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“We’re in a business where we accomplish our tasks quickly and accurately,” said Nick Determan, assistant athletic director for equipment operations at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (West Point), N.Y. In his role, Determan oversees eight full-time staff who manage the equipment and laundry for 28 NCAA Division I teams and 1,200 athletes. Of his staff’s duties, laundry…

Whether you own a vended laundry, or plan to develop one, be sure to consider the many ways to maximize your washer and dryer profit in order to reap more from your investment. Today’s washers feature programmable controls and capabilities to take your business to the next level. Read on for some tips on maximizing your washer profit. Add Ozone…

Five fire districts in Butler County, Kan. (BUCO) recently purchased Continental Girbau® (Continental) washer-extractors for decontaminating and properly cleaning bunker gear. The new machines were funded by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) initiative and Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which requires payments are used to cover costs of necessary expenditures incurred due to the…

SerClean, a Miami-based start up commercial laundry, is providing the local hospitality industry with premium, customer-focused laundry services. In its first year of business, SerClean doubled customer accounts, from 16 to 30, and boosted laundry production to more than 20,000 pounds per day. Starting small with a few washers, dryers and small ironers, the laundry followed a phased growth approach…

Veterinary clinics and hospitals work hard to eliminate the spread of disease through cross-contamination. Laundry items with birthing fluids, blood, urine, feces, or any other body fluids can spread disease to other animals, areas of the operation or even to staff. Disease-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter are a few examples. That’s why it’s critical to handle,…

If your laundry does a good job processing drop-off laundry, then perhaps it’s time to expand your reach and go after anything full-service. That means pursuing both area residents and commercial accounts, and processing everything from clothes, towels, blankets and sheets to duvets, tabletops, napkins and quilts. Doing so involves an investment of time, space and technology, but the rewards…

In the hospitality world, there are times of occupancy madness that kick every area of a hotel or resort into full gear. We know this as “peak season” and preparedness is the key to overcoming its challenges — especially in the laundry room. In this column, I offer several tips for ensuring a seamless peak season laundry operation. Are your…

In Part 1 of “Breaking Down NFPA 1851”, we covered the proper cleaning of protective gear. In Part 2, we’ll nail down how to properly dry gear. The development of the “NFPA 1851 Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Firefighting” was established as a protective measure against firefighter exposure to the…

Industry veteran Paul Hansen is in the business of buying, renovating and running laundries. His most recent laundry project — Wash Smart Laundry, in Chicago, involved a major renovation and retooling in order to return it to the community in peak operating condition. His goal? To provide customers the best possible laundry experience and services.Hansen knows laundry. He grew up…

If your dry cleaning machine is aging out and you’re on the fence about whether to invest in a new one versus a wet cleaning system, read on for a head-to-head cost comparison. In this column, we investigate operational expenses of both options, including labor, utility costs and disposal fees, as well as purchase price and installation costs. When the…