MILFORD, Ohio — SEM Haven, a nonprofit ministry here providing nursing and residential care for older adults, has more than 130 rooms and is dedicated to providing the highest quality care for its residents.
The facility operates an on-premises laundry equipped with four washers and can process more than 14,000 pounds of linens per month.
“A well-managed laundry program is key for infection prevention and resident satisfaction,” says Juanita Williams, environmental services director.
“With our previous vendor, our operation was dealing with stains and odors, even after linens emerged from the wash. Our residents require linens to be clean and sanitary, so a new approach was necessary.”
SOLUTION
SEM Haven’s environmental cleanliness partner, InnoServ, proposed that the facility invest in its chemical/service package that includes equipment from Hydro, which delivers chemical dispensing and dosing innovations.
“We always want to deliver the best service and results for our customers,” says Rob Purdum, service specialist, InnoServ.
“We’re continually looking for the highest quality equipment and realized that SEM Haven needed more reliable solutions that would not put residents at risk or require frequent maintenance.”
InnoServ oversaw the installation of several useful laundry solutions, including:
EvoClean—the world’s first venturi-based, water-powered laundry dispenser. InnoServ installed four units at SEM Haven.
EvoClean does not use squeeze tubes, so it eliminates the frequent service and maintenance associated with these parts and maintains consistent performance over time. This results in more predictable wash results than traditional peristaltic tube pumps.
Connected Total Eclipse—an Internet of Things (IoT) electronic controller that leverages the Hydro Connect platform. The controller is specifically designed for on-premises laundry operations and shares critical site data via Hydro Connect.
Laundry managers and chemical providers can access real-time and historical reporting on productivity, chemical usage (including ounces per formula), costs and alarms.
“As a service specialist, it’s very helpful to have the ability to access laundry data online and see what’s happening live, especially given that we are typically managing 20 different accounts,” adds Purdum.
RESULTS
According to Williams, “everything is perfect now” with the combination of EvoClean, Connected Total Eclipse and Hydro Connect in the laundry.
“We always want to deliver the best service and results for our customers,” says Rob Purdum, service specialist with InnoServ.
With Hydro’s solutions in place, SEM Haven and InnoServ realize the following benefits:
Cleaner, more hygienic linens—“The whites are the whitest I’ve seen,” Williams says.
Because the system accurately and reliably doses chemicals, the linens emerge without stains. Staff has also noticed that laundered items have a better scent.
SEM Haven can rest assured that the linens are hygienically clean and will not put residents at risk.
According to Purdum, “I feel like I’m getting a more accurate ratio of detergent with EvoClean because it doesn’t rely on squeeze pumps that lose effectiveness over time. This has improved the look of the linens.”
Reduced operating costs—Before having Hydro’s connected dispensing solutions, Purdum’s visits to SEM Haven were usually consumed with changing failed parts and aging squeeze tubes that degrade and impact dosing accuracy.
Now, his visits are more strategic, as he has time to review metrics, have productive discussions with Williams and make recommendations.
Plus, he can see what’s happening with the washers remotely and make configuration changes via Hydro Connect– eliminating downtime and the drivers of the most common reactive visits each month.
Additionally, the previous system required SEM Haven to frequently rewash linens that had lingering stains or odors. Now, because the equipment accurately delivers each formula, the site is experiencing better wash results and reduced need for additional chemical, water and energy consumption.
Purdum can also advise Williams if loads are errantly being run with costlier formulas that use more chemicals.
Simplified yet detailed reporting—Williams previously had to manually secure load counts from each washer on a monthly basis. This required her to input a passcode to each machine and write down the number of loads processed.
With Hydro Connect, all key washer metrics are easily accessible in downloadable reports.
Meanwhile, Purdum can keep a close eye on chemical usage, alarms and costs to ensure the formulas are being properly dosed with minimal downtime.
Both Williams and Purdum would recommend Hydro’s solutions to other laundry managers.
“This system is very simple to use and we no longer have any issues with the laundry,” adds Williams.
“We consider these dispensers the best in the industry,” Purdum shares.
“EvoClean is foolproof and leads to less rewash and downtime, while the integration with Hydro Connect gives real-time visibility into the laundry program to improve the quality of our service.”
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
