Laundering Luxurious Linens
By Jan Rupnick
There is a new trend in hotel bedding. Many chains are beginning to upgrade sheet thread counts and comforter quality. They are also offering more luxurious materials and pillows than before.
The Marriott family of hotels is one of the leaders in establishing a new standard in comfort when staying at a hotel. With higher quality mattresses, down pillows, down blankets and duvet covers, staying in one of these rooms is a treat to weary travelers.
BETTER BEDDING
While double sheets used to be the norm, triple sheets are now becoming common. Where two pillows where standard issue in a hotel room, up to four down pillows can be found in the Marriott’s Revive bedding.
“Our sheet thread counts have gone from a 180 thread count to a 300 thread count,” says Scott Mitchell, director, operating supplies and stands for Marriott International. “We also use a down blanket with duvet cover for a more luxurious bed.”
This style of bedding that is being brought to Marriott hotels and resorts, are also finding a way into other hotel chains through out the world as well. And customer response has been a significant driver in these changes.
“The response to the Revive bedding has been fabulous,” says Mitchell. “Guests are noticing the upgraded sheets, duvets and duvet covers. They appreciate the luxurious feel of the new beds.”
With the upgraded linens, meeting laundry requirements are becoming more of a challenge.
“The biggest laundry difference has been making sure the down blankets and duvets are dried properly and thoroughly,” says Mitchell. “If they aren’t completely dry, the down will start to breakdown.”
To help keep their Revive bedding in tip top condition, Marriott relies on its various laundry equipment distributors and their chemical supply company for assistance.
SELECTING THE RIGHT WASHER TO PROCESS MORE LINEN
As thread counts increase, so does the weight of the linens. There are also more cotton fibers which retain more water during extraction. As this occurs, selecting the right washer to process linens becomes even more important.
“Because of the increase in load size and the types of fabrics being processed, it is more important now to work closely with your chemical supply company and your laundry equipment distributor,” says Trebor Brown of Southeastern Laundry Equipment Sales out of Atlanta, GA.
When choosing a washer-extractor to meet the needs of processing higher quality linen, Shady suggests looking for a washer that has a higher G-Force.
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“With a G-force of 300, you will remove more water from the linens being processed,” says Brown. “The higher the G-force, the shorter the dry time, and with a shorter drying time, the less wear and tear on the fabric.”
With the Department of Energy predicting a 50 percent increase in natural gas prices, hotels are looking ways to conserve. With a higher G-force, hotels can experience the benefit of reduced gas consumption.
“With the higher G-force hotels can reduce drying time by as much as two hours per day,” says John Martin of Scott Equipment, Houston, TX. “This shorter drying time means less gas, which means a lower gas cost.”
LAUNDRY CHANGES
With all of the upgrades in linen quality, the question becomes what type of chemicals to use and determining the proper formulas to achieve acceptable laundering results. To ensure a quality wash, Martin recommends working closely with your chemical supply company.
“With larger volumes by weight in laundries, it’s important to look at the laundry process. By working with their chemical supply company hotels will be able to adjust their laundry process to meet the needs of the new linen requirements, while maintaining things like labor costs,” says Martin
According to Ecolab, there are no chemical changes to the wash process, but rather procedural changes.
“Hotels will not have to change their chemicals,” says John Birckbichler, Director of Corporate Account Technical Support for EcoLab. “But they will have to change the procedures they use to process the upgraded linens.”
As the tightness of the weave and/or thickness of the textile increases it will take additional time for the chemicals to penetrate the fabric; release the soil and rinse from the items being laundered.
“This change in required time and procedure will depend on the items being processed,” adds Birckbichler.
Whether you are just starting to upgrade your linens and bedding, or you’ve already completed the process, by working with a knowledgeable laundry equipment distributor and an experienced chemical supply company, you can insure that you have happy guests by providing linens and bedding that will maintain their luxury for years to come.
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