This document discusses how to manage an on-premise laundry (OPL) within a hotel. It outlines responsibilities of the laundry manager, how to plan the OPL including space, equipment and size needs. It describes the process of laundering linens including fabric types, the laundry cycle steps, chemicals used, and preventative maintenance. Staff training and considerations for a valet service are also discussed.

1. Managing an On-Premise Laundry
Objective: examining how to manage a laundry
within the hotel DESINGED BY
Sunil Kumar
Research Scholar/ Food Production Faculty
Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management,
MAHARSHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITY,
ROHTAK
Haryana- 124001 INDIA Ph. No. 09996000499
email: skihm86@yahoo.com ,
balhara86@gmail.com
linkedin:- in.linkedin.com/in/ihmsunilkumar
facebook: www.facebook.com/ihmsunilkumar
webpage: chefsunilkumar.tripod.com

2. Responsibilities of the Exec. HK and
Laundry Manager in OPL Management
 preventing resoiling of clean linens
 extending the life of linens
 keeping OPL efficient and cost-effective

3. Planning the OPL
While planning the OPL, consider;
 the design of the OPL to handle maximum
output for peak business periods.
• Output is measured in pounds. The
number of pounds is related to the
occupancy levels and covers in F&B
outlets.
 space needed for the OPL.
• laundry needs, amount of equipment,
amount of linen in storage, extra space for
growth

4.  Equipment that should be purchased
• output level for amount of equipment, type of
linen for type of equipment, energy and water
conservation
 Whether to have a valet service or not
• dry-cleaning equipment, separate work areas for
valet staff
 The size of the property and type of service
• small OPL is around 400-800 square meter and
process 400000 pounds of laundry per year ,
medium is 1500-2000 square meter and process
1.5 million pounds, large is 8000-18000 and
process 8.5 million pounds of laundry per year.

5. Laundering Linens
 Choice of fabric of the linen directly affects
the cost of OPL operation.
 Types of fabrics;
 synthetics (polyester, nylon and acrylic):
requires no-ironing and is more durable than all-
cotton ones
 all-natural fibers (wool and cotton)
 polycotton (polyester and cotton blend):
requires less care than all-natural but still has
most of its comfort

6.  When choosing linen, consider;
 absorbing ability
 whether ironing required, whether wrinkle
resistant or not
 durability
 washing or drying temperatures (high or low)
 shrinking
 color retention
 quick or slow drying
 heavy or light
Ex. 4, pg 203 - General Care of Linen Fabrics

7. Flow of Linens through the OPL
The laundry cycle includes the following steps;
Ex. 5, pg 205 - The Flow of Laundry Through the OPL
A.collecting soiled linens; never use linen for
any cleaning purposes
B.transporting soiled linens to the laundry;
hand-carry/cart/linen chutes
C.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

8. D.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

9. 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

10.  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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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.
E.extracting; removes excess moisture through
high-speed spin, reduces the weight of the
laundry, makes it easy to lift, reduces drying
time.

14. F. 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).
G.folding; time consuming when done manually;
inspect the linen and reject stained, and torn
items.
H.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.
I. transferring linens to use areas; via clean
carts

15. Machines and Equipment
The choice of OPL machines and equipment is
important for the success of the operation. Bad
choice of OPL machines and equipment result
in;
 damaged linens
 unsatisfactory cleaning performance
 excessive energy and water costs
 increased maintenance costs
 higher linen and equipment costs

16. Types of Equipment for OPL
 Washing Machines
 sized by capacity (vary from 25 to 1200 pound capacities)
 there are “tunnel washers” with separate chambers
 newest machines have automatic detergent and solution
dispensing capabilities; older machines have manual
dispensers
 microprocessors; regulate water temperature, ease and
flexibility in programming
 re-use water; save energy, sewage, water and chemical
costs
 most has extraction capabilities; to remove excess water

17.  Drying Machines
 remove moisture by tumbling in a rotating cylinder
through heated air passes. Air is heated by gas, electricity
or steam.
 Steam Cabinets and Tunnels
 eliminate wrinkles from heavy linens such as blankets,
bedspreads, curtains. A steam cabinet is a box in which
items are hung and steamed to remove wrinkles. A steam
tunnel moves items on hangers through a tunnel,
steaming them and removing the wrinkles as they move
through.

18.  Flatwork Ironers and Pressing Machines
 Ironers roll over the material, items can be fed into
 presses flatten it, must be placed on the presses manually
 both is time consuming
 linen must be clean and moist
 Folding Machines
 holds one end of the item to be folded so that staff can
fold it more easily.
 provide the worker with an extra set of hands to assist in
folding linen.
 Rolling/Holding Equipment
 used for linen handling.
 carts are used to move linen

19. Preventive maintenance program is essential to the
efficient operation of OPL.
 Daily maintenance procedures include;
 checking safety devices
 turning on steam, water, air valves
 checking ironer roll pressure
 cleaning dryer lint screens
 Periodically;
 checking water levels in washers
 keeping records of utility use to identify leaking valves,
damaged insulation, constricted gas, air, water paths
Preventive Maintenance

20. Staff Training
Manufacturers and distributors can help train
employees about;
 using the machines properly
 providing safety instructions and updates about
safety
 inspecting all equipment daily before start-up
 treating all equipment with care

21. Valet Service;
Means that the hotel will take care of guest laundry
needs. Can be handled in two ways;
 contract outside laundry or dry cleaning operation
 have its own valet service equipment and staff
 can be either same-day or over-night service

22. Advantages of On-Premises Valet Service;
1. often quicker
2. promotes more goodwill with guests
3. allow the OPL to handle employee uniforms
4. generates revenue

23. Staffing Considerations
To efficiently schedule the laundry staff, exec.
HK or laundry manager must;
 be able to forecast the hotel’s daily linen needs
for three or four weeks in advance; by (1)
reviewing the past records and determining the
average number of pounds of linen used per
occupied room and per dining room cover; (2)
obtaining occupancy forecasts from FO and
cover forecasts from F&B + should include
special events that will affect the hotel’s linen
needs

24. Total number of pounds of linen that the laundry
will have to process the next day = the number
of expected occupants (covers) × the average
number of pounds of linen used per occupied
room (or cover)
 be able to determine how many workers it will
take to handle the load by paying attention to;
 productivity records
 minimum/maximum staff levels
 2 or 3 equally staffed shifts

25. Other Staffing Considerations
 cross-training; allows every personnel do all the kinds of
tasks in the laundry so that the operation is more
flexible in emergencies e.g. illness.
 when to schedule shifts; if the laundry is located at the
ground floor, it should not operate at night.
 shift staggering; allows one or two workers begin their
shift early and then bringing in other workers at
intervals of two or three hours. Such shift staggering
provides full staffing in the middle of the day when the
laundry load is heaviest.

26. DESINGED BY
Sunil Kumar
Research Scholar/ Food Production Faculty
Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management,
MAHARSHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITY,
ROHTAK
Haryana- 124001 INDIA Ph. No. 09996000499
email: skihm86@yahoo.com ,
balhara86@gmail.com
linkedin:- in.linkedin.com/in/ihmsunilkumar
facebook: www.facebook.com/ihmsunilkumar
webpage: chefsunilkumar.tripod.com