Paper 15: Hotel Housekeeping

Module 18: Laundry Operations

THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Principal Investigator Prof. S. P. Bansal, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi University, Rewari

Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K. Gautam, Director, UIHTM, Panjab University, Chandigarh

Paper Coordinator Prof. Ashish Dahiya Director, IHTM Maharshi Dayananad University, Rohtak, Haryana

Content Writer Prof. Ashish Dahiya Director, IHTM

Maharshi Dayananad University, Rohtak, Haryana

Content Reviewer Prof. S.C. Bagri Director, Centre for Mountain Tourism & Hospitality Studies HNB Garhwal University, Uttarakhand

ITEMS DESCRIPTION OF MODULE

Subject Name Tourism & Hospitality

Paper Name Hotel Housekeeping

Module Title Laundry Operations

Module Id Module no-18

Pre- Requisites Basic knowledge of laundry and its operations

Objectives To understand the various types of laundries & the various operations which are carried out in them.

Keywords Laundry, Laundry operations, Laundry handling, Stain removal, Dry cleaning

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Learning Outcomes 2. Introduction 3. Types Of Laundries 4. Laundry Process 5. Stain Removal 6. Dry Cleaning 7. Handling Guest Laundry 8. Summary 9. Learning Outcomes

QUADRANT – I

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this module students will be able to: I. Develop an understanding of concept of Laundry II. Discuss the process of Laundry. III. Come to know about stain removal and the procedures of removing stain from linen. IV. Understand about dry cleaning and the process of dry cleaning. V. Define the procedure of handling of guest laundry.

LAUNDRY OPERATIONS

Introduction

The term ‘laundry’ is used to define a room in a house, hotel or institution where clothes and linen can be washed and ironed.

Types of Laundries

A hotel can operate its laundry services through the following types of laundries.

Commercial/Off-site/Contracted Laundries

These are the laundries, which render their services to hotels on contract basis. It is a very good option for those hotels, which do not want to invest a lot of money in the setting up of their own laundry or do not have sufficient space for constructing the laundry in the hotels. A hotel can take the services of the commercial laundry by entering into contract with it. This contract specifies the rate at which the different articles of linen will be laundered, the time taken for laundering, and so on. Usually the soiled linen after laundering is returned back to the hotel within 24-48 hours. The stained and other linen which require special treatments for cleaning are hold back by the laundries, as their cleaning requires more time than the normal soiled linen. The laundries generally keep 3-5 per cent of the soiled linen for this purpose

Advantages to the hotel

The commercial laundries give following advantages to the hotel property.

 The costs of labor are saved.  Little requirement of technical expertise.  No capital outlay

Disadvantages

Contract laundries have some disadvantages as well. They are as follows:

 Delays in the collection and delivery of linen  Hotels have very less control over standards  Hotels have to maintain higher stocks of linen as the whole process of cleaning and returning of the linen takes longer time.  Incidents of loss of linen increases  Hotel has to bear extra costs for special treatments of the linen.

On-premises/on-site/in-house laundry

They are those laundries which are located within the premises of the hotel. On-site laundries are also called as hotel’s own laundry. It can be run by the management of the hotel or managed on a contract. They require huge investment of the capital in the beginning. Many hotels opt for this option to provide quality service to guests. In-house laundry gives more care in laundering the linen as all the responsibility now vests on its shoulders. Par stocks are reduced as the in-house laundry takes a maximum of 8 hours to return laundered articles. Chances of loss of linen are reduced as the linen does not leave the premises. This facility increases the life of linen as there is better supervision and control than off-premise laundry. However, if an equipment failure occurs, a contingency plan should be ready to cope up with this situation.

Advantages to the hotel

The OPL has following advantages:

 It is a capital asset for the hotel.  Emergency requirements of linen can be dealt easily  Its laundry cycle is fast. Hence, hotels have to maintain fewer stocks.

 Chances of loss of linen articles are reduced.

Disadvantages

 It increases the cost of labour.  One has to do huge initial capital investment for establishing it.  It has high cost of maintenance, repairs and overheads.  OPl requires special management team or technical expertise for managing it.

Laundromats

It is a self-service laundry, coin laundry or coin wash laundry, generally found in motels. They are called coin laundries because they are utilized by using coin slots to pay according to the load or by making a fixed monthly payment. Long –stay guests of some resorts also utilize this equipment.

The Laundry Process

The main stages of the laundry process are as follows:

1. Pre-washing 2. Washing 3. Rinsing 4. Hydro-extraction 5. Finishing

Pre-washing

The steps undertaken at the pre-washing stage are as follows:

Collecting and Sorting soiled linen

The GRAs are responsible for the collection and sorting of soiled linen. They carry a room attendant’s cart with them, which has a separate soiled linen bag for collecting the soiled linen. The GRAs remove the soiled linen from beds and public areas and put them directly into this bag. Linen of F & B is kept in hampers for delivery to the laundry. To make the

process of sorting easy, the stained linen is knotted in one corner. Soiled linen must be sent to

the laundry immediately so that stains do not set in. several hotels send the soiled linen to the linen room before sending it to the laundry where it is sorted, counted, and recorded. If hotel uses off-site laundry service, then the soiled linen is marked in the linen room before being transferred to the off-site laundry.

Transporting soiled linen to the Laundry

To facilitate the movement of the soiled linen to the laundry, large hotels consists of a linen chute which moves down the whole height of the building to the laundry’s soil and sort area. Other hotels use linen carts and laundry sacks for the transportation of the laundry. GRAs should only use those carts that are free of protrusions because they could snag or tear items.

Sorting

Sorting is done in the soil and sort area in the laundry. This area should have adequate for storing a day’s worth laundry. The soiled articles in this section are sorted out according to the following parameters:

 Firstly, the soiled linen is sorted according to the degree of soiling into various categories like stained, unstained, heavily soiled, medium-soiled, and lightly soiled articles.  The articles are further sorted by color and fastness of dye.  They are then sorted according to the type of fibre used in making them.  Before washing, the linen which require repair is separated and sent to the tailor who will mend it. And if the article which needs mending is heavily soiled, is first washed and then sent for mending.  The new linen should be monogrammed before washing so that it can easily be identified and controlled for pilferage.  Condemned or discarded linen is separated from the soiled linen and cut down before washing.  Light linen are also sorted out and washed separately. They are linen which have lost their standard condition.  All fancy accessories and attachments such as rings, buckles, false collars of curtains etc. should be removed from linen to be washed.  One should also keep in mind that all pockets are emptied and folds are checked before washing.

Weighing and Loading

Now, the sorted articles are weighed while dry. It is a useful step since each washing machine has specific loading instructions which must be followed.

Washing

The machines have to be operated according to the manufacturer’s instructions for maximum efficiency. One should also vary the temperatures, washing times, and processing chemicals on the basis of the types of fabrics being laundered.

Determine the right washing program

The following parameters depict the proper washing program:

Duration

While choosing the right washing program, one should consider the level of the soil on the linen. Because, the more the soil is on the linen, the more time the washing program will take

for removing the dirt from the linen. The other factor which must be taken into account is the rate at which the soil is removed from the linen during the washing program. In the beginning of the wash cycle it is highest and then gets slower with the passage of time.

Temperature

The laundry workers usually to save energy select the lowest possible temperature to accomplish their tasks. But some types of soils need high temperatures for their cleaning and some detergents and chemicals perform their action only on high temperatures. Hence, one has to keep in mind this factor while selecting the right temperature for the wash cycle for example sheets and pillowcases require 95 degree Celsius washing temperature.

Agitation

It is the scrubbing action of the machine. Overloading the washers causes agitation which contributes to inadequate washing. Hence, one should not overload the washers as it will cause wear and tear in the equipment too.

Chemicals

One should also decide on the chemicals that will be used in washing, as some chemicals work best on particular types of soils and fabric.

Hardness of water

Hard water consists of salts which upon mixing with soap and synthetic detergents forms a sticky substance known as ‘soap curd’, which gets deposited on the laundry and makes articles stiff.

Number of wash cycles

It is better to take several shorter washes than one long one. Because clean water and freshly made up suds removes more soil than long wash.

Wash Cycle

There are nine steps in a typical wash cycle which are as follows:

Flush (1.30 – 3 minutes)

Water level s kept high and the articles are flushed at medium temperature. It is done to reduce the soil load for the next suds steps as these conditions are ideal for dissolving and diluting water-soluble salts.

Break (4 -10 minutes)

In this step, the water is kept at lower levels and the cycle is carried out at medium temperatures. The addition of a high alkaline ‘break’ product is done.

Suds (5 – 8 minutes)

The detergent is added in the cycle at this step. Now the articles are moved in hot water at low water levels.

Intermediate rinse/Carryover suds (2-5 minutes)

This cycle makes the action of bleach more effective by removing the soil and alkalinity from the linen. Like suds cycle, it also rinses linen at the same temperature.

Bleach (5-8 minutes)

Bleach when used, is added to hot water at a low water level. Bleach is used for killing bacteria, whitening fabrics, and removing stains.

Rinse (1:30-3 minutes)

Soil and detergent is removed from the linen by giving two or more rinses at medium temperature and high water levels.

Intermediate extract (1:30-2 minutes)

At this step, the remaining detergent and soil from the linen are removed by the high- speed spin. One should keep a gap between this cycle and suds step as it could drive back soils into the fabrics. And one should also not use this cycle on no-iron linen.

Sour/Softener/Starch/Sizing (3-5 minutes)

The fabrics are conditioned at this step by adding sours and softeners. This cycle is run at a medium temperature and at low water levels. Cotton fabrics are stiffened by adding starches.

Final extract (2-12 minutes)

This step is carried out by a high speed spin for removing linen moisture. The duration of the spin depends on the capacity of the extractor, fabric type, and speed of the extractor.

Rinsing

It is done by using hot and cold water.

Hydro-extraction

With the help of this step 50 per cent of the water used in the rinsing process is removed. Hence, it not only decreases the drying time as well as the load of the laundry. Which, in turn prevents creases from setting into the fabrics?

Finishing

In the laundry cycle, this stage is made up of the following processes:

Drying

The items which are needed to be dried after hydro-extraction are towels, wash cloths, and some no-iron line. The temperatures and drying items vary according to the type of linen. Rapid cooling and handling should be done to prevent the hot linen from being damaged or wrinkled. After drying, one should quickly remove the linen for folding.

Ironing

Towels do not need ironing whereas sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, and napkins are ironed in flatwork irons. Different steam presses are used for finishing uniforms and guest clothing. Sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, and napkins are pressed in flatwork irons.

Folding

It could be done by hand or with the help of machines. Folding personnel must inspect the linen before folding the linen and should remove those items which are not properly laundered, torn, and are unsuitable for laundering. Folding should be done well away

from the stored linen area to avoid re-sorting clean laundry.

Storing

At this stage, the items are again sorted before stacking. Post-sorting helps in eradicating any odd linen items that were missed in the pre-sorting step. In the storage area, there should be adequate space for storing at least one par of linen. After laundering, finished items should be kept on shelves for 24 hours because washing tend to damage linen more easily. Keeping the linen on shelves also helps to figure out the yellowing and fading of linen.

Transferring

As the name indicates in this step, the fresh and laundered articles are transported via carts to their respective areas of use.

Stain Removal

A stain can be defined as a spot or localized dislocation left on the fabric by the reaction with or absorption of foreign substance. It is also known as spot-cleaning. It is a skill that requires eye for detail, specific techniques, and long experience. While removing stains the following factors are needed to be kept in mind:

 The color and composition of the fabric.  The nature and age of the stain.

General Procedure of Stain Removal

The steps to be followed for removing the stains from fabrics are as follows:

1. Identify the stain 2. Classify the stains 3. Select the reagents to be used 4. Select the procedure to be used 5. Proceed step by step to remove stains

Identification of Stains

The selection of reagents and procedures to be followed for the removal of stains are decided in this step. Stains can be identified on the basis of their color, texture, or odour.

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Color

By seeing the color of the stain one can easily tell about the stain for e.g. a red stain may be the result of ink, tomato, nail polish, blood, or some medicine. Similarly, a yellow stain may be due to turmeric, gravy, medicine, or mangoes.

Texture

Surface of the stain also gives an idea about the type of stain. For e.g. hard surface of the stain could be due to egg and soft surface may be due to oil, ghee, lipstick etc.

Odor

Some stains have characteristic smell which helps in the identification of the stain. This smell can be smelt by rubbing one’s fingers on the surface of the stain and then smelling the fingers and stain.

CLASSIFICATION OF STAINS

Stains may be classified into different groups and the single stain can be grouped into more than one class. The various classes of the stains are as follows:

Animal Stains -These are caused by animal products such as blood, eggs, milk, meat etc.

Vegetable Stains - These stains are caused by the plant product, like tea, coffee, juice, tomato, gravy etc.

Grease – grease or some pigmented matter with a grease base account for these stains. Butter, ghee, oil, paint, varnish, tar, car grease etc. are the examples of this type of class.

Mineral Stains –They are formed by writing ink, medicines, dye stuffs, rust and so on.

Metalloid Stains -An example of this class of stains is iodine tincture.

Acidic Stains – Vinegar, urine (fresh), perspiration, and medicines containing nitric acid, picric acid etc. are examples of acidic stains.

Basic/Alkaline Stains – Perspiration and urine (old) are common examples of this type of stain.

Natural Dyes and Pigments –Henna, betel leaf, tobacco, chocolate, coffee, tea etc. are included in this class.

Synthetic dyes and Pigments – Its common examples are hair dyes, markers, type-writer ribbons and watercolors.

Sugar Solutions with Coloring Matter – Jams, jellies, soft drinks, syrups and puddings are the common examples of this class.

Miscellaneous – The stains which do not fall into any class are included into this class for e.g. mud, mildew, scorching etc.

Principals of Stain Removal

Nature of the Stain Principles of Removal

Acidic Neutralization with alkali followed by leaching out.

Basic Neutralization with acid followed by leaching out.

Protein Digestion with enzyme protease.

Mineral Oxidation or reduction followed by washing.

Metalloid Reduction with sodium thiosulphate followed by washing.

Fats and Oils Any one of the following processes:

 Saponification  Absorption by absorbent powder  Dissolution in a solvent  Emulsification

Grease Any one of the following processes:

 Absorption by an absorbent powder  Dissolution in a solvent  Emulsification

Natural Dyes and Oxidation Pigments

Synthetic Dyes and Any one of the following processes: Pigments  Reduction followed by oxidation  Oxidation followed by reduction  Acidification followed by reduction  Oxidation in acidic medium

Sugar Solution with Solubilization of sugar and reduction of color. Coloring Matter

Miscellaneous Each of these stains requires a special treatment.

Classification of Stain Removal Procedures

The procedures of stain removal are classified in the following ways:

By mode of Action

Stain removal procedures are categorized into five categories according to the mode of action of the stain removal agent:

Solvent Action

Water or organic solvent are used for dissolving out the stain.

Mechanical and Emulsifying Action

It removes the stain without dissolving it.

Chemical Action

Here oxidation or reduction reaction makes an insoluble stain colorless and soluble and then it can be washed out of the fabric.

Digestion

In this enzyme-containing products are used as pre-soaks or in detergents to break down the stain into soluble substances that can be leached out.

Absorption

Certain powders such as fuller’s earth are able to absorb or adsorb grease and oils.

By Method of Application

On the basis of the method of application of the stain removal agent, the process may be categorized into following types:

Drop Method

The stained part of the fabric is stretched over a basin and small drops of the stain-removal agent are poured on it with a glass rod or dropper.

Dip Method

The stained area of the fabric is filled with the stain-remover solution. It is the most appropriate method when the stain is large or if there are many spots spread across the fabric.

Steam Method

Stains on wool, silk, or an, or any colored fabric can be removed by steaming. The stained area is saturated with steam area is saturated with steam byspreading the cloth over a basin half-filled with hot water into which a small amount of the appropriate removal agent has been placed.

Sponge Method

The stain-removal agent is applied on the stained area of the fabric with a sponge. It is the most widely used method of stain removal.

Absorption Method

In this method, the soiled part of the fabric is placed on a sheet of blotting paper. The absorbent powder is spread on the soiled area, rubbed in lightly, and allowed to adsorb or absorb the grease. This method can also be carried out by applying a paste of the absorbent paper, letting it sit, and then scraping off the paste.

Spotting

For removing stains, laundries employ specialists known as ‘spotters’. They possess detailed knowledge of fabrics and dyestuffs. They know about the working of various chemicals on stains, fabrics, and dyes. They also have the skills and techniques required for handling various chemicals and removing stains from different types of fabrics without damaging the material.

Dry Cleaning

It is the process of fabrics in a substantially non-aqueous liquid. By the application of detergents and various other agents, it removes oils as well as many water-soluble and insoluble materials.

Process of Dry Cleaning

Marking

Soiled linen is sent to the marking area. Here the linen is given individual number or code, which helps the laundry staff in identification of the linen.

Sorting

Here the garments are divided into six major groups and each group is kept in a different hamper. Each hamper contains only one class of garments and can hold a weight of 45 kg.

The clothes are sorted in following six major groups:

 White and light-colored clothes  Dark-colored woolens  Dark-colored clothes  Drapery and furniture covers  White and light-colored woolens  Raincoats

At this stage, excess of dirt is brushed, pockets are checked and fancy accessories (buttons, buckles) are removed.

Application of Absorbents

To remove grease from all kind of materials absorbents are applied. The commonly used absorbents are: French chalk, moong powder, Fuller’s earth, bran, and commercial powders sold in perforated-top tins.

Pre-Spotting

Solvents are applied to heavily soiled area of the linen. Different type of solvents are applied for cleaning different type of stain like Air-borne stains are removed by applying volatile dry solvents such as amyl acetate while paint and varnish stains are treated with

non-volatile solvents and so on. Pre spotters with spotting guns are used for spraying the solvent on the soiled area.

Cleaning

Approximately 45 kg load of soiled linen is transferred to the dry-cleaning cylinder. At first, very delicate linen is placed in the net bag first. A suitable solvent is circulated through the clothes. The contact time of the clothes with the solvent and the rinse time changes according to the rate of flow of the solvent, the type and size of the workload. It can vary from 5 to 45 minutes depending on fabric composition and degree of soiling.

Extraction

Revolving perforated cylinder of the tumbler applies centrifugal force and removes extra solvent. Modern dry cleaning machines perform the cleaning and extraction task in the same cylinder.

Drying

Now, the garments are dried in a dryer who has a perforated drum enclosed in a tumbler. For drying the clothes, hot air is passed through the clothes and is sucked out by an exhaust fan. The temperature is kept at 40 degree Celsius.

Filtering and Distillation of the Solvents

Solvents are very costly; hence they are filtered out, distilled, and reused.

Inspection

Inspection of each article is done at this stage. If any spots or stains are found the garments are sent back for re-spotting.

Finishing

At this stage, the garment is tried to restore to its original shape, feel, size, and appearance. The clean garments are then pressed. Pressing is the costliest operation in dry cleaning.

Packing

Buttons and buckles which were removed earlier are stitched back again. Finally, the garments are packed in paper or hanged in cloth hangers covered with polythene bags. Now they are ready for the delivery to guests.

Handling Guest Laundry

Handling of the guest laundry is one of the most important responsibilities of the housekeeping department. It must ensure that guest laundry is picked up on time, laundered and returned back to the guests on time. Generally the guest laundry is collected in the morning and is delivered back in the same evening.

Laundry Lists

All guestrooms of hotel are supplied with laundry bags and laundry lists. The guest places the soiled clothes in the laundry bag, fills the laundry form with all the necessary details and makes a call to the housekeeping department for the collection of his soiled clothes. The valets should check the room for laundry, even if the guest has not made a call.

The valets check the clothes against the list and transfer them to the linen room. The clothes are checked for any repairs needed and stray items left in the pockets, the linen is marked or

tagged, and details are recorded to avoid misplacement. Washing, dry-cleaning, or ironing is done as per the request of the guests. Prior to ironing, re-sorting of the clothes is done according to room numbers. After ironing the clothes are packed and returned back to the guestrooms with the counterfoil of the laundry list. Items which were fund in the pockets are delivered to the guests along with the laundry. Laundry bills are sent to the office, where they are added to the master bill.

Valet Service

Most hotels provide valet service for the movement of guest laundry. They collect the guest laundry from guestroom. They match the contents of the laundry bag with the laundry list, which is placed in the laundry bag along with clothes by the guest. The valet requests the guest to rectify the mistake, if the list does not match with the clothes. Valets also return back the guest laundry to guests as per their requirement.

Summary

In any hotel establishment, a lot of dirty linen accumulates in the various units and departments. It is essential to ensure a continuous supply of linen, which is well laundered, so that operation can be carried out smoothly and efficiently. Linen is an expensive item, so how it will be laundered, requires serious consideration. Hence, the staff of housekeeping department must be well versed with the various operations of the laundry like laundry process, handling of guest laundry, stain removal and dry cleaning and so on.