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Examining how you can find cost savings within your care home laundry


As care homes continue to grapple with financial challenges amid the current economic climate, an examination of laundry processes can reveal substantial opportunities for cost reduction. Amanda Symmons, care expert at WASHCO, looks into how reviewing all facets of your laundry operations can lead to significant financial benefits


In an era where the cost of living poses considerable challenges, care homes across the UK are exploring all avenues for implementing cost-saving measures. Your on-premise laundry room – a critical component of your care home – presents numerous opportunities to minimise energy consumption and waste, ultimately contributing to overall cost reduction. Through working closely with our many care home customers, we have been able to establish the areas where an inefficient laundry could be costing you more money than it should. These are the key areas we have identified where small changes could mean big savings.


Not overloading or underloading washing machines Overloading the drum is one of the most common issues we see in care homes. It prevents the laundry from being agitated enough and receiving the right level of


physical force from the water and rotation of the drum to remove dirt and stains. It means you will not get the wash results


you are expecting, so you will often need to rewash to get your laundry clean – costing you time and money. The problem is made worse when it comes to tumble drying, as the washing needs sufficient air space to dry. By overloading your tumble dryer by just 20 per cent, it can take twice as long to dry. This naturally leads to increased energy usage, steeper bills, and more wear and tear on your machines, which can result in higher maintenance costs. At WASHCO, we always recommend


filling your machines to three quarters of their capacity. Ideally, to ensure your machine is not overloaded, you should weigh your laundry in advance. Or better yet, certain washing machines and dryers, such as the WASHCONNECT range, have built-in sensors that weigh the laundry in the drum and then adjust the water, heat,


Examining how you can find cost savings within your


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and time of the cycles accordingly. Not only does this ensure that the drum is not overloaded, but it also prevents wastage of energy and water if you happen to put on a smaller load.


Washing your load at the right temperature Hygiene standards are of the utmost importance within your care home’s laundry. The combination of temperature and time is key to ensuring that thermal disinfection is achieved. For example, thermal disinfection standards can be met when a cycle reaches 71°C for at least three minutes or 65°c for at least 10 minutes. The training of your staff will be important to help them understand the correct programmes for different types of laundry. If, say, a default hotter 70°C or 90°C wash is used for all loads, this will ultimately result in your home using more energy, water, and time than is needed, increasing costs. However, it can also damage and reduce the life of linens. Modern commercial washing machines often now have functions that allow every parameter within a cycle to be adjusted, including time, temperature, and, where relevant, the amount of water used. All of these can factor into a long-term reduction in costs.


Depending on the manufacturer, energy-saving eco programmes may also be available. Miele’s Little Giants range, for example, all have ECO 40-60 programmes which have longer running times but are more efficient in terms of energy and water consumption.


Of course, there is always a challenge in 6 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com January 2024


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