Blog

Got questions about best practices and efficiencies in hotel laundry? We’ve tackled a few of the common queries we receive from hotel staff and owners.

To Outsource, or Not to Outsource?

Outsourcing laundry is common practice and takes most of the work out of the laundry process. The pluses are that you don’t need a laundry facility on-site, and you can depend on the supplier for organisation. So if you don’t have the means to do laundry on-site, outsourcing is for you.

But thanks to improvements in laundry tech, taking laundry in-house has become a common choice in recent years.

“Overall, the quality of in-house laundry operations has gone up, simply because hotels, in general, are striving to provide a better level of service,” said Seth Willer, national sales manager for laundry equipment provider Continental Girbau. “They want to differentiate from others, and the guestroom bed is a great place to differentiate.”

The advantages to in-house laundry are better service, more control, and usually, reduced costs in the long run. A recurring payment to a laundry supplier can add up to cost more than the initial investment in laundry equipment.

Laundry Design and Planning

If you’re a new hotel, you’ll need to design and plan your laundry just like every other aspect of the facility. Thought should be put into your estimated laundry volume, how many machines you’ll need, what sort of flooring, water supply and ventilation needs you might have, and how much space you’ll need for it all.

That’s no simple task, which is why our Laundry Design & Installation service is popular amongst hotels.

If you’re currently operating laundry in-house, it may be worth considering improvements to existing plant and equipment. Better space usage, equipment maintenance and knowledge of how to wash what can all save you time and money.

Reduce Costs and Preserve Linens

Here are a few quick tips on low-cost methods for efficient laundry.

Washing Full Loads

Under-loaded machines use more water during washing. According to some hotel and laundry experts, this is a primary threat to efficiency in hotel laundry facilities. Be careful though, an overloaded your washing machine can shorten its lifespan and cause maintenance issues.

Proper Employee Training

It’s common in hotels for laundry duties to be bounced between heaps of employees. The result can be that nobody understands how to use equipment properly and efficiently. Joel Hommes, director, business development for laundry company Wash Cycle Laundry, has seen it firsthand.

“You have a lot of situations where workers in other areas of the hotel are tapped to go to the laundry department one day, and they won’t know all the nuances. Training and accreditation at the Association for Linen Management goes a long way.”

We’re Here to Help

The planning and investment that goes into laundry is often underestimated. If you need help, we’ve been supplying, designing and maintaining Australian laundry facilities for over 40 years.

Whether you’re looking for some well-informed advice or seeking to buy a commercial washing machine, give us a shout any time and we’re happy to help.