Healthcare Laudry / Nursing Home Laundry
More information on commercial laundry equipment for nursing homes
An on-premises laundry can be a great time-and money-saving benefit to a nursing home. If the facility is not properly designed and outfitted for this, though, what should be an advantage can become a handicap. Several factors should be taken into account. First, the type of home: skilled care versus self- (or assisted) care. In a skilled care home, depending on the degree of incontinence among residents, a facility can expect as little as 7kg, or as much as 10kg, of laundry per resident per day. A 100-resident home, then, at 7kg. per resident per day, could expect a minimum daily total of 700kg. of laundry. Laundry requirements in a self-care facility, on the other hand, range from 50 to 75% of those for skilled care. The type of laundry is also quite different - more personal clothes and table linen, less diapers, pads and bed linen. Finding the Equipment Contrary to popular belief, the most expensive element of an on-premises laundry is labour, not equipment. To help decide on the number and size of washers and dryers, one should attempt to design a laundry that operates on one 8-hour shift per day. To calculate the laundry/hour requirement, divide the total laundry of 700kg per day, by an 8-hour shift to determine an hourly production rate. In this example, that would amount to 87.5kg per hour through both the washers and the dryers. This capacity could be handled either with two 45kg., 80G force washers, or two 25kg, 300G force high-speed washers If future expansion of the nursing home is anticipated, it is prudent to oversize the laundry to require as little as four hours operation per day, so as to be able to add hours once the facility is enlarged. Becoming more common are the new high-speed washer-extractors, which can save both time and money. High-speed extraction removes moisture quickly from typical nursing home linens, by applying centrifugal force the higher spin machines produce 1.5 to 2 times their volume capacity per hour. The clothes washed in them will dry in 25 to 30 minutes because of lower water retention. Ergonomics must also be considered when selecting the appropriate equipment. Tall and shallow wash cylinders are easier to load and unload than short, deep ones. Programmability has become another highly desired labour-saving device. Gone are the days of four-cycle washers. The ability to program washers as to temperature-controlled fill, thermal cool down, overnight soak can maximize cleanliness, minimize labour and extend fabric life. The fabric to be washed must also be analysed before selecting equipment. For example, incontinence pads may be difficult to extract because they tend to block the drain holes at high speeds. Terrycloth towels and cotton sheets, on the other hand, are perfect for high-speed extraction. Visa table linen tends to wrinkle when extracted quickly, and personal clothing may be too delicate for this process. Washers with adjustable or variable speeds may be the correct choice. The types of linens being washed determine selection of dryer size. If all linens being washed are also dried, each dryer should have 1.5 to 2 times the washer capacity. Once the proper equipment is selected, it should be positioned for maximum efficiency and convenience. Pay close attention to entries, exits, columns, drain locations, exhaust areas, ventilation and machinery access. Are door openings and hallways of sufficient size to bring equipment in or out? Will stairs or columns impede installation? A good rule of thumb is to allow at least 18 inches between washers. Dryers can be placed side by side. Placing equipment in a manner that takes future maintenance needs into account is also important. If, for example, a washer were too close to a back wall, there would be no access for removing the motor or a oversize engineer!
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OTHER FACTORS
Other areas of laundry design that deserve more attention than is commonly given are foundations; availability of sizing of the water and sewer lines; gas line size and pressure availability; and electrical voltage, wire gauge size and breaker availability.
Floors should be at least four inches thick beneath washers. Concrete is the most suitable floor material and can be covered by one of the synthetic resinous materials offering a smooth, yet nonslip, surface.
Water and sewer lines should be sized to minimize drain times and minimize fill times. Electrical circuits should be properly sized to lower overall amperage draw. A final consideration is the folding area. This should be as near to the sites for storage and distribution as possible. All nursing homes with 30+ beds will benefit from a investment in a dryer iron, this eliminates a step in the cleaning process. When designing a nursing home laundry, then, the facility manager should take the following criteria into consideration: * type of facility (skilled care, self-care, etc.) * room location in respect to the rest of the facility * equipment size and shape * equipment programmability * equipment and task layout * current government regulations If the design and equipment incorporate the best selections to serve your specific facility, the average on-premises nursing home laundry should produce clean linen at an average of £0.15 per kilo. This includes labor, equipment and utilities. If a laundry were to utilize state-of-the-art, high-speed washer-extractors and folding equipment, this figure could be lowered another 20%.
Laundry Machine have been a independent suppler of commercial laundry equipment for over 25 years and are a major player in the uk market supplying all major brands including Danube – Primus - Ipso - Maytag - Huebsch - Electrolux - Loadstar dryer - Speed-queen - Miele GMP rotary ironers - Warwick - ADC Dryers - Fimas - Girbau - Unimac - Sapphire - Schulthess - Silc - broadbent - imesa - Viking to name a few.
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