay for all pieces of laundry and dry cleaning
equipment and its installation

All ongoing maintenance costs for all laundry machinery

The recruitment, induction and training of all laundry staff

All payroll costs including weekly wages, staff benefits, holidays and
additional leave payments

The initial cost of purchasing all linen items that are used both in
Housekeeping and Food and Beverage departments

The ongoing purchasing of replacement linen items which wear out

orare prematurely damaged either through misuse or poor laundering
techniques

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The cost of all utilities including electricity, gas, water, air conditioning and sewage disposal
costs

The maintenance of the main boiler and water testing and treatments

The cost of all washroom chemicals and dry cleaning chemicals

The cost of replacement pads on all presses and ironers

The cost of all incidentals such as coat-hangers, packaging materials, laundry bags and
trolleys.

Identify laundry service types that exist within the industry

Introduction
There are several different types of laundry contractors that service the hospitality industry.
These include:
An off-site laundry that both provides (hires) and launders all linen articles for the hotel or
restaurant

An off-site laundry that launders and irons the hotel‟s own linen articles i.e. the hotel
purchases all linen and maintains par levels

An off-site laundry that provides (hires) and

launders only table linen. This service is used by small hotels which would use table linen
infrequently or by large hotels which experience exceptionally busy periods when their own
stocks of table linen are not sufficient to service their needs. They may also be used if a
client requests a specific colour of linen. This could, for example, be for a wedding or for a
themed event for which the hotel does not stock that specific coloured linen

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Dry cleaning contractor. This company would service all laundry and dry cleaning of all
hotel soft furnishings as well as staff uniforms and guest laundry/dry cleaning needs. They
may also provide an express service as needed (usually returned within two hours) or an
overnight service. These are usually charged to the guest at a premium due to

the additional transport requirement

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Uniform hire company. These companies offer a hire and laundry service for all staff
uniforms. They are particularly useful for hiring chef and kitchen uniforms and
housekeeping uniforms which can be washed. The company is required to maintain all
uniform stock levels so that staff can change uniforms daily. The service is usually provided
once weekly when all soiled uniforms are removed off-site for laundering and cleaned
uniforms for the next week are delivered. The main advantage of this system is that it saves
capital outlay for all uniforms but does require ongoing management replacing uniforms for
new staff and managing the inventory. If uncontrolled, costs can spiral out of
control.

Identify the role of an on-premise laundry

Differentiate between an on-premise laundry and an off-site laundry:
Know the advantages and disadvantages of having an OPL
Know the advantages and disadvantages of using an off-site laundry
Decide which one to use.

Identify the equipment that may be found in an on-premise laundry:

Identify equipment used in the laundry process
Identify equipment used in the dry cleaning process
Identify miscellaneous equipment needed.

Identify the cleaning agents used in an on-premise laundry:

Understand the types of laundry chemicals and their uses
Understand the role of water in the laundry process

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Know the safety handling procedures

Understand the types of dry cleaning chemicals.

Identify the documentation that is used to monitor, control and charge for
items laundered:
Understand the guest laundry charging procedures
Understand laundry charging procedures.

Identify all linen items that may be laundered in an on-premise laundry:

Identify house linen
Identify restaurant linen
Identify guest clothing and uniforms
Identify special needs items.

Describe the roles of all staff employed in an on-premise laundry:

Understand the different job titles and their responsibilities.

Identify different types of laundry services:

Understand the on-premise laundry
Understand the role of an off-site laundry
Understand the need for hired linen.
Collect laundry for laundering
Pick-up guest clothes in accordance with enterprise requirements
Introduction
When a guest makes a request for guest laundry and dry cleaning service,
the guest will usually ring either Housekeeping, Reception, the laundry or

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the porter. Every hotel must have a defined procedure for the collection of
guest laundry and all relevant staff must be aware of this procedure so that
the service is seamless.
It is not uncommon in hotels for the waiter who delivers the room service
breakfast to be handed laundry by the guest. The waiter must also know
how to handle this situation.
It is common practise, for example, that guests will hand in laundry for
processing the night before to the night porter or to Reception when the
laundry or Housekeeping is closed. It is absolutely imperative that these
laundry items are delivered to the correct location the following morning
so that they may be processed. It is not uncommon for the night porter to
go off duty and overlook these items and Housekeeping will receive a call
the next evening from the guest to say he has not had his laundry returned.
After a thorough search of all areas, the unwashed laundry is then found at
the porter‟s desk, causing inconvenience to the guest and embarrassment
for the hotel for the lapse in service!

Answering the telephone

Always answer the telephone in line with your hotel‟s procedures using
the correct phrases and the guest name wherever possible:
Always greet the guest with a pleasant voice.(“Good morning Mr Jones”)

Always identify the department and yourself (“Laundry

department, Mary speaking”)

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Advise the guest of when the items will be collected. (“John will be along
shortly to collect your items Mr Jones – please leave them on the bed if
you are leaving the hotel”)

Answer any questions that the guest may have in relation to the service
e.g. “What time will my laundry be returned?” or “Is it possible to have
the zip replaced on my trousers?”

Have a thorough knowledge of the services that are available to the guest
(a two hour pressing service, for example, may incur a surcharge).

If collecting items from the guest‟s room:

Always knock on the door (or ring the bell) and identify yourself (the
guest may be undressed early in the morning)

Knock again before entering the room. As you enter the room, always
identify yourself in a loud and clear voice (“Good morning, laundry
service”)

Collect the items quickly and leave the room making sure

the door is locked

Cross or tick off the room number on your collection list

Check in each of the bags that there is a completed laundry docket and
secure the bag closed so no items can fall out

If the guest has not completed a laundry docket, write the room
number/name on the outside of the bag to identify where it came from

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Place the bags in your trolley for delivery to either the in-house laundry or
the point of collection.

In other hotels the linen may have to be collected manually from each
floor and packaged into trolleys or bags and then transported to the
laundry via lifts and corridors

In widespread hotels as on some island resorts, transport of linen may be

by way of a buggy to which trolleys are attached. This circulates across
the property, collecting and delivering linen to the maids‟ stations several
times throughout the day

Restaurant staff may also deliver soiled table linen directly to the laundry
in trolleys and bags

In some hotels there may also be a separate linen room from where all
soiled linen is received and counted and from where clean linen is issued.
In this case all clean linen is returned to this location from the laundry for
re-issuing of the same quantities back to the guest floors and restaurants.
Methods of Managing Linen Stock
There are essentially three different methods of managing linen stock
when there is an on-site laundry;-.
a) 1 for 1

b) Top up system

c) Requisitioning system

1 for 1

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Each floor or restaurant is issued with an agreed par level of linen. With
this system, all items are exchanged clean for dirty. e.g. If the restaurant
uses 200 napkins then 200 clean napkins will be returned

In some hotels, for example, guest room floor pantries are set with correct
par levels for that particular floor. As room attendants remove soiled linen
from each room, they count the linen. These quantities are recorded on
their work sheet next to each room number

At the end of the day, the quantities are totalled and checked by the
Housekeeping supervisor and sent to the linen room or laundry for
replacement in exact quantities

onto these floors e.g. If the room attendants on the 43rd floor use:

46 Queen sheets

48 pillow cases

36 bath towels

29 hand towels

52 face washers

24 bathmats

12 bathrobes.

Then this will be the amount that is replaced in to the floor pantry on the
43rd floor.
Top up system

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This is a system where no par levels are established so stock levels are just
"topped up" daily

This may lead to overstocking of items and uncontrolled costs. It may also
lead to extreme shortages of linen because there is essentially little or no
control over the linen. One restaurant may be short of linen whilst others
may have a stockpile. Similarly one guest floor may have excess of one
item such as bath towels where another floor has none.

e.g. Room attendants use linen and rely on laundry or housekeeping staff
to replenish the stock.
Requisitioning system
This is a system where the hotel keeps a stock of linen items in the linen
room. Each restaurant will requisition only what they need on
www.eventlinen.com.au on a daily basis. If the hotel does not have the
required stock, they may need to arrange temporary hire of some items
from an outside company.

Perform laundering functions

Sort items lodged for laundering
How is linen sorted?
Linen is usually sorted as follows:
Dry soiled linen is easier and quicker to sort than damp linen as linen that
has been washed may become twisted in the wash

All linens must be sorted by fibre type. Sheets and tablecloths may be
constructed of 100% cotton, or a polyester/cotton blend or 100% linen

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fibre. Tablecloths may also be constructed of 100% polyester. Sorting by

fibre type helps to expedite

production by washing all same items together

Linen must also be sorted by the degree of soiling. Kitchen cleaning

cloths, for example, will be much greasier than those used by
Housekeeping staff to clean the rooms. As such they will need to be
washed separately with a much harsher wash formula

Coloured linens are sorted separately from white linens

It is necessary to open out linen to ensure there is no waste within it that

may get into the washing machine. Shaking, however, should be kept to a
minimum so airborne bacteria will not be dispersed into the atmosphere

Linen used in hotels is often referred to as "flatwork” as most of it is

finished on a

flatwork ironer.

Items are sorted in to the following categories:

Sheeting. When sorting through sheets and pillow cases, it is not
uncommon to find soiled tissues, or guest clothing (usually nightwear)
removed in error by the room attendant when stripping the bed. On
occasions pillows may be inadvertently wrapped up in sheets and
children‟s soft toys may also be found. It is important that these items be
removed from the linen before washing, noted and returned to the client at
the end of the day .In the case of nightwear

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being found, this should be laundered separately as a courtesy before

being returned
Pillowcases. These must be separated from sheets as they are washed
separately .It is much easier to separate them when dry. If they are washed
with sheets, they will get twisted in the final extraction and will be much
more difficult to sort. This wastes time and slows down production
Duvet covers These need to be sorted from the sheets as they are also
processed differently

Towels. These will need to be sorted from sheets as they are washed on a
different wash cycle because of fibre type and degree of soiling. In a hotel
environment towels are usually more heavily soiled than sheeting. Items
found mixed with towels may include soap and tissues and these all need
to be removed prior to washing

Whilst all sizes of towelling can be washed in the same wash cycle (bath
towels, hand towels etc.) white towels should always be washed
separately from coloured towels

Coloured towels. Sometimes if there is a spa area, massage rooms or

hairdresser within the hotel, coloured towels are used. These may be
heavily soaked in massage oils or hair dye and must be washed separately.
Coloured towels will always fade over

a period of time

Bathrobes. These will need to have the belts removed before washing
otherwise they may get tangled in the wash causing damage to the belt
loops on the robes. If there are pockets in the bathrobes, these will also

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need to be checked for guests' personal items or old tissues etc. Bathrobe
belts will be placed into a mesh laundry bag before being placed in the
machine

Table linen. This must be sorted to remove food scraps, cigarette butts,
cutlery and sometimes even pieces of

crockery! Cutlery that circulates in a washing machine may cause

extensive damage to the mechanics of the machine and may necessitate
the machine being out of service for an extended period due to repairs. It
may also cut and damage the linen that is being washed. This will add
pressure to the laundry operation if a machine has

to be placed out of service

White table linen must be sorted from coloured table linen to prevent dye
runs

Sometimes in hotels that have a high volume of functions and events,

coloured paper napkins may be used alongside white linen napkins to
create a certain ambience .It is absolutely essential that these be removed
prior to washing .One red paper napkin overlooked can cause a whole
wash load of white linen to turn pink! This pink wash load will then need
to be rewashed with stronger chemicals

to remove the pink tint. This will add cost and time pressures to the
processing of linen. The necessary rewash of these items will require large
amounts of bleach at high temperatures. This wash formula may damage
this linen

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When an excess of these items are found regularly in table linen , this
must be reported to the client or restaurant manager for their action and
follow up in

order to eliminate this practice

Tea towels. Those from the kitchen should be washed separately than
those from the guest rooms and bar areas due to the grease content. It is
recommended to have different colours for different areas of a hotel a) for
identification and b) to reduce cross contamination. For example, a greasy
tea towel used by kitchen staff will leave smears on polished glasses!

Cleaning cloths and mops. All hospitality operations require cleaning

and so will have a supply of cleaning cloths and mops .These may require
laundering daily. Kitchen cloths should always be laundered separately
from those of Housekeeping due to having higher levels of grease and fat
contained within. Where colour coded mops are used for Housekeeping
and Kitchen areas, these must also be washed

separately.

The most common stains found on bed and bath linen are:
Perspiration

Hair oils

Body lotions

Cosmetics

All body fluids.

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Special note regarding body fluids

If bed and bath linen are found with large amounts of blood, faeces, vomit
or urine, this linen should always be treated as potentially infectious linen.
This linen should always be kept separate from other lightly soiled linen.
The room attendant or cleaner should wear rubber gloves when handling
such linen. Solids should be flushed from the linen wherever possible
prior to sending to the laundry. This linen should then be placed directly
into a soluble bag which is a heavy duty polythene bag which is usually
red in colour and tied with its own soluble tie. These bags can be placed
directly into the washing machines and are designed to dissolve in water.
Where blood is present the water temperature should be low as hot water
will set the stain. This will then require additional special treatment before
rewash. The red bags alert laundry staff of potentially infectious linen and
reduce its handling. The bags are designed to dissolve from the outside on
contact with water in the first flush of the wash cycle.
The most common stains found on table linen are:
Red wine

Coffee and tea

Lipstick (on napkins)

Food colourings and food residue

Salad dressings and butter.

How are clothes and uniforms sorted?

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Once items have been received, checked for quantity and marked per each
guest, they are then sorted in to categories for processing .It is important
that all care labels on all garments be read when doing so.
Categories for sorting
Items are sorted for:
Washing

Dry cleaning

Press only.

Washing
Items for washing are then sorted into:
Whites

Colours

Dark colours

Delicate items.

Dry cleaning
Items for dry cleaning are then sorted into:
Light colours

Dark colours

Lighter weight

Heavier weight.

Fabric care labels

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Most garments worldwide have care labels which are sewn into the
garment. In some countries, this is mandatory but in other countries the
care instructions may be simply written on a paper tag attached to the
garment when purchased. This tag is removed when worn never to be seen
again.
As many hotel guests are from overseas countries, the origin of garments
may never be known. This presents a problem to the dry cleaner to try to
establish what type of fabric he is dealing with
Most developed countries have adopted symbols as per the table below:
Washing guest items
Similar to the wash room, guest items should be weighed before being
placed into the washing or dry cleaning machines so that machines can
operate at maximum capacity through not under or overloading.
Count items lodged for laundering
Introduction
Guest laundry and dry cleaning items are counted when received at the
sorting stage. Linen items that are received into the laundry are counted at
the finishing stage. The finishing process involves ironing, folding and
packaging.
Counting guest laundry items
When guest laundry bags are delivered to the laundry, the quantities of
items in each bag are checked and compared to the quantities that the
guest has itemised. On occasions, the guest may miss items or written the
incorrect quantity. The hotel‟s count must be taken as final and this is
usually stated on the guest laundry docket.

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These quantities are marked as checked and in many hotels the sorter will
also write the colour of each shirt or trousers on the docket .This will help
later after the laundry process in the matching of washed items back to
each guest.
All guest items are checked for damage and for items left in pockets or
pinned to the lapel. These items must be removed and stored for safe
keeping before returning to the guest later in the day. If a biro is
overlooked in a pocket, for example, this can damage the whole wash load
of garments creating additional work to restore all the garments and may
lead to financial claims against the hotel for damage and negligence.
Guest items are then marked by tags or tape and then sorted into the
categories for washing or dry cleaning.
Counting staff uniforms
Staff uniforms are usually identified either by each staff member‟s name
or number or by department and size. This will vary from property to
property and the method used will be influenced by the quantities of
uniforms and the system of issue that the hotel employs.
Staff uniforms are counted by the laundry and sorted into different
categories for washing or dry cleaning .These records are kept for internal
cost analysis.
Where staff uniforms are processed in the hotel laundry, priority will
always be given to the guest items due to the revenue it produces and the
service ethic.
Counting linen items
Linen items are not usually counted when soiled. The exception to this
would possibly be in a laundry where there are no scales for weighing

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linen prior to washing. In this case it is important to know the approximate

weight of each item so that the washing machines are not overloaded e.g.
if a pillow case weighs 200 grams and the washing machine takes 50 kgs.
of linen, then 250 pillow cases would need to be counted to fill the
machine:
Most counting is done in the finishing area – i.e. at the flatwork ironer and
towel
folders
Before processing each type of item on the flatwork ironer, the counter on
the folding machine is turned back to zero
As items are ironed and folded, the counters record quantities processed
These quantities must then be manually recorded on an internal record
sheet kept at the end of each machine
Similarly on the towel folder the counter is used
At the end of the working day, all records from both the towel folders and
flatwork ironers are then either totalled and then posted to a computer so
that production records are kept. This will help with cost analysis at a later
stage.

In the case of an external laundry:

If using an external laundry, the production records are posted to a
computer which will then produce a delivery docket/invoice which is
forwarded to the customer along with the clean processed linen

Any items that are not returned to the customer due to rewash should be
duly noted

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These delivery dockets are attached to the trolleys for transportation to the
customer

The customer should check that the delivery docket matches what is
delivered and report shortages as soon as practicable.

Assess stains on items

Introduction
The most common types of stains found on guests clothing and uniforms
are:
Food stains

Oils and fats

Ink

Perspiration

Blood and body fluids

Cosmetic stains

Food colourings and dyes.

Identifying stains
It is important to try and establish what each stain is and treat accordingly.
An experienced dry cleaner will be able to recognise many common stains
and treat them easily. Some stains may be a combination of products and
so may require several treatments. Many stains can be identified by
appearance or smell.
Stains can be:

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Water soluble (salt and sugar)

Solvent soluble (oils and fats)

Insoluble (clay, carbon, sand)

A dye. Many foods and soft drinks have colourings added and in many
cases the dry cleaner is faced with the challenge of removing localised
colour from a garment whilst retaining the colour of the body of the fabric

Chemicals (nail polish, paints, inks).

Spot clean stains as required
Introduction
Anybody who attempts the pre-spotting of clothes and uniforms must be
qualified. It is absolutely essential that this person has a thorough
knowledge of fibres and fabrics and stain removal techniques.
Pre-spotting is carried out on the spotting table
Pre-spotting chemicals used on the spotting table usually include the
following:
Ink remover (for wet and dry ink)

Protein remover (for blood, faeces, egg, milk, perspiration and soil stains
on collars)

Paint , oil and grease remover (for paint, lipsticks, oils and greases)

Rust remover (for residual blood stains)

Tannin remover (for coffee, tea, red wine and some fruit juices)

All-purpose spot remover (for general light soiling stains).

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Spotting chemicals are all kept in individual small bottles with a pouring
spout. These bottles must always be correctly labelled. To not do so may
result in unintentional damage to garments. They are placed on the side of
the spotting table along with spatulas and spotting (or tamping) brushes
for easy access. The spatula is to break up any solids and the brush is used
to loosen stains by tamping. Tamping is the gentle massaging of fibres
rather than a vigorous scrubbing motion. If the scrubbing motion is too
heavy, this could break some fibres and cause damage to the garments.
Most chemical companies who provide spotting board chemicals will also
provide a stain removal guide chart which can be pinned to the wall for
easy reference:
Before using any of the spotting chemicals, it is always wise to see if the
steam gun
will flush the stain from the fabric first
Place a white towel (never coloured) under the garment at the edge of the
spotting table The steam gun which is attached to the spotting table is held
above the fabric at an angle of approximately 90 degrees and steam is
applied directly to the stain
If the stain is removed the garment can then be dried with air through the
steam gun
If the stain is not removed, then spotting
chemicals may be used. You must follow the guidelines set down by the
dry cleaning manager in conjunction with the chemical supplier. To use
the wrong chemicals may cause damage to garments which will then have
to be replaced at cost

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The spotting agent is applied to the stain and gentle "tamping" will take
place. The stain is then flushed with steam
Garments must be dried before being placed in to the dry cleaning
machines. This is done by the application of air through the steam gun.
Identify appropriate cleaning method for items
Introduction
All items in a laundry and dry cleaning environment will either be washed
or dry cleaned. Experienced laundry hands and dry cleaners will be able to
recognise different fabrics and know immediately how they should be
treated.
Whilst garments may be pre-spotted, linens will usually be washed and
checked for stains after washing. Stained linen may then need to be
soaked or rewashed using a different wash formula specifically for stain
removal.
As previously mentioned, all garments should be washed or dry cleaned as
per the care label.
Some fabrics will be washed on a low temperature whilst others will be
washed in hot water. Similarly other fabrics must never be bleached and
others must be pressed at a very low temperature. A good knowledge of
fibres and fabrics is essential in the laundry process. A hot iron for
example will melt some synthetic fibres.
If a staff member is unsure as to what the fibre is there are some “burn
tests” that can be used where ash residue will help to identify the fibre
.This must only be carried out by an experienced person. However in a
hotel environment, this is not always possible!

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If unsure how to treat certain garments it may be better not to wash or dry
clean them to avoid a compensation claim. You will, however, need to
advise the guest of this.
Garments with leather trim, fancy buttons or sequins, for example, may be
damaged in the normal cleaning process. Buttons and sequins may melt in
the dry cleaning fluid. These are just some examples of what you should
be aware of.
The washing process
The washing of linens and garments will be done in different types and
sizes of washing machines. For example, you would not wash eight shirts
in an 80 kg washing machine nor would you wash 500 sheets in a 5 kg
machine. The volume of soiled linen or clothes will determine which size
of machine to use.
A washing machine washes, rinses and extracts water in the final cycle.
Washing machines in a commercial laundry have the wash cycle
programmed in several ways:
Pre-programmed card reader. Where a washing machine uses the card
system there will be a different card for each item to be washed .The card
is made of a heavy duty plastic. There will be a different card to use when
washing white sheets than when washing red napkins for example, these
cards will be clearly marked as to which items they are to be used for.
These cards have a series of holes punched into them usually by the
chemical supplier who designs the wash
cycles according to the chemicals required. These cards are then inserted
into the card reader before switching on. These cards programme the
machine to call for different water levels at different temperatures and

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different chemicals at different times within the wash cycles. When towels
are washed, then the card marked" towels" will be used. These cards do
wear out so it is recommended to have several sets of cards for the same
wash cycles and a set of cards for each machine that uses the

Micro-processor. These are slowly replacing the cards discussed above.

The micro- processor is attached to the machine and is also usually
programmed by the chemical supplier for each item to be washed. It is
more efficient than a card reader but the operator must remember to punch
in the correct number assigned to each wash load prior to starting the
machine.

Some items may need to be dried in a tumble dryer whilst others are dried,
ironed and folded on an automatic flatwork ironer. Sheets, for example,
will be removed from the washing machine and go directly on to the
ironer.
Towels will need to be dried in the tumble dryer and then folded either by
hand or by a towel folding machine.
Cotton polyester garments, such as large quantities of staff uniforms, may
be placed on coat-hangers and then dried and pressed by passing through a
tunnel press.
When using any machine in the laundry, you must always follow the
manufacturer‟s instructions. Follow all safety precautions and never use a
machine you have not been trained to use.
Operate equipment to achieve intended cleaning result
Introduction

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During the course of your employment in the laundry you will be trained
to operate all kinds of machinery. It is important however never to use a
piece of equipment for which you have not been trained. This may lead to
damage to the machine, the linen it is processing and possible injury to
yourself.
The following are general procedures you should use when operating any
general laundry machinery:
Always check that the power is switched on before use and that all
utilities are connected (water, steam or gas) at the beginning of your shift

Always check that the machine is clean and empty before loading and that
nothing has been overlooked

since the last cycle

Always check the drains are clear (washing machines) and the lint trap has
been cleaned (in tumble dryers)

Check all switches are in working order and not broken

Check that all doors on washing machines and tumble dryers can be
locked

Always use the correct wash programme for the items you are washing

Make sure all chemical drums and pumps are in working order and there
are sufficient chemicals for the day

Always weigh wash loads according to the machines used wherever

possible so they operate at full capacity. Never overload or under load a

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washing machine or dryer. This practise will result in an inferior wash

result and may damage linens. It is also uneconomical

Never remove protective guards off machines. These are designed as a

safety feature if something malfunctions

Always use the ironer at the correct speed and temperature for the items
being ironed. A temperature that is too low or an ironer that is too slow
will not dry or iron items correctly. They may need to be passed again
through the machine which will slow down the whole finishing process

Never use the ironer if there are damaged tapes or belts. Report this
immediately so that they may be repaired promptly

Always use the safety functions on hot presses and make sure all press
pads are clean and in good repair

Report any items that malfunction to your supervisor and ask for
assistance if you are not sure

Never stand in water – always clean up spillages immediately

Always wear the correct protective equipment and clothing with which
you have been issued

Correctly follow all handling and usage instructions

for all chemicals.

Effect repairs as required

Introduction
Repairs to guest clothing

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When guest items are received, checked and sorted in the initial process it
may be noted that some garments may require minor repairs. Any items
that have been identified for minor repairs will be sent to the sewing
department after washing but prior to being pressed. Minor repairs include
the replacement of missing buttons and stitching hems and are usually
done free of charge.
If the guest requests that hems be shortened or zips replaced, then this
may be done but at an additional cost. The hotel should have a price list
for these alterations so that guests can be advised in advance of the
charges. Alterations should only be carried out by a qualified competent
seamstress as any damage incurred to garments may need to be replaced at
a cost to the hotel.
It is always wise to keep a stock of sewing threads, zips and buttons of
different colours and styles so these requests may be met.
Repairs to hotel linens
Large laundries may have access to their own sewing room where one or
several seamstresses work. There will need to be several different styles of
sewing machines such as a straight stitcher, a hemmer and an overlocker.
Where there is no sewing room the hotel may contract out their repairs for
a fee.
Depending on the damage to linen, it may be possible that some may be
repaired or remade. The standard of acceptable repair must be decided by
all relevant parties. What is an acceptable repair for a two star motel may
not be acceptable for a five star international hotel.
Examples of repairs:

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Where a large sheet is torn on the outer edge , the sheet may be repaired
by sewing as this part of the sheet will not be seen when the bed is made
as it will be tucked in

If damage to the sheet is closer to the centre, the remaining fabric can be
measured and possibly remade into a smaller sheet. For example, a king
size or a queen size sheet could be made into a single sheet

If a sheet is torn in the middle but the body of the fabric is still in good
condition, this may be remade into cot sheets for babies or into pillow
cases

Small holes on bed linen may be machine darned but it must be

determined how many darns is acceptable before the sheet is condemned
and taken out of service

Similarly, large towels can be remade into hand towels and face washers
by over-locking the edges

Old towels may have a line of coloured stitching sewn through one end
and be used for staff towels or in the hotel gymnasium

Large banquet tablecloths may be remade into smaller tablecloths or tray

mats

Condemned table cloths can be remade into chefs' aprons with the
addition of apron ties

Condemned sheeting may be remade into chefs' neckerchiefs

Whilst sewing is an option, some laundries choose to repair linen with

heat patches. These are white pieces of fabric that are applied over a hole

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and adhered by a heat machine .The end result is not as professional as

sewing but is a satisfactory option for many companies. This process can
also be used to mend some staff uniforms

Old mattress protectors can be cut and sewn and made in to oven cloths

All condemned and discarded linen could eventually be used for cleaning
cloths.
Condemning of linen
When linen is taken out of stock and discarded, it must be counted and
recorded. It is important on a monthly basis to know what has been
condemned so that replacement pieces can be placed into circulation to
maintain the par levels. If the laundry or hotel operates below par levels,
this will cause problems in meeting the requirements of the customers as
there will most definitely be shortages.
It is important that the laundry manager check the discarded linen
periodically to ensure that it is indeed not recoverable and is not being
discarded prematurely.
Condemned linen should be carefully counted and recorded every day and
monthly totals be given to the laundry manager for review.
Perform laundering functions
Sort items for laundering:
Sort linen into categories
Understand why linen needs to be sorted
Sort uniforms and guest clothes for different processes
Observe care labels.

Count items for laundering:

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Count guest items

Count staff uniforms
Count linen items.

Assess stains:
Identify different stains and their categories.

Spot clean stains as required:

Understand the need for pre-spotting
Recognise different spotting chemicals.

Identify appropriate cleaning method:

Recognise why different items need different processes.
Know the washing process.

Operate equipment to achieve intended cleaning result:

Follow general procedures and checks.

Effect repairs as required:

Repair guest clothing
Repair hotel linens
Recognise when linen needs to be condemned.
Check results of cleaning and take appropriate additional action, if
required
Introduction

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Once all garments and linen is clean, it is important to check that all
instructions have been followed.
This includes checking for:
Guest items:
Residual stains. If these are found prior to pressing then the items must be
returned for rewash or stain removal treatment. If stains cannot be
removed then it is wise to attach a card to the garment to this effect so that
the guest understands that every effort has been made to remove the stain
to no avail

Repairs. If guests have requested minor repairs and alterations, it is

important to check that these have been carried out and charged for
accordingly if necessary. Repairs are completed after cleaning but before
pressing or folding

Pressing. Check that all garments are well pressed with creases in the
correct place. For example, trousers that have two creases down the leg
look unsightly and will

result in guest complaints

Folding. If the guest has requested that items be folded, check this
procedure has been adhered to and that clothes are folded as per enterprise
procedures

Packaging. Some guests will request that shirts be hung on coat hangers
for easy transportation and again it is important to double check that all
instructions have been followed

Any shortcomings should be attended to before delivery back to the guest.

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Linen items:
Residual stains. Any linen found to be torn or stained should be sent back
either to the rewash section or to the repair section for further action.

On occasions, stains and tears are found by the operational department. If

this is the case, the items should be kept separate from all other linens so
that they may be treated accordingly and not just kept circulating.
Element 4: Process laundered items © ASEAN 2012 Trainee Manual
Launder linen and guests‟ clothes 59
Process internal records and billing instructions
Introduction
A successful well run laundry is a vital component to any hotel. Its overall
operation can affect the profitability of a hotel. Whilst it is a cost centre,
tight control must be maintained over all operating costs.
Guest laundry revenue
The income generated by processing guest clothes assists in off-setting
overall operating costs. An in-house laundry will never make a profit but
good washing procedures, which prolong the life of linen and the delivery
of an efficient guest service, will help reduce overheads.
As previously mentioned guest laundry and dry cleaning is charged per
item, tallied and posted to the guest folio on the computer either by
Reception, accounts or laundry staff.
Apportioning costs to other departments
The operating costs of the laundry must be apportioned to all operating
departments on a monthly basis. Each departmental manager must be

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aware of his/her operating costs and the purchase and laundering of all
linen, uniforms and soft furnishings is one of them.
The biggest cost will be borne by Housekeeping followed by the
individual restaurants and banqueting department. Departments that do
not use linen will be billed only for uniforms.
In the laundry internal records are kept of all washing quantities and items
processed.
Calculations are made based on all reports generated within the laundry
(usually at a cost per kilo.) For example, if the total laundry cost to
launder a kilo of linen equates to $4 and the restaurant has used a total of
3000 kilos this month, their total linen costs would equate to
$12,000.They can then calculate a unit cost per cover for each restaurant
patron. This knowledge will assist managers to control their linen usage
and reduce misuse as they alone are responsible for their costs.
The kilo cost can be extrapolated to a unit cost if required. This is only
necessary if processing other hotel goods and a price list is needed for this
business. The unit costs must also include a % profit margin.
Produce necessary internal laundry reports
Introduction
Whilst the operation of the laundry and dry cleaning plant is very
important, one of the vital daily tasks is to record and maintain records for
cost control purposes. All laundries‟ documentation programmes will be
different and will depend on the types of machines that are in use and the
type of items processed.
What internal records need to be kept?
The following are examples of the types of records that should be kept:

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Daily production records of all washing machines (How many kilograms

per day of each item is washed)

Daily production of all tumbler dryers

Daily production records of the flatwork ironer/folder

Daily production records of all folding machines (Quantities of all folded

items and their type)

Daily production records of all dry cleaning

machines (How many kilograms per day are dry cleaned)

Daily and monthly guest laundry and dry cleaning revenues

Monthly production records of all items processed (record of all items

washed and ironed)

Total monthly chemical cost (based on purchases and consumption)

Cost of chemical per kilogram of washed item

The percentage of rewash items (vital to know so that costs can be

controlled and procedures reviewed)

Preventative maintenance records of all machinery

Machinery repairs

Boiler service records

Water treatment records

Sewage , water and power costs

Chemical company's regular report(so action may be taken if necessary)

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Guests daily summary sheets

Invoicing

Staff rosters including sick days and holiday schedules with all relevant
administrative paperwork.

Payroll costs

Truck driver schedule and transport costs (petrol, truck servicing)

Condemned linen figures

Purchase orders for all goods purchased

Replacement stock put into circulation

Records of abused linen per customer or per department

Monthly stock takes of all miscellaneous supplies such as hangers, pins,

polymark tape, packaging materials

Record keeping and proper analysis of all records will assist in

determining if production can be improved in certain areas of the
operation. It will also assist in calculating profit margins and is a history
of expenses.
Prices charged for dry cleaning and laundry must demonstrate
competitiveness whilst maintaining profitability.
Deliver guest clothes to guests in accordance with enterprise
requirements
Introduction

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Once all guest clothes have been processed, packaged, checked for stains
and all the guests‟ instructions have been followed, the items must be
delivered back to the guest room.
Always follow your property‟s guidelines when delivering items back to
the guest room:
Always knock on the door (or ring the bell) and identify yourself (the
guest may be resting or working)

Knock again before entering the room. As you enter the room always
identify yourself in a loud and clear voice (“Good afternoon/evening,
laundry service”)

Check that the items you are about to deliver match the room number you
are in. It is easy to make an error in delivery, particularly if there are many
parcels for the same floor

Place the items in the room according to your property‟s guidelines and
leave the room making sure the door is locked. Folded laundry is usually
placed on the bed and clothes on hangers are placed in the wardrobe
leaving the wardrobe door slightly ajar so that the guest can see this

Cross or tick off the room number on your delivery list

If the room has a “Do not disturb” sign on, you may need to return later.
In some hotels, a card may be left under the door advising the guest that
an attempt was made to deliver his laundry and to call when he is ready
for delivery.

Deliver in-house items to departments in accordance with enterprise

requirements

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Introduction

Once all linen is processed, it needs to be available by the relevant

department for re-use.
Linen that has been folded, stacked and counted is usually either returned
to the operating department in several ways:
By delivery to the central linen room on trolleys from
where it is issued.

Wascomat Solid-mount W Model (above)

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Laundries and Dry-Cleaning Operations

Laundries and Dry-Cleaning Operations Commercial laundry operations

cover a range of applications from laundromats and apartment common
laundry-rooms to on-premises laundries for institutions and commercial
operations, such as hotels, nursing homes, hospitals, athletic facilities,
and prisons. Industrial laundries offer services for the same set of users
as on-premises operations, as well as uniform, diaper, and linen services.
Dry-cleaning establishments often have on-premises laundry equipment,
as well.
Clothes-washing equipment includes:
top-loading (now being phased out)
•front-loading
•tunnel washers
Methods considered to replace perchloroethylene dry-cleaning operations
include:
•supercritical carbon-dioxide technologies
•silicon-based compounds
•wet-cleaning methods similar to front-loading washers
Ways to reduce water consumption by conventional laundries vary from
the use of more efficient equipment to water recycling and ozone

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systems. For dry-cleaning operations, carbon-dioxide and silicon-based

technologies nearly eliminate water use as compared with the alternative
of wet cleaning.

in EPACT 2005. This multi-load equipment is

basi-cally the same as used by commercial on-
premises and industrial laundries. Multi-load
equipment is designed with options for many
possible settings and cycles to accommodate a
range of washing requirements with large
variations in water use. The manufacturer or
equipment provider (route operator) must preset
the controls for the washing requirement prior to
installa-tion to avoid excessive water use.

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Speed Queen SWFT71 Front-load Laundromat

Washer

The manufacturers report that a large

percentage of multi-family laundry-room
equipment will continue to be of the
smaller, single-load soft-mount type that is
regulated.

Water use by multi-load machines

depends upon how the controls are
set. All multi-load washers can be
set to operate at a number of
cycles, including flush, wash,
bleach, rinse, scour, and sizing
cycles. Also, the water levels can
be set differently for each cycle, so
water use varies greatly depending
upon the setting.

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In a detailed study of actual operating laundromats in San Diego, California, in 2006, water
use for hori-zontal-axis machines after a retrofit ranged from 5.2 gallons per cubic foot to as
high as 12.1 gallons per cubic foot (Water Management, Inc., Western Policy Research,
Koeller and Company). This illustrates the critical need to specify that washers be preset to
meet the WF, which can be done by the factory or the route operator who leases the
equipment. This equipment can meet a 9.5 gallons per cubic foot water factor if set properly,
so it is important for the route operator to know the desired level of water use.

Horizontal-axis machines also reduce energy use, since these front-loaders reduce both hot-
and cold-water use. A survey of manufacturers shows that hot water comprises only about
25 percent of water used by laundromat equipment. Switching to horizontal-axis machines
does not change this ratio, but the reduction in overall water use — thus the gallons of hot
water per pound of laundry — can be reduced by 19 to 29 percent (Water Management, Inc.,
Western Policy Research, Koeller and Company).

On-Premises Laundries (OPL) use washer-extractors identical to the multi-load equipment

used in laundromats, except they have no coin boxes and can be much larger. Load
capacities range from 30 to as much as 800 pounds. Such washer-extractors are designed to
wash everything from relatively clean hotel towels and bedding to heavily soiled items
from nursing homes and commercial kitchens. All equipment in this category uses the
horizontal configuration and is, therefore, relatively efficient. Examples of OPL
applications include prisons, hotels, hospitals, athletic facilities, food and beverage
manufacturers, and uniform washing for businesses. Typical water use for washer-extractor
machines ranges from 2 to 4 gallons per pound of laundry washed. Because the items being
washed vary greatly, the equipment needs to be adjustable. A study done for the California
Urban Water Conservation Coun-cil (Riesenberger and Koeller, 2005) illustrates these
points. The tables following show the amount of laundry produced by each of the most
common OPL operations and laundry characteristics based upon degree of soiling.

On-Premises Laundry Production in Common Operations

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Type of Operation Pounds/Person/Day Pounds/Room/Day

Hospitals 25

Nursing Homes 25

Motels 23

Hotels 36

University Dorms 20

Jails 10

Prisons 12

After (Riesenberger and Koeller, 2005)

The level of soiling strongly influences the amount of water required, because of the
number of cycles needed to wash the items and water levels needed for each cycle. This is
illustrated in the following table:

in EPACT 2005. This multi-load equipment is

basi-cally the same as used by commercial on-
premises and industrial laundries. Multi-load
equipment is designed with options for many
possible settings and cycles to accommodate a
range of washing requirements with large
variations in water use. The manufacturer or
equipment provider (route operator) must preset
the controls for the washing requirement prior to
installa-tion to avoid excessive water use.

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Wascomat Solid-mount W Model

(above)

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Speed Queen SWFT71 Front-load Laundromat

Washer

The manufacturers report that a large percentage

of multi-family laundry-room equipment will
continue to be of the smaller, single-load soft-
mount type that is regulated.

Water use by multi-load machines

depends upon how the controls are
set. All multi-load washers can be
set to operate at a number of
cycles, including flush, wash,
bleach, rinse, scour, and sizing
cycles. Also, the water levels can
be set differently for each cycle, so
water use varies greatly depending
upon the setting.

Laundries and Dry-Cleaning Operations

In a detailed study of actual operating laundromats in San Diego, California, in 2006, water
use for hori-zontal-axis machines after a retrofit ranged from 5.2 gallons per cubic foot to as
high as 12.1 gallons per cubic foot (Water Management, Inc., Western Policy Research,
Koeller and Company). This illustrates the critical need to specify that washers be preset to

159
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meet the WF, which can be done by the factory or the route operator who leases the
equipment. This equipment can meet a 9.5 gallons per cubic foot water factor if set properly,
so it is important for the route operator to know the desired level of water use.

Horizontal-axis machines also reduce energy use, since these front-loaders reduce both hot-
and cold-water use. A survey of manufacturers shows that hot water comprises only about
25 percent of water used by laundromat equipment. Switching to horizontal-axis machines
does not change this ratio, but the reduction in overall water use — thus the gallons of hot
water per pound of laundry — can be reduced by 19 to 29 percent (Water Management, Inc.,
Western Policy Research, Koeller and Company).

On-Premises Laundries (OPL) use washer-extractors identical to the multi-load equipment

used in laundromats, except they have no coin boxes and can be much larger. Load
capacities range from 30 to as much as 800 pounds. Such washer-extractors are designed to
wash everything from relatively clean hotel towels and bedding to heavily soiled items
from nursing homes and commercial kitchens. All equipment in this category uses the
horizontal configuration and is, therefore, relatively efficient. Examples of OPL
applications include prisons, hotels, hospitals, athletic facilities, food and beverage
manufacturers, and uniform washing for businesses. Typical water use for washer-extractor
machines ranges from 2 to 4 gallons per pound of laundry washed. Because the items being
washed vary greatly, the equipment needs to be adjustable. A study done for the California
Urban Water Conservation Coun-cil (Riesenberger and Koeller, 2005) illustrates these
points. The tables following show the amount of laundry produced by each of the most
common OPL

The level of soiling strongly influences the amount of water required, because of the
number of cycles needed to wash the items and water levels needed for each cycle. This is
illustrated in the following table

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In a detailed study of actual operating laundromats in San Diego, California, in 2006, water
use for hori-zontal-axis machines after a retrofit ranged from 5.2 gallons per cubic foot to as
high as 12.1 gallons per cubic foot (Water Management, Inc., Western Policy Research,
Koeller and Company). This illustrates the critical need to specify that washers be preset to
meet the WF, which can be done by the factory or the route operator who leases the
equipment. This equipment can meet a 9.5 gallons per cubic foot water factor if set properly,
so it is important for the route operator to know the desired level of water use.

Horizontal-axis machines also reduce energy use, since these front-loaders reduce both hot-
and cold-water use. A survey of manufacturers shows that hot water comprises only about
25 percent of water used by laundromat equipment. Switching to horizontal-axis machines
does not change this ratio, but the reduction in overall water use — thus the gallons of hot
water per pound of laundry — can be reduced by 19 to 29 percent (Water Management, Inc.,
Western Policy Research, Koeller and Company).

oxygen molecules in the air, which comprise two oxygen atoms — O2.

The oxygen is passed through an electric field to produce ozone. Ozone is a powerful
oxidant that reacts with dirt and organic material to oxidize it. It is also an excellent
disinfectant and whitener that reacts with odors, stains, and other organic material in the
wash. Ozone is quickly converted back to oxygen gas in the washing process. Unlike ozone
in the upper atmosphere, it lasts for only a short time in laun-dry applications.

With ozone, water temperatures can be reduced, since it works best at around 80° F. This
significantly reduces energy use. It also allows for reduced use of detergents and
chemicals, so less rinsing is needed thus less water. Ozone systems work well on lightly
soiled clothes. For heavily soiled laundry, conven-tional wet methods with detergent and
hot water work best.

The following table presents results of actual tests conducted to evaluate three specific
types of equip-ment for water recycling and ozone. As these results show, the Aqua 360
system saved approximately one-third of the water and energy used, while the more
aggressive AquaRecycle system accomplished an 80 percent water savings and an energy

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savings of over 50 percent. Ozone systems fared less well on water savings, at only about
15 percent, but had a significant energy savings of about 75 percent.

Summary of Savings by Technology and

Wash Classification for a 400-Pound Braun Washer

Unit
Technology Soil “Before” Savings “After” Savings

Wate Btu/
Class Gal/lb Btu/lb r Energy Gal/lb Btu/lb Gal/lb lb

Aqua 360 Heavy 3.22 2570 36% 34% 1.15 1695 1.15 875

Mediu
Aqua 360 m 2.57 1990 32% 30% 0.88 1399 0.88 591

Aqua 360 Light 2.07 1798 36% 20% 0.74 1447 0.74 351

127
AquaRecycle Heavy 3.22 2570 84% 50% 2.7 1292 2.7 8

Mediu 114
AquaRecycle m 2.57 1990 70% 57% 1.97 849 1.97 1

AquaRecycle Light 2.02 1798 80% 51% 1.61 883 1.61 915

Mediu 148
Ozone m 2.57 1990 9% 75% 0.23 502 0.23 8

136
Ozone Light 2.02 1798 11% 76% 0.22 427 0.22 4

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Standardisation
However, industrialisation is also regimentation.

In the post-war period, the structure of the supplier level has changed
from a network of many specialised mom-and-dad-workshops, focusing
on one or a few elements in laundry processes, into consisting of a few
large turnkey manufacturers today, who are able to supply machines and
equipment to all the processes along the laundry process lines; from
sorting, through to packaging.

The demands on the suppliers have been sharpened. The competition

between them has forced larger and fewer units. As in other industries, the
global competi-tion between suppliers forced evolution in a single
direction, where no single man-ufacturer is allowed by its competitors to
stand out with a unique product, a special quality or a particular solution
developed. In an open, competitive system innova-tion and development
spread rapidly to all suppliers. The product ranges are stand-ardised and
the pressure on prices increased. The differences between the suppliers
level out and as a consequence, the development also levels out the
differences between the laundries.

THE LAUNDRY INDUSTRY TODAY

Competition

Today, the majority of laundries in the western world supply standard

products in standard qualities within standard lead times at standard
prices. The differences in the laundry productions have almost entirely
disappeared, and with them the dif-ferences in the the product range and
the service quality.

Price competition

That leaves the laundry with price and delivery reliability. And reliability
just has to be met. The laundry is left really with only one parameter of
competition, one han-dle to turn: the price.

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In order to reduce unit costs further and survive the increasing price
competition, laundries continue to accelerate the industrialisation and
specialisation further. The laundry operations keep getting bigger and
bigger and more and more specialised.

Depreciation cannot be ignored

Competitiveness comes at a price. Cost-wise, specialised production

equipment has an advantage over general solutions, but it is expensive to
acquire and depreciation is high. To be able to reach the low, competitive
unit cost requires large volumes. And since the production equipment is a
fixed cost, that cannot be laid off or re-cruited, the laundry has to have
large volumes all the time, both in the short and the long term.

In order to continue to keep volumes high, the laundry has to increase the
demand for its products, but it now only has the price to compete on. The
result is canni-balisation – the laundry has to lower its prices even further.
So, even if the laundry actually has taken great trouble and compromised a
number of earlier competitive parameters in order to reduce costs, the
pressure on costs remains high. Industri-alisation does not stop. In it, there
is a kind of a built-in self-reinforcing autonomy.

Economy of scale

One way to reduce costs further is to exploit economies of scale in purchasing,

administration, distribution, etc. In many western markets, where small and me-dium
independent laundries disappeared, acquired by or merged into large, multi

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Out of approx. 5,500 production units in the western countries, the

majority are located in Germany and the USA, which only to some degree
is consistent with the relative population sizes, cf. Figure 7 - Populations
below.

Figure 6 - The distribution of production units in the eastern world

The major part of the 18,500 production units in the eastern countries are
located in China. The localisation of laundries only to some degree is
consistent with the relative population sizes, cf. Figure 7 - Populations
below.

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China does not fit into the graph. With more than 1,351 mio. inhabitants
she dwarfs all other countries, so we have omitted China from from the
graph above.

In total, there are an estimated 24,000 heavy-duty laundry production

units glob-ally (i.e. laundry operations with a production volume of more
than 15 tons per week), which together wash some 33 million tons of
textiles annually.

In addition, at least some 65,000 professional laundries (units producing

less than 15 tons weekly) wash app. 21 million tons of textiles annually,
and a, albeit un-known, very large number of private household washing
machines.

The laundry groups

The concentration of production units in large corporations have, for

example, led to the two largest groups in Europe having more than 70
production sites and 13 European groups each having more than 10
production sites.

The U.S. has the largest group of more than 400 production sites and
34,000 em-ployees and a turnover of approx. 245 million € annually.
More than 20 American corporations each have more than 10 production
sites.

Typical industry numbers

A typical western laundry production unit turns over approx. €3 million

per year, with approx. 60 employees in the production (source: own
approximation).

The variable costs in the laundry average at approx. 70% of the turnover.
Depre-ciation costs in average approx. 5% (source: Jensen Group).

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In Europe alone, industrial laundries turn over approx. €10.7 billion

together and employ approx. 134,000 people (source: ETSA, year 2011-
numbers).

In the Western world, industrial laundries turn over some €15 billion
annually and employ approx. 350,000 employees (source: own
approximations).

Worldwide, the industrial laundries turn over approx. €25 billion and
employ some 1.1 million employees (source: own approximation).

The perspective

With increasing demands on hygiene and sanitation (e.g. hospitals,

nursing homes, food and pharmaceutical industries), increased leisure and
travel activities (e.g. shipping and hotels), increasing global
industrialisation (e.g. garments and textile production), the general
increase in activity in industrialised countries and general economic
development in developing countries, the market for industrial laundering
continues the steady growth it has experienced over the past several
decades. We know that rising living standards means increasing hygiene
standards, which re-quires more washing. Washing is a by-product of, or
rather a means to, higher living standards.

1.4.3 Stakeholders in the industry

Many of the companies and individuals who make up or are in contact

with the industry, have formed associations with different purposes on the
laundry side, supply side, the customer side and staff side.
THE LAUNDRY'S FUNCTION AND OBJECTIVE

With the soiled goods in the sorting area and an impatient market waiting
outside, the industrial laundry's primary function

Function and objective

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Historically, the laundry's function has always been its purpose: prepare
the work for reuse.

However the industrialisation has made the cost of running small

laundries, tied to a single customer, too high compared with the benefits
which can be gained by collecting and centralising the laundering from
more customers in one site. The simple equation that the more pieces to
spread the investments over, the better equipment you can afford to invest
in, has meant that the laundries have become larger and larger and they
have begun serving more and more customers. Washing clothes is no
longer only a matter of having clean clothes on the body. It has also
turned into a matter of economy on an industrial scale, for the customers
as well as for the laundries themselves.

The practical function of washing clothes has become a means to achieve

the eco-nomic objective of reducing costs and making money.

Throughout the 20th century, the economic advantages of centralising the

launder-ing and taking advantage of specialisation has become ever
increasing. The heavy laundry work and the falling laundering prices
enticed the households to send the clothes to the laundries. The
requirements for cleanliness grew. Laundries grew accordingly – until
household washing machines were so cheap and easy to operate, that they
spread from the wealthiest homes into all households. The 60s and 70s
drained the laundries of private household customers.

But the demands for cleanliness kept growing at a steady pace. Through
the ex-pansion of manufacturing, food processing, healthcare and tourism
industries, new

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Dry-cleaning

Clothes can however, be made ready for reuse in other ways than by
washing. During washing a dissolution and dispersion of contaminants in
water is taking place, but other liquids can also be used. Some fabrics even
require washing in water-free liquids, such as hydrocarbons – dry-cleaning
instead of washing – but the functional logic is the same. Many laundries
have supplemented their equip-ment with dry-cleaning machines and offer
dry-cleaning on par with washing.

Dry-cleaning can, in some cases, solve stain problems which washing

cannot. Whether the clothes are dry-cleaned or washed, the customer is
usually less con-cerned with the process, as long as the clothes come back
clean – at a low price. The techniques of, and the requirements for, dry-
cleaning is a chapter entirely in itself and will not be discussed further
here.

THE LAUNDRY CONDITIONS

Each splitting up of the laundry processes into sub-processes has been

done with the purpose of specialisation (to increase employee
productivity) or automation (to completely eliminate the need for manual
intervention). In the modern laundry, the clothes passthrough a series of
sequential process steps, which are all created to increase the quantity
produced per working or clock hour.

Automation and bottom line

Advanced industrial laundries are, as a consequence, characterised by a

high de-gree of mechanisation, automation and specialisation, and high
employee produc-tivity, while older laundries are characterised by manual
processes and low em-ployee productivity.

This is not to say that modern laundries automatically earn more money
than laun-dries with older technology. Automation in itself does not
necessarily translate to higher margins. When the automation is a
consequence of a market with large, stable and homogeneous volumes of
the textile categories and qualities that the laundry has specialised in, then

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the possibility for good earnings exists, however it still depends on market
prices.

Therefore, there are markets where automation is ill-suited, where the

quantities or categories vary strongly over the seasons. In other words,
earnings are a result of the laundry's capacity to meet market demands at
the price the market is willing to pay, and does not necessarily have to do
with the company's technological level. Laundry investment decisions are,
like in all other industries, depending on the return on the investment, the
ROI, that is the asset's ability, for as long as it is competitive, to return
tiation of the entire investment.

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Tear down the walls

Depending on the competitive situation, the laundry cannot free itself

from looking at its performance, as part of a working process with a
customer, causing both direct and derived costs for the customer. The
laundry does not just provide a piece of clothing on a cart in the courtyard
at the customer's site. The laundry is part of the customer's total business -
a part, the customer with good reason would choose not to include, if he is
given a better total alternative.

This is both a limitation, because it requires the laundry to take wider

considera-tions than just its own output, but it also offers the laundry a
number of options.

To deliver a product or a service that reduces the customers costs, not only
on the laundering, but maybe also on cost drivers, that are not at first
related to the laun-dry services, puts the laundry in a stronger competitive
position. New possibilities surface: rental care is just one, which has
improved the laundry's business eco-nomics and the customers cash
position, paid for by cost reductions on textile in-vestments (by the textile
supplier), by increases in the productivity (by the em-ployees), and by
reductions in the consumption of water (by the water supplier) and
chemicals (by the chemical supplier).

Looking at the effects

Example:

A hotel may choose to buy their own linen and let it be washed at the
laundry, which has advantages and disadvantages for both the hotel and
the laundry:

 the hotel has to invest a considerable sum in bed linen (a hotel

with 100 beds needs some 300 sets of bedding at maybe 25-30 €
per set, as a total approx. € 8,000. In return, it can choose the
designs that best fits into the hotel interior design,
 the laundry is let off investing in the bedding. In return it is
subject to the quality (durability and processing instructions),

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chosen by the customer. A large number of different textile

qualities in the laundry means small portions, many changes, more
rewash, more wasted time and more textile damage – i.e. high
operating costs.

Alternatively, the laundry could offer to invest in the bed linen and rent it
out to the hotel:
Planning

Internally in laundries the industrialisation has meant specialisation, more

people and more tasks. The risk of unpredictable production requirements,
bottlenecks, lack of supplies, goods congestion, allocation chaos and
missed deadlines has risen correspondingly.

At the same time, the outside competition has inexorably increased the
require-ments for low operating costs and forced the producers to justify
every decision financially. Today, even the smallest change counts.

This has created an internal efficiency pressure and an external price and
lead-time pressure, but this can be relieved by controlling the flow of
goods through the right planning methods, control of the production,
utilities consumption and opera-tor deployment.

With goods flow scheduling and synchronisation the laundry's operating

economy is kept in control, i.e. its variable or operating costs. Operating
economy and the bottom line is a direct result hereof. Somewhat
simplified, one could say that the industrialisation of production has
required a similar industrialisation of planning.

Important activities in a modern laundry's operation therefore include:

o coordination of the production with the market's demands

o dimensioning of capacities and stocks
o sizing and allocation of production buffers
o picking and prioritisation of batches for production
o planning of product flow routes through the laundry
o allocation of employees to workplaces

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o supply of consumption articles

o distribution of products

 and each of these activities covers features that are both labour- and
knowledge intensive.

Other activities in the laundry production

Finally, statistical purposes, wage and collective agreement systems,

public author-ities and industry associations may prompt additional
functions in the laundry, for example

6.weighing in
7.piece count at the pre-sorting station
8.piece count at each workstation
9.documentation of processes, qualities and hygiene
10. certification
11. surveying of supplies and
12. measurement of emissions and the administrative burden of
legislation

WHAT DOES AN INDUSTRIAL LAUNDRY PROCESS DO

Wherever you find a need to produce, rent, use or recycle textiles

in a larger scale, you will also find industrial laundries. The list of
textile categories is long. Where textiles are produced or used to
wear, for hygienic purposes, to protect, function-ally,
ornamentally in a larger scale - all these purposes can give rise to
an industrial laundry.

Textiles in all shapes and sizes

These are just a few examples of uses. You might probably be

able to come up with even more.

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Carrying Hygienic Protection Functional Orna- Production

mental
nightwear towels duvet covers sails curtains dying
underwea
r towel rolls pillowcases straps gobelins bleaching
Skirts washcloths sheets parachutes neck ties embossing
Socks bath mats barrier sheets flags bow ties finishing
operating table impregnatio
Gowns diapers covers rucksacks n
sleeping
petticoats handkerchiefs burial sheets bags
Trousers wash leathers shroud body bags
t-shirts dishtowels table cloths straitjackets
Shirts dishcloths table mats
Jerseys floor cloths napkins
Blouses mops carpets
Coats yarns mats
protective
Gloves masks upholstery
Scarfs caps blankets
uniforms hairnets shower curtains
Cloak smocks aprons
Cape
chasubles

Figure 8 - Textiles in all shades and sizes

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Laundry specialisation

The specialisation of laundries has centred on these textile types

and their treat-ment in the laundry production, which has created
concepts such as:

 flatwork laundries
 dust control mat laundries and
 garment (workwear) laundries

9.privately owned
10. textile rental (linen supplier)
11. produces more than 15 metric tons/week (heavy duty)
12. produces to stock (pool production)
13. supplies the cleaners you meet in hotels and health care facilities

The product range in LIL Inc.

With this knowledge in mind, one can identify the full range of products
that LIL Inc. should be able to handle. Without going through the entire
range, one can certainly point some important products out (somewhat
simplistically):

 white flat sheets 100% cotton (C)

 white transfer/drawsheet 100 C
 white stretcher sheets 100 C
 white incontinent (laminated or barrier) sheets
 bright duvet covers 50/50 polyester/cotton (P/C)
 coloured bedspreads 50/50 P/C
 bright pillowcases 50/50 P/C
 white face towels 30x30 cm 100 C

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 white hand towels 50x100 cm 100 C

 white bath towels 70x140 cm 100 C
 white smocks 50/50 P/C
 white smock dresses 50/50 P/C
 white tunics 50/50 P/C
 white trousers 50/50 P/C

In total there might be a product range of approx. 150 different textile

types, which the laundry washes for its two types of customers, hotels and
health care facilities.

The production in LIL Inc.

When the laundry is privately owned, we know that it has a bottom line
focused objective (i.e. it wants to maximise operation profits). Since the
laundry also rents out textiles, one of its business areas is the procurement
of textiles – it has been able to take production requirements into account
when selecting the textile prod-uct range (uniform, durable, light weight,
easily drained, and bleach friendly qual-ities). Finally, we know that it
produces more than 15 metric tons per week, which would indicate that it
washes in pool (produces to stock).

We have not yet dealt in detail with the production modes, but pool wash
means that the textiles supplied to each customer are so uniform that it
does not matter whether the customer gets the exact same piece returned
after washing. It might as well have been replaced by another, similar
piece.

The production mode has the effect, that all soiled textiles can be
collected in large pools in the sorting in and produced at will, while in the
meantime corresponding qualities and quantities of finished goods are
returned to the customer from stock. This eases the pressure on
production, but in turn requires large stock volumes.
The relationship between stock and production

It was indeed an important realisation (that stock sizes and time pressure
in a production are linked) that you should understand fully, because, as in
all other productions, the laundry process steps are interdependent. When

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stepping into the laundry, whether you are working in the laundry or are a
supplier to it, you need

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to know how the decisions and actions spread their effects into all
departments of the laundry.

Regardless which production you enter, the same applies: decisions taken
in the production have implications for the distribution and the stocks, and
vice versa.

LIL Inc.'s stock sizing

An example:

Learner's Industrial Laundry Inc. has a hotel customer with the capacity of
100 beds. Normally the laundry would book 300 sets of bedding for such
a hotel, i.e. 3 times the number of beds, for 1 set in use, 1 set in the wash
and 1 set in stock at the hotel.

But in reality, the stock depends upon the hotel's largest usage between 2
arbitrary and consecutive collections (Largest Usage Between Two
Collections, LUB2C or LUBTUC), which is dependent on the longest
interval between two collections (LIB2C). Longer time between two
collections (LIB2C) require larger stocks with the customer, and vice
versa. Greater variation in consumption between any two collections
(UBC) requires larger stocks with the customer, and vice versa.

Gross demand

The customer takes from the stocks until they run out, one textile category
after another. The ratio between the customer's average consumptions per
day and her stock sizes thus determines the longest possible time between
necessary supple-mentations per category. When all the laundry's
customers' demands are summed up for a day, the laundry gets the day's
gross demand, i.e. what is needed out there on a given day.

But the laundry already has some of the textiles stored in finished goods,
which may – in principle – be picked and delivered immediately. The
laundry doesn't have to produce these categories and volumes on that
given day.

You deliver your customers' gross demand, but if you wash in pool, you
don't pro-duce the gross demand.

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Net demand

You more or less produce the net demand, which is the difference between
gross demand and available finished goods. It is the net demand that is
going to weigh on the laundry production on any given day.

But the laundry would prefer to have a good correlation between the
production load and available capacities – otherwise it may end up
overloading the production one day, just to under-load it the next. So the
laundry might choose to produce more than net demand one day in order
to take the load of the production the next, and in this way even out the
production load over the week.

The balance between the flow of goods and capacities

The laundry wants a uniform production load each day, so the customer
collections should – ideally – result in a certain mix of categories and
volumes, which loads each process route through the laundry equal to the
route's capacities, which in practise is each route's bottle neck capacity.

You are, in other words, able to calculate an ideal mix of categories and
quantities (a product mix norm) from the laundry's process route
capacities, or rather a ratio between categories. This product mix norm,
which is a direct consequence of your capacities, should fit the market
your laundry operates in, in a way that allows you, in practise, to plan pick
up routes and times that suit your product capacities and level out your
flow of goods.

That is why the product mix norm has a considerable influence on the
planning of collections, deliveries and frequencies.

The distinction between programmes, categories and articles

The laundry will receive many pieces (articles) of each type of textile over
time. LIL Inc. is a pool laundry and owns the textiles so they choose to
mix the articles in the sorting in, regardless of the customer who supplied
them. It is an advantage in terms of load degrees, for the uniformity makes
it possible to combine portions of each category.

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Alternatively, customer-owned textiles would mean, that every article

would have to be labelled in order to be washed in a pool batch, or would
have to be washed in an entirely customer specific batch, separated from
other articles in the laundry – often resulting in small portions.

But if the goal is to work with as large batches as possible, could we not
just mix all articles in one big, universal category?

No, unfortunately not. The various textiles types cannot be treated the
same way throughout the laundry. An example: incontinence sheets have
to be fully dried and folded, while the ordinary flat sheets are pre-dried,
ironed and folded to get a qual-ity finish. They follow different process
routes down through the laundry.

And even if they had followed the same route, such as ordinary sheets and
draw sheets, they might not require identical treatment on the machines.
Draw sheets are, for example, washed with a stronger bleaching than
conventional flat sheets, and rolled more slowly, because of their density.
The machine programmes thus also have an influence on the
categorisation.

In other words we have to distinguish between:

 which may be processed alike)

pr
 article (the individual piece of linen)
category (a group of articles og
ramme (the
 machine setting adjusted to a specific category)

Trim the machines!

Which brings us back to the distinction between articles, categories and

pro-grammes: when should you open a new category or make a new
programme? With regard to the consumptions, each programme should be
carefully adjusted to the current category. No more and no less. For the

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same reason, a category con-sisting of several article types should be

divided into two or more, if this makes it possible to reduce the overall
operation cost. In this way machine trimming has a major impact on a
laundry's running costs and its categorisation. In a laundry, where all
machines are trimmed hard, there are usually more categories than in
laundries, which ignore or take trimming lightly.

It is worthwhile

It had of course been easier just to throw ordinary sheets and draw sheets
into the same category, and dispense enough bleach to make both article
types clean, and run the ironer line slow enough to dry both types, but
only few run a laundry for easy living. On the contrary - they do it to earn
money.

Bleach is a cost, and if the laundry is able to reduce the bleach

consumption, with-out jeopardising quality or running costs, it ought to do
so for more than one rea-son. Moreover bleach usually tears on the textile
fibres (and pollutes), so if you generally overdose bleach, the textiles wear
out faster and thereby increase the necessary textile investment, which in
itself is a cost far greater than the bleach. It is worthwhile to sort regular
bed sheets in one category and draw sheets in another, it is worthwhile to
setup a wash programme for each of the categories, and it is worthwhile to
adjust machines and dispense correctly. Machine trimming is altogether
worthwhile if you want to run a sound laundry. All economically sound
production starts off with precise machine trimmings.

And all machine trimming is adjusted to the categories so categories are

an in-escapable part of the trimming. The question here is: when should a
new category be opened? Example: Should pieces of the same article type
be sorted in a very dirty category and less dirty category in order to save
chemicals? It depends on the rewash.

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Trim the machines!

Which brings us back to the distinction between articles, categories and

pro-grammes: when should you open a new category or make a new
programme? With regard to the consumptions, each programme should be
carefully adjusted to the current category. No more and no less. For the
same reason, a category con-sisting of several article types should be
divided into two or more, if this makes it possible to reduce the overall
operation cost. In this way machine trimming has a major impact on a
laundry's running costs and its categorisation. In a laundry, where all
machines are trimmed hard, there are usually more categories than in
laundries, which ignore or take trimming lightly.

It is worthwhile

It had of course been easier just to throw ordinary sheets and draw sheets
into the same category, and dispense enough bleach to make both article
types clean, and run the ironer line slow enough to dry both types, but
only few run a laundry for easy living. On the contrary - they do it to earn
money.

Bleach is a cost, and if the laundry is able to reduce the bleach

consumption, with-out jeopardising quality or running costs, it ought to do
so for more than one rea-son. Moreover bleach usually tears on the textile
fibres (and pollutes), so if you generally overdose bleach, the textiles wear
out faster and thereby increase the necessary textile investment, which in
itself is a cost far greater than the bleach. It is worthwhile to sort regular
bed sheets in one category and draw sheets in another, it is worthwhile to
setup a wash programme for each of the categories, and it is worthwhile to
adjust machines and dispense correctly. Machine trimming is altogether
worthwhile if you want to run a sound laundry. All economically sound
production starts off with precise machine trimmings.

And all machine trimming is adjusted to the categories so categories are

an in-escapable part of the trimming. The question here is: when should a
new category be opened? Example: Should pieces of the same article type
be sorted in a very dirty category and less dirty category in order to save
chemicals? It depends on the rewash.

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Drying (pre- or full drying):

• the primary purpose of drying is to remove excess water so that the

post-treatment, i.e. downstream processing, can take place quickly
and in a good quality. Categories, which are folded immediately after
drying, e.g. terry tow-els and barrier sheets, are fully dried, and this
removes virtually all the resid-ual moisture. A full drying cycle
typically takes 15-25 minutes.
Other categories, such as tablecloths and flat sheets, are best
downstream processed with a certain residual moisture left. These
categories are pre-dried (pre-conditioned). A pre-drying typically
takes 1-8 minutes.

The tumble dryer's function is to lift the textiles and blow hot, dry
air through them. The airflow in the dryer is adjusted so that the
textiles do not fall down and lie on the bottom or are blown out
against the drum walls, but hovers in the middle of the drum, cf.
Figure 24 - Drying principle in tumble dryers; principle and in real
life,

• the treatment in the tumble dryer also often serves the purpose of
breaking up and separating the textiles. When the textiles come out
of the presses and washer-extractors the portions are most often
pressed so hard together, that they are difficult to separate by hand. A
compressed batch coming out of an extraction press is called a press
cake or cheese (firm, flat and round like a layer cake). The slow
rotation and the falls in the tumble dryer "hits" the press cake to
pieces so each piece of textile is made free in a few minutes. So,
although the residual moisture in reality need not be brought down
further in the dryer, a short cycle in the dryer is often necessary
anyway "to break the cake".

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STAIN REMOVAL

• A stain is defined as a discolouration brought about by contact with a

foreign substance which is difficult to remove. Like first-aid in an accident,
the treatment of stains requires immediate action which includes blotting,
grease absorbent, salt absorbent and often a cold water rinse.

• set of general rules given below for stain removal may serve as a
guideline.
Identify the stain


Deal with the stain as quickly as possible.

Remove excess staining material
 immediately.
Test the stain removal agent on an inconspicuous place.

Avoid hot water on an unknown stain.

Use simple methods before resorting to the
use of chemicals.
 agents first and then stronger ones.
Use milder
Repeated mild applications are better than one strong one.

Ensure that the stain removal agent has

been neutralized or washed away.

There are two major factors which are

responsible for ensuring correct stain removal. One is
the stain removal agent and the other is the method of
stain removal. It is important to select the right stain
removal agent which are friendly.

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• Among the many amenities provided by a hotel, one of them is

laundry service for the guest. It is an amenity which is essential in resort
hotels where guests are long-staying and prefer to travel light. Even if a full-
fledged laundry service is not available, at least some facility for ironing is
required as clothes get crumpled in packing. It is a source of revenue in
hotels and may serve as a means of preventing the guests from washing
clothes and hanging them out to dry in hotel guest rooms.
• Laundry service, including dry cleaning m a y b e normal (ordinary)
or urgent (express). The time gap between the collection and delivery is
dependent on whether the laundry is on-premises or off-premises.

CONCLUSION

The objective of this study is to identify current maintenance

trends and strategies in hotels and to find out the factors that
influence hotel operations. Presents a way in which technology can be
used to measure customer’s service in a way that can help to enhance
efficiencies and deals with how technology can add value to the
laundry and hospitality industries through enhanced laundry
management. RFID tagging of laundry items could help to point out
where troubles can originate in the laundry process and provide an
easy way for customers to problem on laundry items.
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