PRACTICAL - 1, Layout Of Linen & Laundry Room

- August 24, 2020

Subject Name: Accommodation Operations-I

Subject Code: BHCT 257

Practical: Layout of Linen and Laundry Room

Week: 2nd & 3rd (1st Week was for Syllabus & Lab Rules Discussion)

Objective: Students will be able to know about the Linen Room and Laundry layout and operations.

Introduction to Linen Room

Linen is the housekeeping department’s second-largest expense. The overall responsibilities include providing clean, crisp linen to the rooms, restaurants, and other F&B outlets, health clubs and beauty parlors, and uniforms to all the uniformed employees. This involves purchasing, maintaining, and controlling different types of linen and uniform which runs to several lakhs of rupees every annum. In order to effectively utilize these large expenditures, one must have a good knowledge of fabrics, systematic as regards to procedures, and diligent as regards to record-keeping and controls.

Linen & uniform room

The linen and uniform room is a central depot for all hotel linen and this is the place where clean articles of linen are distributed throughout the establishment.

Linen Room Organization

There are primarily two types of linen rooms – centralized and decentralized.

Centralized linen room: In this system, linen from all floors are collected and sorted in one central area.

Decentralized linen room: In this system, each floor maintains its own par stock of linen.

Activities in the Linen Room

Objective: Ensure clean, fresh, crisp linen and uniforms are provided for hotel operations within the budgets forecasted by the Housekeeper.

1. Collection of soiled linen

2. Counting and sorting of soiled linen

3. Packing of soiled linen for the laundry

4. Dispatch of soiled linen to the laundry

5. Receipt of fresh linen from the laundry

6. Checking and sorting of fresh linen

7. storage of fresh linen

8. Distribution of fresh linen to the floors and other areas

9. Stocktaking for linen and maintenance of records

10. Stitching, repairing and monogramming of all hotel linen and uniforms

11. Uniform selection

12. Uniform storage and issue

13. Discarding of unusable linen

LAUNDRY ROOM

The hotel laundry is responsible for laundering hotel linen, staff uniforms, and guests’ personal clothes. Every day, thousands of linen have to be washed or dry-cleaned, dried and ironed within a matter of few hours. Operating a laundry involves operating costs like labor, energy, chemicals, and water. Wrong laundering procedures and indiscriminate use of chemicals can lead to a poor finish or can cause damage to the fabric. Hence a person in charge of the laundry needs to have the technical knowledge of how to operating and maintaining a laundry, efficiently. This topic gives an insight into setting up and running a hotel laundry.

Types of laundry

A hotel may operate its laundry services through –

(a) Commercial laundries: These laundries cater to hotels on a contract basis. The contract specifies the rate for laundering different pieces of linen; the time taken for laundering etc. (Usually the soiled linen are laundered and delivered back within 24 – 48 hours.) They are allowed to keep back 3 – 5% of the soiled linen for stain removal etc. This is a good option if the hotel does not want to make heavy investments in setting up their own laundry and has space constraints.

(b) OPL – On-Premises Laundry: The hotel has its own laundry, which may be run by the management or managed on a contract. Setting up a laundry involves high capital expenditures. The type of equipment to be used, their capacities, and how well a laundry needs to be designed is of par. Many hotels are ready to make this heavy investment to provide quality service to the guests. More care is taken while laundering since it is under the direct responsibility of the hotel. Services are faster (maximum 8 hours), hence par stocks are reduced. Better supervision and better control and hence longer life for linen. There are lesser chances of pilferage since the linen does not leave the premises. However, contingency plans must be made in case of equipment failure. One must be able to fall back on a commercial laundry or another hotel laundry.

Planning of Laundry Layout

When planning the layout of laundry, consider the workflow and wherever possible ensure that the plan does not hinder the smooth flow of operations. To reduce the turnaround time between loads, ease of loading and unloading equipment must be ensured – area for accumulating and sorting linen should be located close to the washer-extractor; dryers should be adjacent to the washer extractor, to save time and employee effort; hinges on the washer-extractors and the dryers are adjustable and can be placed on the right or left side of the door, so the proper choice must be made in accordance with the laundry layout in order to avoid employees having to walk around the open door to get from one machine to the next; the folding area should be located near the area where laundered linen is stored.

When positioning laundry equipment, the following must be considered:

• Entrances and exits

• Support columns and beams

• Space between adjacent machines and adequate space between the back of the machine and the wall which is essential to facilitate servicing and repair.

• Powerpoints for electrical supply and the required voltage. (gas and steam supply in many other parts of the world)

• Water supply lines with adequate pressure (10 gallons per Kg of linen approx.) and preventing the occurrence of ‘water hammer’

• Hot water supply lines must utilize heavy-duty heating equipment which in recent times is being substituted by the use of solar energy.

• Water softening

• Also the removal of iron, manganese, and sulfur to eliminate staining and enhance the action of the detergent.

• Rain locations and proper drainage system that will keep up with the rapid discharge rate of modern equipment. This is best met by a drain trough and the normal floor drain is also installed to deal with overflows.

• A separate section to deal with guest laundry/valet service.

• Local code for restrictions/ permit requirements.

• Energy and water conservation, as well as safety factors, also affect decisions regarding the selection of equipment.

• Area must accommodate the total number of staff working at the busiest times (approx.1 staff for 40Kg of laundry)

• The size of the property and the type of services offered are major considerations for planning.

As technology strives to automate every facet of hotel operations, computerized laundry systems have been around for quite a while. The hotel cannot sell a single room or a cover in the restaurant without the use of textile products. With the realization of the potential benefits of cleaning up the laundry operations, more and more streamlining processes are being introduced. Apart from exploring the options of localized laundry operations that service multiple properties, outsourcing laundry services, water reclamation and heat recovery systems to reduce hotel energy consumption, some hotels are experimenting with Windows-based laundry software and ozone washing.

Work Flow in a Laundry

1. Collecting soiled linen

2. Transporting soiled linen to laundry

3. Sorting

4. Weighing

5. Spotting (Optional)

6. Washing

7. Extracting

8. Drying

9. Finishing (Ironing)

10. Folding

11. Stacking

12. Transporting fresh linen to the linen room.

Equipment Used In the Laundry

OPL machinery is a major investment in itself and affects the life span of other major investment-linens. The choice of OPL machines and equipment could mean the difference between a financially successful and disastrous OPL. Machines with insufficient capacity, for example, result in damaged linens, unsatisfactory cleaning performance, excessive energy and water costs, or increased maintenance costs. Improperly maintained equipment can also lead to higher linen and equipment costs. List of machines and equipment used in the laundry are:

1. Washing Machine }

2. Hydro Extractor } or Wash Extractor

3. Tumbler or Drier

4. Finishing Machine - Calendaring Machine or Rotary Ironer

- Steam press

- Flat Iron

- Suzie/ Genies

5. Folding Machine

6. Weighing scale

7. Dry cleaning machine

8. Trolleys

9. Cupboards, Shelves, Racks, Tables

10. Sewing Machine

11. Steam cabinets and Tunnels

12. Boilers

Layout

The layout of the laundry should be such that there is an easy flow of traffic. In positioning machines, pay close attention to entries, exits, columns, drain locations, exhaust areas, ventilation, and machinery access. Separate the soiled and clean laundry handling areas as much as possible, to prevent recontamination of clean goods.

Doors need to be large enough to initially get the equipment into the room as well as being large enough to effectively enter and exit with utility carts and/or laundry baskets Swinging doors are good for cart movement. They should have windows for safety and bumpers or guards to protect their appearance. Thresholds should be flush.

Ceilings should be impervious to moisture and have good sound absorption qualities. An 8 to 10 feet high ceiling is sufficient. Floors are very important in the laundry. They should be level concrete slabs capable of supporting the heavy cleaning machines. The floor around the machines should be sloped and there should not be any low spots on the floor where water can pool. Concrete is the most suitable floor material and can be covered by one of the synthetic resinous materials available with

a smooth yet non-slip surface.

The walls should be constructed of a material that is durable, moisture-resistant, and insulating. Windows should be avoided so that wall space can be used for storage shelves and bins; however, if they are required, care should be given as to their placement in order to eliminate glare. Any windows should be constructed with wire glass and be located high on the wall.

Allow at least 18 inches between machines (the same applies to a side wall). Dryers can usually be placed side by side (allow about an inch between them). Provide at least two feet between the back of the machine and the wall. If space is tight, try locating machines in front of a large door to a hall or to the outside. The door can be opened for servicing the machines.

Try to locate dryers next to an outside wall. They must be vented. Soiled storage and sorting should take place near the washers. Dryers should be a minimum distance from the washers, but they should not interfere with loading and unloading (or sorting).

The folding table and area should be located so that finished work is moving toward its final storage area in preparation for distribution.