Most independent long-term care businesses usually are unfazed by make-buy decisions unless there are compelling reasons to outsource something. Little appetite exists to dispense of an in-house service such as laundry if residents and workers have come to rely on it.
Still, it can be difficult to compete with the economies of scale that large regional and national laundry processors provide with ever-evolving, environmentally friendly cleaning technologies, more efficient wash cycles, and longer linen shelf-lives.
“Laundry companies today strive to develop formulations that deliver hygienically clean textiles and better conserve laundry resources, namely water and energy,” said Ken Koepper, who is the director of member and industry relations for Textile Rental Services Association.
“To the same end, chemical manufacturers assist laundries more with other aspects of washing, drying and finishing that better enable existing chemistries to perform at their full potential,” he added.
Infection control innovations such as UV lighting also provide a critical advantage, he added.
Randy Radtke, content and media relations manager for Alliance Laundry Systems, said that UniMac’s OPTidry system continuously monitors moisture levels and begins cooling when optimum dryness is reached, extending linen life and reducing utility costs. That also may reduce staff monitoring and repeat tasks, important given that finding enough in-house workers could be increasingly difficult in a challenged labor market.
Chemistry provides another edge.
“Chemical companies continue to develop new products to deliver excellent clean results,” Radtke said. “As an equipment manufacturer, UniMac is focused on tweaking elements within the wash wheel to produce superior wash quality with a wide range of chemicals, while ensuring the lowest operating cost for customers.”
At the end of the day, “water is the most important chemical in washing and the suppliers are all over figuring out how their customers can be more efficient with it,” Koepper added.
