New Arena Corrals NBA G-League Wisconsin Herd
Behind-the-Scenes Laundry Slays MRSA
February 2019 | Download Testimonial
Menominee Nation Arena, in Oshkosh, Wis., is the new home of the Wisconsin Herd — the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA G-League development team. Completed in 2017, the multiuse arena hosts all Herd home games, among other performances and events. Fully outfitted, the arena touts club-level seating, concession stands, party decks, VIP lounge, mingling concourse, pub and behind-the-scenes laundry tasked with cleaning and disinfecting the Herd’s dirty uniforms, practice gear, knee pads, towels and loops. For Herd Equipment Manager Mike Sergo, dirty laundry is serious business.
“We felt it was important to prevent contaminated laundry from piling up or infecting someone. That’s why we chose a Sports Laundry System® (SLS),” he said. “It not only allows us to keep pace with incoming laundry, it helps prevent the possibility of passing on infections, like MRSA, to our players and staff.”
When it isn’t churning wash for the Herd, SLS cleans food and beverage linens used for special events throughout the year.
The system teams two 40-pound capacity, high-speed washer-extractors with disinfecting ozone injection and two moisture-sensing, 65-pound capacity dryers. The arena’s SLS is clinically proven to kill 99.9 percent of all viruses, bacteria and superbugs, including MRSA, in the wash, according to the manufacturer. “It’s one more way to keep athletes healthy,” said Sergo.
Disinfection to Prevent Infection
MRSA, a strain of staph resistant to antibiotics, has tormented locker rooms across the globe for years. Spread by direct contact, sharing personal items, or touching contaminated surfaces, towels and clothing, MRSA can cause sepsis and death if not treated quickly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
That’s why Menominee Nation Arena is working to prevent MRSA outbreaks. The arena’s SLS, with ozone injection, is critical to that endeavor.
It disinfects by injecting ozone into the washer during the wash process. The ozone attaches to and breaks down organic materials, including soils, bacteria, molds and grease, according to Steve Leib, SLS national sales manager. “Once broken down, they are removed by detergent in the wash cycle,” he said.
Improved Laundry Production Saves Time
Not only does it help prevent disease, Sergo maintains the system saves him time. Its high-speed soft-mount washer generates extract speeds of up to 354 G-force — considerably higher than most hard-mount washers, which only produce speeds reaching 200 G-force. In doing so, SLS removes more moisture from laundry, which cuts dry time and bolsters laundry productivity. “The high-speed extract of the system can cut drying time by up to 50 percent over other laundry solutions,” said Leib.
“Laundry comes out of the washer nearly dry,” added Sergo. “It takes about an hour to wash and dry most loads and a 15-minute dry cycle is all that’s needed to dry loops.”
That’s a good thing. It means Sergo can dedicate more time to his other responsibilities, including video editing, driving players and overseeing basketball operations.
Finally, tumble-dried items won’t experience damage due to over drying. This is because the SLS dryer features Linen Life Extension (LLE), a programmable system that senses the moisture content of each load and shuts the dryer off when the load reaches its targeted dryness level. By preventing fabric damage due to over-drying, uniforms last longer.
To use, Sergo simply loads, enters a program number and presses start. Discover more about Menominee Nation Arena at https://menomineenationarena.com. To find out more about Sports Laundry Systems, visit www.sportslaundry.com or call 800-256-1073.