Hotel Linen Washing: Secrets and Persistence Behind Cleanliness

The washing of hotel and guesthouse linens is a task with large quantities and high quality requirements. It not only needs to thoroughly remove dirt from the linens but also focus on extending their service life. To achieve ideal results, scientific washing methods and reasonable washing procedures must be adopted.

Scientific washing methods should be based on equipment functions to achieve precise matching of materials and procedures. Cotton linens have loose fibers and need to be washed in a fully automatic washing and extracting machine using the "gentle mode". The drum speed should be controlled at 60-80 rpm, combined with a water temperature of 40-60°C and neutral detergents to avoid fiber hardening. For chemical fiber blended linens, the "standard mode" can be activated, with the speed increased to 100 rpm and the water temperature raised to 70°C. The equipment's gradient heating function is used to activate the detergent's activity. For protein-based stains, the pre-soaking program of the washing and extracting machine plays a key role: protease reagents are added to a 30°C constant temperature water bath, and the drum rotates intermittently (stirring for 30 seconds every 5 minutes) to fully decompose the stains, which is 3 times more efficient than manual soaking. Experimental data from a laundry factory shows that correctly matching equipment programs can reduce the linen damage rate by 20%.

The design of a reasonable washing procedure needs to rely on the multi-stage operation characteristics of the washing and extracting machine to achieve step-by-step cleaning. In the pre-washing stage, the machine injects room temperature water and runs at a low speed of 50 rpm for 5 minutes. The spray system 冲洗 surface dust, which can reduce detergent consumption in the main washing stage by 30%. The main washing stage is divided into three progressive links: the mechanical stripping period (80 rpm, 10 minutes) uses the mechanical force generated by the drum rotation to strip stubborn stains; the chemical reaction period (60°C water temperature, 15 minutes) maintains a constant temperature through the heating device to ensure that enzymes and surfactants fully play their roles; the sterilization period (90°C high temperature, 8 minutes) achieves physical sterilization through the equipment's steam heating system, killing 99.9% of pathogenic bacteria. The rinsing stage adopts a combined mode of "3 water injections + high-speed dehydration". After each water injection, the drum speed is gradually increased to 1200 rpm, reducing the linen moisture content to below 30%, laying the foundation for the subsequent drying process.

The purpose of flushing is: first, to moisten the linens, make the fabric fibers expand, facilitate the removal of dirt, and help clean the dirt; second, to use the action of water and mechanical force to wash away as much water-soluble dirt in the washed linens as possible, so as to reduce the consumption of detergents in the procedure. This process does not require any agents, and the purpose can be achieved only by making good use of the flushing procedure. Therefore, it is crucial for the subsequent steps and reducing washing costs. At present, many laundry rooms do not have flushing, or think that flushing is only to moisten the linens, so they drain the water as soon as the linens are wetted. In fact, at this time, the linens are not fully soaked, and the purpose of flushing to remove water-soluble dirt and surface-adsorbed dirt on the linens cannot be achieved. Therefore, the practice of not flushing or only wetting the linens is not advisable.

The water level for flushing should be medium. Practice has proved that although high water level provides more sufficient water, it will weaken the mechanical effect generated by the rotation of the washing machine drum due to excessive water, failing to form sufficient water impact force and affecting the flushing effect. If the medium water level is chosen, the water impact force can be increased, and the mechanical effect of the drum can be better exerted. Therefore, it is appropriate to use medium water level for "flushing", and the flushing time is 2-3 minutes. The water temperature can be set at 30°C-40°C. If the water temperature is too low, the expansion of fabric fibers is not obvious, which is not conducive to removing dirt. If the water temperature is too high, some dirt will be fixed on the linens. For example, protein-containing dirt will deteriorate and coagulate under the action of excessively high temperature, making it quite difficult to remove. The number of flushes is 1-2 times.

Water quality treatment is an important link that is easily overlooked in scientific washing. Calcium and magnesium ions in hard water will combine with detergents to form precipitates, which not only reduce the decontamination effect but also form a gray layer on the surface of the linens. Professional laundry factories will control the water hardness below 50ppm through ion exchange equipment, and cooperate with the use of chelating agents to increase the detergent activity by more than 40%. The rinsing stage adopts a three-stage process of "high temperature - normal temperature - softened water". The first high-temperature rinsing (50°C) accelerates the decomposition of residual detergents, the second normal-temperature rinsing reduces the water temperature, and the third softened water rinsing eliminates mineral deposits, ensuring that the pH value of the linens is stable in the neutral range of 6.5-7.5.

The scientific use of industrial dryers is the key to ensuring the texture of linens. The intelligent temperature control system of the equipment can set exclusive parameters for different types of linens: towel linens choose the "fluffy drying mode" with an air inlet temperature of 80°C and a drum speed of 25 rpm. The reverse air flow design keeps the fibers in an upright state, and the drying time is controlled at 25 minutes; bed sheets and quilt covers use the "flat drying mode" with low-temperature drying at 60°C for 35 minutes, combined with an internal humidity sensor to achieve "intelligent shutdown". When the linen moisture content is detected to be below 10%, it automatically powers off to avoid shrinkage and deformation caused by over-drying, which can save 25% of energy compared with traditional timed drying. The ironing procedure adjusts the pressure according to the thickness of the linens: thick fabrics such as bed sheets require a pressure of 1.5 kg/cm² with a high temperature of 160°C, while thin fabrics such as towels reduce the pressure to 0.8 kg/cm² and control the temperature below 120°C to avoid excessive fiber stretching. This differentiated treatment can extend the linen replacement cycle by 3 months and increase the fluffiness of the linens by 15% to save costs.

The fiber strength of hotel linens will decrease after washing. The increase in the number of washings of hotel linens will lead to more or less a decrease in fabric fiber strength and a reduction in fabric cohesion, but this decrease is very slow. If the decrease is too large, it indicates that there is a problem with the washing process. 1. Excessive concentration of bleaching agents, especially excessive addition of chlorine bleach, will seriously damage the degree of polymerization of the fabric. 2. The pH value of chlorine bleach is too low. If the pH value of chlorine bleach is too low during washing, it will cause the chlorine bleach to release too quickly, which will affect the fiber strength. 3. If the temperature is too high during bleaching, it will cause excessive bleaching and damage the fibers. 4. Long-term washing in high temperature and high alkali environment. Although pure cotton fabrics are relatively alkali-resistant and heat-resistant, long-term washing in such an environment will also cause the fiber strength to decrease too quickly. 5. The water level is too low during washing, resulting in excessive detergent concentration and excessive torque of the laundry machinery, which damages the fabric. 6. The drum does not rotate during the bleaching process, resulting in excessive concentration of local bleaching agents for a period of time, which damages the plant fibers. 7. Pure cotton fabrics are very sensitive to acid, and adding acidic substances to detergents will cause great damage to the fiber strength of pure cotton fabrics.

In today's increasingly refined hotel services, linen washing has upgraded from a simple "cleaning task" to a technology-intensive system engineering. Only by integrating scientific methods into every operational detail and standardizing every process node with reasonable procedures can we ensure the health and safety of guests while realizing the sustainable development of hotel operations.