Laundry quality issues? We have answers
Whether your laundry is supporting a hospitality property, salons/spa, or something else, quality is your primary goal. As you probably already know, that quality doesn’t just happen. Similarly, poor finished quality is no accident either. Seemingly “minor” missteps along the way can lead to major quality fails. Let’s look at some common quality issues and their likely causes.
Stains. Nothing will spark poor online reviews for a hotel or spa quicker than stained linen. If this is an issue in your operation, a small tweak can correct it. Linens need to be separated by type and soil level. Simply put, linens that have heavy staining require a more aggressive wash formula. Make sure your staff understand this, sort linens properly, and select the correct cycle for the soil level.
Rough feel. We all love those fluffy hotel towels and spa robes…until they are anything but fluffy and soft. Linens that make it to the floor and feel rough likely were not adequately rinsed, and have residual chemicals left in them. When these items are dried, those chemicals are baked in. Thus, the rough feel. Attack this quality issue on two fronts – first, work with your chemical company to ensure proper dosing for the load sizes; second make sure staff is not rapid advancing or shorting the rinse cycle. You may also want to consider a washer-extractor with OPTispray – an advanced jet spray rinse feature that removes more chemicals than bath rinses. Finally work with your chemical company to add a cycle that will open back up those fibers with baked in chemicals.
Bed sheets that feel “warm.” If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ve likely had a stay where the sheets didn’t feel cool. It definitely makes for a crummy night’s sleep. The culprit? See above. Chemicals were not adequately rinsed and got baked in, either in the dryer or the ironer.
Wrinkles. Your processes are all dialed in, but staff is seeing things looking wrinkled. Let’s face it, if that’s the first thing you see, are you questioning how clean the linens are? Wrinkles are set when linens are left sitting too long in the washer or dryer. Correct this by training staff to not let loads sit in washer-extractors or tumble dryers. Tumblers that have an anti-wrinkle feature can help as well, by turning at preset intervals if the door isn’t opened after a cycle is completed. If you don’t have an ironer, you may want to consider adding one.
Thread-bare linens. You have towels or other linens that you are ragging out or thinning too fast? The likely culprits are your dryer and staff. The lint that you empty from tumblers doesn’t magically appear; it’s coming from your linens. Over-drying, or drying loads past the optimum dryness level leads to them wearing out faster. Consider tumblers with our OPTidry feature, which eliminates over-drying with a cutting-edge moisture sensing system.
The time to address quality lapses is when you see them. With some tweaks to processes and staff reminders, your laundry can ensure a quality finish every day.
