Optimising boarding school laundry services: a quick guide

The presentation of your students reflects your school’s standards. But, boarding school laundry services require an epic behind-the-scenes effort that’s both costly and time-consuming.

By better optimising your laundry processes, you can:

• Increase capacity
• Reduce number of washes
• Save on costs
• Improve process management

Here, we’ll look at some of the tools you can use to better optimise your boarding school laundry services.

Improving your boarding school laundry services: the basics

Most boarding schools accommodate hundreds, if not thousands of students both day and night. This puts a great strain on professional laundry services, especially if they’re not updated with the latest equipment.

Laundry managers must keep every student looking presentable, regardless of whether they’re in uniform or informal clothes. Bedding, towels, curtains and soft furnishing covers must also be added to the weekly wash cycle.

Here’s a comprehensive list of the utilities you’ll need to optimise your boarding school laundry service:

Washing

The washing machines at boarding schools are a whole different beast to the domestic equivalent. Rather than merely accommodating a standard-sized 6 – 8kg load, washing machines at boarding schools tend to range anywhere from 7 – 32kg.

Washing machines are often plumbed into a system that delivers the required cleaning agent automatically, saving time on manual loading. Each machine can be pre-programmed for a specific type of washing load, making the process more efficient and eco-friendly.

Ironing

Boarding school laundry managers are faced with the prospect of ironing hundreds of shirts and blazers. As a manual process, this would be a huge burden.

However, school laundry managers can now utilise a new form of shirt press (similar to a trouser press) that turns a damp shirt into a crease-free garment in under a minute, as well as a flatwork ironer for pressing table linen and sheets.

Spotting table

To minimise the expense and risk of garment loss associated with dry cleaning, laundry managers should twin their spotting table with a steam jet to lift stains and reduce the number of garments sent to the cleaners.

Tumble dryer

Drying is the unknown quantity of the washing process. Without proper management, the process can take hours, leaving clothes damp or too wrinkled to use.

With a tumble dryer, you get the added assurance of knowing exactly when a load of washing will be ready. This helps to improve process management and locks in freshness from the wash.

Sewing machine

Whether caused by kids playing or the laundering process itself, wash day is the ideal time to check for tears, scuffs or missed buttons.

Mending a damaged garment is a fiddly process if done manually. But, a sewing machine can help slash mending times and give staff the ability to use complex stitch patterns better suited to the job.

By using flexible rental contracts to ensure your school laundry is facilitated with up-to-date, time and energy efficient utilities, you can make some serious savings and ensure that your students are immaculately presented at all times.

Find out how our extensive range of professional laundry and washing utilities can help optimise your boarding school laundry process.