Three Green Initiatives for Your Industrial Laundry Business
Utility bills creep up. Cycle times stretch. Finishing gets backed up. In on-premises laundry facilities like long-term care communities, firehouses and hotels, the laundry room is part of daily service and there isn’t much room for rework or wasted utilities.
In an industrial laundry business, “going green” may mean tightening the process: Using the right amount of water, extracting more before drying and setting clear standards that your team can repeat. The ideas below focus on the day-to-day moves that can drive the biggest swings, plus a few places where industrial laundry technology can help keep settings consistent across shifts.
Reduce Water Use in Your On-premises Laundry.
Conserving water is part of being a good steward and in the industrial laundry business, it can also help your day-to-day operations. Washer-extractors designed to use less water per cycle can help reduce utility use and shorten fill times, which may also tighten cycle timing. Depending on your workflow, that can support steadier throughput and scheduling with fewer last-minute staffing adjustments.
Enlist High G-Force Laundry Technology.
An effective way to remove water from wash loads is to spin at a higher G-Force. Investing in ultra-high extraction machines rated at 400 G-Force (versus 100 or 200 G-Force) may help lessen dry times and reduce facility energy use*.
End Over-drying with OPTidry™ Moisture-sensing Laundry Technology.
Opting for UniMac® OPTidry laundry technology can help measure moisture levels and stop drying at the preset level, which may help reduce utility costs and time*. Another benefit can be reduced wear on linens. Dryer lint comes from the goods being dried, so less over-drying may help your textiles last longer and support more predictable replacement planning.
Bonus Tip: Be Sure to Select the Correct Cycles
Not all loads are created equal. If your staff is sorting by item and soil level, they should also be using the prescribed cycles for those items.
Wrong cycles may translate into higher costs for your operation. For instance, if your staff washes a light-soil load using a cycle programmed for heavier loads, you may be using unnecessary pre-washes, rinses and extra washes plus more chemicals and time. User-friendly controls and industrial/laundry technology like UniLinc™ Touch can help curb this operational misstep and keep your facility running efficiently.
Simplify Your Industrial Laundry Business Standards
The most sustainable improvements are the ones your team can repeat on a busy day. Pick one change, document the results and revisit your utility use and cycle timing after a few weeks to confirm the updated process is working well for your team.
*Depending on load type, equipment mix, utility rates and control settings.
