HOUSEKEEPING OPERATION: LINEN AND LAUNDRY

INTRODUCTION TO LAUNDRY OPERATION, STAFF IN LINEN ROOM, ACTIVITIES IN LINEN ROOM, CONSIDERATION IN PLANNING LINEN ROOM, PAR STOCK IN LINEN ROOM AND TYPES OF LAUNDRY.

1. CHAPTER 7 LINEN AND LAUNDRY OPERATIONS By: Mumtazul Ilyani

2. INTRODUCTION Linen is expensive to replace and if it is well maintained, correctly laundered and properly stores, its life can be extended. Soiled, worn or creased linen leave a bad impression of the cleaning standards in a hotel. Linen may be cleaned either on or off the hotel premises.

3. STAFF OF LINEN ROOM Supervisor – monitor the process in linen room Laundry attendant - washing, drying and folding cloth and linen Linen attendant – to issue linen Uniform attendant – take care of uniform Seamstress - ironing and stitching the linen

4. LINEN ROOM ORGANIZATION There are two types of linen rooms: Centralized linen room Linen from all floors are collected and sorted in one central area (main linen rooms). Decentralized linen room Each floor maintains its own par stock of linen in floor pantries. Floor supervisor are responsible for maintaining the par level.

5. ACTIVITIES IN LINEN ROOM The following activities are carried out in a linen room. Collection of soiled linen Counting and sorting of soiled linen Packing of soiled linen for the laundry Dispatch of soiled linen to the laundry Receipt of fresh linen from the laundry Checking and sorting of fresh linen Storage of fresh linen Distribution of fresh linen Stocktaking for linen and maintenance the records Stitching and repairing all linen and uniforms Uniform selection Uniform storage and issue Discarding of unusable linen

6. PLANNING THE LINEN ROOM Consideration for an efficient linen room: LOCATION – the linen room should be accessible for receipt and dispatch of linen from the back entrance of the hotel. It should be situated near the service elevator. SPACE – the minimum space requirement for a linen room is 6 sq ft for a small hotel. Space is required for linen storage areas, linen exchange counter and soiled linen collection area. ENTRANCE – should be at least 4 feet wide to ensure easy movement of heavy trolley. FLOORS AND WALLS - Floor tiles should be avoided as they tend to chip. Tiles walls are ideal. LIGHTING AND VENTILATION – adequate ventilation is important to prevent growth of mildew. The air must be free of humidity and maintained at a temperature 20’C

7. PLANNING THE LINEN ROOM (cont’d) Consideration for an efficient linen room: STORAGE – linen storage should be designed for maximum utilization of space. SOILED LINEN AREA – should be close to the entrance and must be large enough to accommodate all the soiled linen. LINEN EXCHAGE COUNTER – usually a window without any grilles, wide enough to pass bundle of linen through. UNIFORM STORAGE AREA – Uniforms are normally hung on hangers, segregated according to designation and department. GUEST LAUNDRY AREA – space must be allocated for storing, marking and recording soiled guest articles before they are sent to the laundry.

8. STORAGE OF LINEN Linen must be kept free form dust All fresh linen should be stored under cover The linen stock should be rotated in order on FIFO basis Heavier linen should be placed on lower shelves Smaller articles such as face towels and serviette are placed in bundles of 10 Table linen and bed linen should be arranged by size, types and neatly stacked on the shelves Uniforms should be separated according to size and department

9. LINEN EXCHANGE Linen is provided for rooms and F&B areas following one of these four procedures : FRESH-FOR-SOILED – fresh linen is provided only if an equivalent soiled linen is given back SET AMOUNT – a set amount of fresh linen is provided on a daily basis TOPPING UP – bringing up the stock to the optimum level REQUISITION – a requisition form is filled in, on the basis of which linen is provided, mostly used by banquet linen

10. PAR STOCK/LEVELS PAR – standard, specific, normal level of stock LINEN PARS – standard level of linen inventory required to support operation “One par linen” – quantity of each item required to completely outfit the guestrooms of the hotel at one time The ideal level of operating par stock for room linen is 5 times the daily amount in use One set of linens in the room (bed linen) One set in the laundry (in washing process) One set in transit One set in main linen room One set linen in pantry room / maid trolley

11. PAR STOCK LEVEL

12. PAR STOCK/LEVELS (cont’d) Problems related to par stock: Overstocking or too many circulation may result in spoilage during storage (space problem) leads to abuse of linen (theft, misuse) and low productivity in the laundry. Under stocking or too few circulation may result in guest complaints, extended laundry operation hours, increase laundry cost (payroll), decreased productivity by staff waiting for linen and a shortening of usefu l life for linen because it cannot rest.

13. The laundry can be defined as a place where the washing and finishing of clothes an d another washable articles are carried out LAUNDRY OPERATIONS

14. TYPES OF LAUNDRY 2 types of laundry operation : On-premise-laundry (OPL), and Contract-out-laundry (COL) 1) On-premise-laundry (OPL) Located in the hotel premises. Owned by the hotel. The laundry department staff is employed by the hotel.

15. Advantages and disadvantages of OPL : ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES Complete quality control Linen last longer than COL No delivery/transportation problem Capital assets Need a lot of space Very costly to starting up (machine are expensive) High running cost (pay for utilities and employee’s salary) Required technical expert (to handle washing machine and dryer, others)

16. TYPES OF LAUNDRY (cont’d) 2) Contract-out-laundry (COL) Located out of the hotel premises. Not owned by the hotel. The laundry department staff is not employed by the hotel. Must signed contract between hotel and the outside company.

17. Advantages and disadvantages of COL : ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES Space does not have to be found More economical Save labour cost No capital outlay Little technical expertise required. Less control over standard Delivery & collection problem Expensive Need a good system of stock control, difficult to manage the stock (par level)

18. Factors to be considered for planning OPL What is the maximum amount of laundry (output) the OPL would be expected to handle? How much space should be allocated to the OPL? How many equipment is required? Manpower required to operate the laundry efficiently has to be considered carefully. Proper operation time has to be planned in order to meet the laundry demands of the hotel.

19. Flow of Linens through the OPL The laundry cycle includes the following steps; collecting soiled linens ; never use linen for any cleaning purposes transporting soiled linens to the laundry ; hand-carry/cart/linen chutes sorting ; by the degree of soiling (lightly, moderately and heavily soiled) and by the type of linen (fibers, weaves, colors and categories); important for the right temperature and formulas

20. washing ; weigh the linen, and consider (1) time needed, (2) temperature - 83 to 88 centigrade for oily soils, 72 for heavy soils, 60 for kitchen rags and linen, (3) agitation “scrubbing”, (4) chemicals -include detergents, bleaches, softeners, etc. wash cycles includes the following steps; 1. flush (1.5 - 3 min): dissolve and dilute water-soluble soil to reduce soil load 2. break (4 - 10 min, optional): a high-alkaline break products is added to loosen soil 3. suds (5 -8 min): actual wash cycle with detergent 4. carryover suds or intermediate rinse (2 - 5 min): removes soil and alkalinity to help bleach

21. 5. bleach (5 - 8 min): kills bacteria, whitens fabric, removes stains 6. rinse (1.5 - 3 min): removes detergent and soil 7. intermediate extract (1.5 - 2 min, optional): high-sped spin removes detergent and soil, after the first rinse step. should not be used after suds step because it could drive soils back into the fabric. 8. sour/softener or starch/sizing (3 - 5 min): starches are added to stiffen cotton fabrics; sizing is added for polyester blends. Starching/sizing replaces the sour /softener step. 9. extract (2 - 12 min): high speed spin removes moisture, length of it depends on fabric types, extractor capacity and extractor speed

22. chemicals: a laundry’s chemical needs depend on (1) the types of linen it uses and (2) the soiling conditions encountered. Commercial OPL uses more alkali to enhance the detergent’s cleaning power. Major chemicals used in the laundry; 1. water : 2 to 5 gallons of water are used for every pound of dry laundry. Other chemicals must be added to help it clean better. 2. detergents : (a) synthetic detergents effective on oil and grease, (b) builders or alkalies are added to “a” to soften water and remove oil and grease, (c) soaps - neutral or pure soaps contain no alkalies, built soaps do. 3. fabric (optical) brighteners : keep fabrics looking new and colors close to original, often pre-mixed with detergents.

23. 4. bleaches : help remove stains, kill bacteria and whiten fabrics. There are two kinds (a) chlorine: used with any washable, natural, colorfast fiber. safe for some synthetics and destroy others. (b) oxygen: is milder. safe for most washable fabrics. works best in hot water and on organic stains. Both should not be used at the same time because they neutralize each other. A bleach’s pH (degree of acidity or alkalinity) and water temperature must be controlled to prevent fabric damage. 5. alkalies : help detergent lather better and keep stains suspended in the water after they been loosened and lifted from the fabric. Also help neutralize acidic stains (most stains are acidic), making the detergent more effective

24. 6. antichlors : used in rinsing to ensure all the chlorine in the bleach has been removed. 7. mildewcides : prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus on linens for up to 30 days. These microorganisms can cause permanent stains that ruin linens. Moisture helps these to grow, that is why, soiled damp linen should not be allowed to sit in carts for long periods, should be dried and/or ironed when they are removed from washers or extractors. 8. sours : are mild acids to neutralize alkalinity in fabrics after washing and rinsing. Detergents and bleaches contain alkali and any residual alkali can damage fibers and cause yellowing/fading, and skin irritation and leave odors.

25. 9. fabric softener : make fabrics more supple and easier to finish, added with sours in the final wash, can reduce ironing, speed up extraction, reduce drying time, reduce static electricity in fabric. Too much can decrease a fabric’s absorbency. 10. starches : give linen crisp appearance, added in the final step in washing. Extracting and drying ; removes excess moisture through high-speed spin, reduces the weight of the laundry, makes it easy to lift, reduces drying time.

26. finishing ; gives the linen a crisp, wrinkle-free appearance, may require only drying (include towels, washcloths and some no-iron items) or include ironing (sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, damp napkins). folding ; time consuming when done manually; inspect the linen and reject stained, and torn items. storing ; post sorting and stacking, separates any linen types and sizes that were missed in pre-sorting, allowing to rest on shelves for 24 hours. transferring linens to use areas ; via clean carts

27. COMMON LAUNDRY PROBLEM Greying Yellowing Greasy or oily stains Color fading Shrinking

28. BASIC LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT Washing Machine Drying Machine Steam Cabinets & Tunnels Flatwork Ironers & Pressing Machines Folding Machines Rolling/Holding Equipment

29. Drying Machine Pressing Machine Folding Machine Steam Cabinets Washing Machine Flatwork Ironers