by Kevin Marois


It’s what you don’t know that counts


“YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE CYCLE ON MY WASHER!” He was quite adamant. “The cycle is too long and it uses too much water. We never washed shirts that long before.” We had installed a new soft-mount washer and pro-


grammed it according to his detergent manufacturer’s recommendations. His old hard-mount machine only had four cycles on it – and one of those cycles was a rinse and spin. I explained that the detergent manufacturer had rec-


ommended the best way to utilize its product. He was using an enzyme detergent that required more time in the first wash. He also did not even know how much water it took to fill his machine, so how could he possi- bly know it was using more water?


LAUNDRY CHEMICALS HAVE CHANGED Detergent manufacturers spend a lot of time and effort to determine the optimum wash formula for their product. They want you to get the best results possible. Wouldn’t it be wise to listen to what they recommend? The problem is that today there is a multitude of


products that are each designed for a slightly different purpose. Many dry cleaners don’t comprehend that difference. They don’t understand surfactants, enzymes, sours, bleaches, alkalis or any of the chem- istry that occurs inside their washer. Enzyme detergents don’t rely on a strong alkali, but


they do need a longer wash cycle. Alkalis will react with body oils, but they need to be soured. Starch or sizing requires a lower water level. You need to understand many things to be able to program your washer properly. I’m not a laundry expert but I understand the princi-


ples. I understand the questions that should be asked when programming a machine. I also know how to program a washer in accordance with the detergent manufacturer’s recommendation. And I can recom- mend which products will work better to remove par- ticular soils. At present, some dry cleaners in Calgary are basing


their detergent selection on whether or not it is free. One of the household detergent manufacturers is giv- ing away free laundry pods. Some of our customers have stopped ordering professional-grade detergent until they use up the free detergent samples they received. (They are supposed to be giving them to their customers.) There are different detergents for different classifica-


tions of garments. Are you using the best detergent for the work you do? And does your wash cycle get the optimum cleaning performance from that detergent?


MACHINES HAVE CHANGED Laundry equipment has also changed. Newer washer/ extractors may have up to 99 cycles. You can control water level, water temperature, mechanical action, supply injection, extraction speed and duration. Differ- ent work classifications require different wash cycles. These new machines can be programmed to provide


you with the optimum wash for the work you do. It is possible to have up to nine supply injections signals.


Albert Jordan 28 FABRICARE CANADA July/August 2014


Different batch classifications may require different chemicals. Does your current machine give you that flexibility? You can also control the


extraction speed and duration. Today’s soft-mount machines can be programmed for 400 G- force extraction. That removes a significant amount of mois- ture. Comforters wi l l dry quickly, but your shirts may be too dry to press properly. What moisture content do


you want in your shirts? When did you last check it? Are you using a three-piece shirt unit and need 45% mois- ture content, or do you have a two-piece unit (with blown sleeves) and need 55% mois- ture so the sleeves look good? There is a whole range of


washer sizes and program- ming options. Your machine can be programmed in many different ways. What are you processing and what results do you expect?


GARMENTS HAVE CHANGED Garments have also changed drastically. Twenty years ago, you weren’t washing shirts that were blends of silk, rayon and maybe even elastin. You didn’t have dye bleeding prob- lems or shirts that were labelled ‘Cool iron, do not


starch’. Even the buttons on shirts are now a problem. There is a wide variety of


garments to be processed now. Are you able to process each of them in a cycle that is appropriate? Cleaners have to check care labels. If you don’t follow the instructions on the care label, you may be liable if there is a problem. The work you process has changed. So how are you handling this variety of work? I’m glad that you are telling


me that you want to change your wash cycle, but do you really know what you are talk- ing about? Do you understand what happens when that gar- ment goes into your washer? Before we can make some


programming changes, you need to tell me about the gar- ments you will be washing. Tell me about the soils that are on those garments. Tell me about the detergent you have chosen and the equipment you will be using to process these garments. Once we have cov- ered all those things, we can begin to discuss the steps in your wash formula. So tell me. How would you


l ike your washer pro- grammed? 


Kevin Marois is president of Integrity Mechanical Inc. in Calgary, AB. imi@telus.net.


CANADIAN LINEN AND UNIFORM SERVICE announces the appointment of Tom Kozelj to the position of General Manager at its Vancouver branch. In this position he will have fiscal and operational oversight for the entire branch and aff i l iated service centres.


Tom Kozelj James Priest


JENSEN USA INC. has appointed James Priest to the role of Production Manager. Although new to Jensen, James has over 10 years’ experience in a manufacturing environment.


OBITUARIES IVAN RODD passed away on June 7. He was the


owner of Lindsay Dry Cleaners. He leaves his wife Ruby, four children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was an active and well- admired member of the dry cleaning industry.


Ivan Rodd


ALBERT JORDAN passed away on May 5. He was an executive of Sanitone and managed its spin-off organization Fabritec International. He bought Fabritec in 1980 and guided it to interna- tional success. He is survived by his wife Marcia, three children, six grandchildren and two great- grandchildren.


CONGRATS


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