Spurred by the pandemic, vended laundries are looking to sanitize laundry loads in order to differentiate themselves from the competition, draw new customers, boost revenue and provide the cleanest, healthiest environment possible. Read on to learn how vended laundries might add sanitization as a premier amenity and make more money in the process!
Methods for Sanitizing Laundry Loads
Practically speaking, there are two ways to add sanitization to laundry loads – either through the use of ozone or an EPA-registered chemical sanitizer additive. The only catch is that you must have compatible washers in your laundry. Ozone requires special washer seals, while chemical additives require washers with automatic chemical injection capabilities. Check with your local distributor to verify whether your machines can handle sanitization before proceeding. Read on to determine which option is right for you …
Which is Right for You: Ozone or Chemistry?
What is ozone? Ozone (O3) is a powerful cleaning agent that works best in cold water. It’s the third oxygen atom of ozone that attaches to, and breaks down organic materials in the wash, including soils, viruses, bacteria and molds. Once broken down, these materials are removed from fabrics during the wash cycle. Ozone systems are easily installed via a connection to a compatible washer, an aisle of washers, or an entire store of washers.
If ozone isn’t an option, laundries can also sanitize wash loads using an EPA-registered chemical sanitizer that’s injected into the wash cycle. These work in combination with automatically injected detergents. A chemical sanitizer’s sole purpose is to kill close to 99 percent of the pathogens and molds found in laundry. A programmable washer with automatic injection capabilities is easily connected to a dispensing system provided by your chemical representative, or you can purchase an Express Clean® dispensing system specifically designed for vended laundries.
Monetizing through Control Upgrade
Now that we’ve investigated ways to achieve sanitization, let’s discuss how to monetize it.
There are washer control upgrades now on the market that can help you charge customers for sanitization. Whether you’re just adding ozone or sanitizing chemistry for the first time, or if you’ve had it on your machines for some time, these controls allow you to monetize your sanitization amenity.
Continental Girbau, for example, introduced a control upgrade that works on all Continental vended washers and takes 15 minutes per machine to install. It comes with an overlay kit with an “Extra Sanitize” button. Once installed, customers can select “Extra Sanitize” for an extra, owner-determined cost that’s added to the overall vend price. Talk to your equipment distributor about what’s needed to connect your ozone or chemical dispensing system to your machine’s control. There are multiple ways to monetize sanitization of an entire store, a group of large-capacity washers or a bulkhead of machines. Your distributor expert can guide you through this process.
Multiple Service Levels — Cashing In!
Now that you’ve embraced the sanitization and monetization of self-service laundry loads, don’t forget to clearly market this unique aspect of your service and charge extra for sanitization in your wash/dry/fold, pickup and delivery and commercial work.
Tod Sorensen is a regional business manager at Girbau North America and vice president of Continental Girbau West, a full-service distributorship serving the Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico vended, on-premise and industrial laundry markets. He holds more than 20 years of experience in vended laundry development and market analysis. Please contact him with any questions at tsorensen@gnalaundry.com or call 866-950-2449.