Commercial laundry designs and planning is an essential component of most industries. The need to have hygienic clothing and linen in most industries, especially hospitality, is a priority, especially in today’s times. But laundry has a catch. It is usually resource-intensive and a contributor to water pollution.
Nearly a third of the population uses a washing machine at least once a week link.springer.com/article, and that number is based on individual usage. With some simple scaling and correlation, it’s easy to assume that industries also consume a significant amount of resources while being extremely carbon positive.
So how can we potentially cut down on resource usage and ensure that laundry has a green component to it? There are a few potential ways.
Reusing water:
This one is rather obvious: With proper storage and treatment, water that has been used for one laundry wash cycle can be reused again for the next. This concept is known as greywater usage, and it saves on both water and time took to source fresh water for usage.
Of course, this comes with the caveat that the greywater must also be treated, which will require a separate analysis as to whether it benefits industries in the long run. But overall, greywater usage is an excellent method to reuse water efficiently.
Fast spin dryers:
As opposed to air drying via heat, spin dryers can dry laundry much faster, and therefore consume less electricity in the long run. They take around 5 minutes to accomplish the same level of drying that a heat pump dryer requires 20 minutes to complete.
There are disadvantages here too, of course. Spin dryers cannot completely dry out the laundry, which means they might require an additional drying or ironing to get dehumidified entirely. But even considering this, spin-drying is more efficient and faster in the long term.
Cleaner detergents:
With the usage of detergents a norm in commercial laundry planning, it’s essential to understand that the majority of detergent solutions have a significant impact on the ecosystem. Water mixed with detergent is dumped into rivers and lakes, becoming a fatal threat to aquatic life around the area.
A more elegant solution to combat this is to make a switch to eco-friendly detergents. There are a few solutions in the market that have shown considerable success, with the only drawback being they may be slightly more expensive.
Considering all these factors, planning laundry solutions for your operation is an intensive task. A professional consultant will be indispensable in guiding you through these decisions. Drop a line or drop by at HPG Consulting, the leader in commercial laundry designs and planning, commercial kitchen planning, and waste management.