Whiter, brighter,
longer-lasting fabrics
It
comes as no surprise that one of the first rules of thumb for a
commercial laundry business is to have zero grains hardness so their
business can operate at the lowest possible cost. However, what about
all the on-premise laundries that exist in other market segments?
The
number of on-premise laundries in the U.S. is as follows:
|
Market Segment |
Locations |
|
Hospitals |
7,400 |
|
Hotels and Motels |
49,000 |
|
Nursing Homes |
40,500 |
|
Prisons |
4,300 |
|
Commercial laundries |
7,200 |
In
terms of saving for detergents and chemicals, the Coin Laundry
Association (CLA) Guideline is that for every 1000 gallons used per
grain of hardness, an additional 1/2 lbs. of detergent is
required. For example, if the hardness is 10 gpg an additional 15 lbs.
of detergent is needed. Typically in a 100-120 unit lodging facility,
during a normal 8 hours of operation, the laundry will use approximately
2000 gallons per day. For the liquid laundry systems used by most
on-premise laundries (i.e. liquid detergents, caustic, bleach, etc), a
chemical company developed the following cost comparison based on a 50
lb. washerextractor.
|
Hardness |
Chemical Cost Per Load |
|
0-4
gpg |
$
1.22 cents |
|
5-8
gpg |
$
1.85 cents |
|
9-12 gpg |
$
2.43 cents |
As
noted above, the difference between washing with 2 gpg and 10 gpg
of hardness is that the operator is doubling the chemical costs. While
the chemical company did not state the cost savings when the hardness is
over 12 gpg, it has been well documented that the higher the hardness,
the greater is the savings when going to softened water. Plus, there
are significant savings in terms of extended fabric life.
To
illustrate this point- there was an informative report on a hospital
laundry site in Maryland which focused on savings for linen
replacement. The laundry manager compared the prior years' linen
replacement costs when they were on hard water versus the current year
after the softener was installed. The savings amounted to 40'//0 or
59,000 annually.
This
savings was based on both reduced mechanical wear and reduced chemical
action wear. Mechanical wear was reduced because of eliminating one
rinse cycle, or going from four cycles to three cycles with softened
water. This also means water sayings for the hospital. Chemical wear
was reduced by roughly 50% in the use of cleaning agents. In terms of
capital equipment payback, the 30” (inch) duplex softener including the
first years operating costs was paid for in 14 months. As a point of
reference, most of the major lodging chains state that if the capital
equipment substantiates a three-year payback, the operator should
purchase the proposed equipment.
There
are other potential savings such as with the water heater and plumbing
fixtures and the corresponding energy savings by reducing scale
build-up. For example, according to a University of Illinois study, for
each 1/8" scale build-up, the energy cost is increased by 16-18%.
Overall, there are many benefits for the laundry operator from chemical
savings to long year fabric life.
CONTACT:
Keith Parker
Email
Tel: +44 (0) 1603 877222
