Get Your Clothes, Uniforms and Linens Cleaned the Right Way!
Doing the laundry is one of the most tedious and boring household jobs. This is the type of job that you need to invest a lot of time and effort, and yet still fail to get the best results in many cases.
Even with business establishments, same problem can be expected when it comes to laundering clothes and linens. Management of hospitality businesses, such as restaurants and hotels, is demanding enough. Imagine having to take care of matters like linen care and laundry, which is likely the non-profitable aspect and the least important part of a business.
A professional laundry shop, like Laundry First, offers a range of services suitable for residential and commercial establishments. These allows for more time, energy and resources on your part to do more significant responsibilities instead of just spending precious hours of your day tackling the laundry.
The Difference Between Laundry Washing and Dry Cleaning
It turns out that ‘laundry washing’ and ‘dry cleaning’ are two different things when it comes to the process of cleaning your clothes. Here’s what you need to know, so you can determine which method suits best for your clothes’ cleaning needs.
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Cleaning Process
Laundry washing uses water to act as solvent for soaps and detergents. Bleach and fabric softeners are also used to treat stains and the material itself. On the contrary, dry cleaning uses a chemical solvent, usually perchloroethylene, for the removal of stains. As the name entails, dry cleaning does not wet the item; the method keeps the item dry while treating the stain and cleaning the piece entirely.
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Safety
Laundry washing is said to be safer, since no strong chemicals are used. With dry cleaning, since it calls for stronger cleaning products, it can pose a risk for those with sensitive skin.
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Affordability
Conventional laundry method is more affordable as it consumes less electricity, while dry cleaning is costlier as it requires the use of chemicals and consumes more power to operate.
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Benefits
Dry cleaning helps prolong the piece’s quality, retains its texture and prevents color fading, while laundry is notorious of color bleeding, crumpling the fabric and even shrinking the size of the clothing item.
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Suitability
Whether an item needs to be laundry washed or dry cleaned depends on its materials and type of fabric used. Some items, like gowns and suits, require to be dry cleaned to preserve its form and prevent damage to its delicate details; while other regular items like shirts and pants can be cleaned in conventional way and ironed in continuous steam. The best way to tell is to read the care label attached to your clothing piece.
Dry Cleaning: Which Fabrics Really Need It and Why
The fibers that make up a fabric usually tells whether it requires dry cleaning. Here are some that we suggest are more ideal for dry cleaning.
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Rayon may seem to belong in the ‘no brainer’ category of household laundering items, but it is actually considered a semi-synthetic, which calls for a delicate style of cleaning. Its silk-like fibers do not hold dyes well. Therefore, washing it along with the rest of the laundry can ruin an entire batch if the color bleeds. Go for dry cleaning instead to avoid this risk.
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Silk has really strong fibers that it is unable to completely absorb dyes applied to it. Dry cleaning is your safest cleaning method to ensure you can preserve the color of your favorite silk items.
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Wool is just as durable as silk—as long as it is not submerged in water. Try doing so and you will shrink your wool jacket dramatically, may it be hot or cold water. Dry cleaning prevents such instances and will help keep your wool items last for years.
5 Common Clothes Stains and How to Remove Them
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Blood Stains
Minor scrapes and sports injuries can lead to blood stains. To clean such stain, use detergent or cleaners that are specifically designed to break down protein stains, like dishwashing liquid and hydrogen peroxide.
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Condiment Stains
Whether it’s ketchup, mustard, soy sauce or barbecue sauce, wash the stain right away with cold water to prevent it from saturating the cloth fibers and permanently staining the fabric. Just like any other stain, a little bit of bleach may be required.
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Fruit Stain
Wash the garment with detergent in hot water. Note: Do not use soap, since soap-based products can cause a reaction that can make the stain permanent. For tougher fruit stains, soak in one quart of warm water and one teaspoon of enzyme presoak for 30 minutes. Wash as usual with bleach to remove any remains.
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Coffee Stains
While the stain is still fresh, rinse it with cold water. Add detergent directly to the stain and then rub the area until the stain is completely removed. For older stains, put a few drops of white vinegar onto the stain and run cold water to it while rubbing the area. You can also use baking soda; applying it with wet cloth to scrub away the stain.
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Mud Stains
Let the stain dry, so you can easily remove the soil. Soak the stained part for 15 minutes in this solution: a quart of warm water, a tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of dish detergent. After which, wash it like you used to with water, detergent and a bit of bleach.
Prolonging the Lifespan of Your Clothes
Getting the most out of your garments involves more than just cleaning your clothes the right way. Here are a few tips to make sure that your favorite pieces stay crisp for years.
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Wash (and dry clean) properly as stated in the care label
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Treat stains right away
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Use steam generator iron to straighten stubborn creases instantly
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Use hypoallergenic laundry products
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Check pockets for loose items before washing
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Use proper hangers to preserve the form of clothing pieces
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Iron in lowest possible setting as some fabrics heats up quickly
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Avoid spraying too much perfume on garments
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Store clothes properly in areas free from moths
How to Wash Towels and Bed Sheets
Your towels and bed sheets are some of the everyday items that need to be regularly washed and requires steam boost to maintain freshness and cleanliness of your place. For commercial use, like for those offering accommodation services, have these linens washed every day. For residential use, on the other hand, you can get away by washing your sheets and towels once every four to five days.
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Use Vinegar and Detergent on Towels
To set the colors, wash towels with similar colors together in warm water for the first few washings. Use half of the recommended amount of detergent and mix in half a cup to one cup of vinegar to the water to help set the color and remove excess detergent residue from the towels.
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Wash Them in Their Own Load
Wash towels with towels, and sheets with sheets. As much as possible, don’t mix them or even wash them with the rest of your clothes. If you’re having your items laundered, make sure to emphasize having your towels, bed sheets and clothes in separate batches.
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Use Fabric Softener Sparingly
Softeners are okay for bed sheets, but not ideal for towels. Build up of wax from softeners can deteriorate towel fibers over time and affect its absorbency. For comforters, it’s safe to use fabric softeners to keep the fabric lax and easy. But we suggest using it every other wash to minimize its fading effects on the fibers.
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Have Them Air Dried and Ironed
Hang towels and sheets on a clothesline outdoors. Sunshine is a natural disinfectant, which is what you need on these type of household items. For your bed sheets, a good ironing service is essential after air drying to kill traces of germs and dust mites that might remain after washing.
How Commercial Laundry Can Be Beneficial for Establishments?
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Save Time and Money
Doing your own laundry means investing on your own washer and dryer and taking time away from employees to do more profitable responsibilities. When you outsource, you free your employees (or yourself) from the laundry works and dedicate more time on doing more important tasks.
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Quicker Turnaround Time
If anyone in your office is doing the laundry in addition to other tasks, chances are it is not in their priority list. They need to do more important stuff, so the laundry may sit waiting for longer time in the washer. When you let your dirty fabrics handled by a professional laundry service, you can be certain that all your stuff will be returned the next day—all clean, ironed out and folded neatly.
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Reduce Stress on the Environment
Imagine having to wash just a few uniforms or table cloths—it won’t fill up a load of laundry. You will put more stress on the environment by wasting energy and water for washing small loads. Plus, do you have enough space to accommodate a huge water tank and a backyard space to dry all those fabrics?
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Offers Employee Benefits
Consider having a commercial laundry wash your employee laundry—or at least just their uniforms. Your employees will be happy of this perk, and their uniforms will remain fresh and presentable at all times.
Why You Should Engage with a Professional Laundry Service?
The need for a professional laundry service all boils down to how much you really need it. If it is too much for you to juggle laundry works with other responsibilities, working with us here at Laundry First is your best option to lighten your work load.
For business establishments, we also provide laundry services and packages that will suit the demands of washing in volumes. Incorporating laundry service to your operations will help smooth out your workflow, make it easier for you to focus on more important tasks and save a lot of precious time and resources.
