Selecting Appropriate Laundry Method

Select appropriate method to clean clothes according to the care label, fabric, style, degree of stain, etc.

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 recognize 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!

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 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 them

• 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.