United Kingdom
Richard Hawarth, who provides bedding to hotels such as Radisson Edwardian, the Hard Rock Hotel, Gleneagles and Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, advises hoteliers on how to ensure that laundry is spotless and flawless. The advice is particularly useful for facilities with local laundries (OPL) that do not outsource their textile care needs to commercial laundries and laundry rental companies.
The Covid-19 pandemic has focused public attention on hyper-cleanliness, so hotels must show their guests that they take the business of protecting them from Covid-19 (and other pathogens) very seriously.
A blog on the Richard Haworth website offers top tips to ensure that the laundry is spotless and free of Covid. It urges hoteliers to start with high quality, cotton rich products that are durable and can withstand higher wash temperatures without damaging the fabric.
Thermal disinfection
Richard Haworth advises: “Thermal disinfection takes place at 71 degrees Celsius, a temperature that laundries often use. It is possible to achieve thermal disinfection at 65 degrees Celsius, but this is successful; The cycle must be extended by at least another 10 minutes, which increases the costs. Using a cooler or shorter wash cycle does not completely destroy the potentially infectious bacteria. Because the highest quality cotton products can withstand the higher temperature option, it is best for high cleanliness standards to go this route without shortening the life of the product.
Detergent disinfection
The blog further explains that detergents work in two ways. First, the ingredients in most common cleaning agents quickly break down dirt. Second, the detergent acts as a suspending medium to keep the dirt released by the fabric in the water so that it does not get back into the laundry and towels.
“A decisive success factor when using cleaning agents is that they work optimally when the machine is not overloaded. We recommend that machines are filled to 80% of their capacity. This ensures proper water flow and movement of the textiles during the mechanical action of the machine. The dirt floating in the water is washed away before it can settle again in the fabric fibers. "
Chemical disinfection
Adding chemicals such as bleach, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and chlorine to the wash is not necessary if the correct temperatures are used. Washing with bleach can weaken laundry and shorten the life of the product
If additional chemicals are to be added in addition to the detergent, Richard Haworth recommends checking whether they are still active at such high temperatures. "If you follow the steps above, you should be sure that your laundry is safe for guests during these difficult times and without Covid," the blog says.
Read more from Richard Haworth here
