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Value of Creating, Implementing Linen Stain Processes

Ways to improve finding, handling stains along with promoting proper linen usage to customers

SEMINOLE, Fla. — Hard to believe, just like that, the holiday season was here and gone. The year 2021 is now in the sights of our rearview mirrors, waving goodbye, and hello 2022. 

Personally, I will miss spending the holidays with my family, because as we all know when said and done, when it comes to the holidays whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or celebrating/ringing in the New Year, it’s all about family.

This past Thanksgiving, after all vaccination cards were checked and verified, we were fortunate and lucky enough to entertain our family like we did pre-COVID days. All of our children, along with (fingers crossed) our soon to be son-in-law, daughter-in-law as well as all the nieces and nephews, were at our home to help celebrate Thanksgiving and start the holiday season. 

What a time we had, sharing stories, laughs and of course lots of good wine. Unfortunately for a select few, the wine glasses were a little tipsy and spilled onto my wife’s nice white tablecloth. The guilty parties apologized and offered to buy a new tablecloth. 

My wife, however, never blinked an eye in panic. In fact, she looked up and said, and I quote, “Not to worry, I will stain treat it and it will all come clean. In fact, I promise after my stain treatment it will be back into service on the same table for the next holiday when we all get together again.”

Listening to this made me smile and ponder as to how commercial laundries handle their stain wash. 

  • What processes/procedures/systems do commercial laundries have in place that differ from what my better half was going to use?
  • What procedures and methods do laundries use to identify stains and damaged goods?
  • How do laundries reclaim product internally and treat stained or damaged linen?
  • Do laundries use any type of pre- or post-sorting methods to identify stained or damaged goods?
  • Do laundries take the time to sit with their customers to discuss excessive stained and/or damaged product and work with them to implement procedures to reduce stains and damages?

With the cost of linens and other products laundries purchase to rent and use to service their customers’ needs rising at a feverous pace, the key to a successful business is the ability to reclaim stained or damaged linens and/or uniforms.

The sorting of stained and damaged linen typically starts in our soil departments when our dedicated teams receive, break down and classify the soiled products as they are offloaded from the trucks returning from our individual customers. 

Rarely, but in some cases, stained and damaged linens and/or uniforms are set aside from the regular soiled linen by the customer in separate collection bins or hampers strategically placed by the laundry’s customer-service team in an effort to identify stained and/or damaged product before they return to the plant.

On the plant level, it is very important that we have systems in place for identifying and reclaiming stained or damaged linen and/or uniforms. In some cases, laundries may use a re-sorting method to capture stained or damaged products.

Realistically, however, a majority of laundries have implemented a post-sorting system. This system involves the separation of stained and damaged linen and uniforms that have gone through the initial sorting and cleaning process. 

The stained items are typically sent back to the soil room for reprocessing using a stain wash formula developed by their chemical suppliers who develop and furnish our laundries with specific wash formulas.

Misclassified items typically are treated as standard soiled items while all stained product is returned to the washroom to be processed again using a special intense stain wash formula. 

The goal of these special stain wash formulas is to remove the stains and reclaim the linens and/or uniforms as acceptable quality merchandise. Once they go through the stain wash process and meet the quality standards established by the laundry, they can and will go back into the field for further use. 

In the event the stains do not come out and the product is deemed or considered not acceptable by not meeting the established standards for acceptable linen to be used with their customer base, they will typically either be downgraded for use in another area or replaced with new product that is acceptable for use and meets our customers’ expectations. 

When dealing with uniforms, lab coats and other types of apparel, these products will typically go through a pre-sort process in an effort to collect any pens or sharps that may have inadvertently been left in the pockets of the uniforms. One pen can ruin an entire load or several loads of product when going through the wash process. 

Meanwhile during the post-sort process, any and all damaged uniforms, once identified will be transferred to an identified area to be either be repaired and placed back into the system for use or replaced with new product when no longer meeting the standards set for acceptable product. 

It is important to know that quality inspection continues through all stages of processing from the minute it is picked up at the customer site through the final stages when packed out to be returned to our customer. It is our obligation to examine and check to make sure we are delivering quality products to our customers as they expect that.

In the event you have customers who continually stain, damage or abuse product, whether it be linen, towels, scrubs, lab coats, uniforms or any other type of textile product, it is up to your team to flag this particular account for possible abuse. 

At this time, if not already established, it might be a good time to develop and implement a Customer Abuse Program. Introducing a simple program like this to your customer base could help in accomplishing many areas:

  • By identifying and showing the stained and/or abused items to your customers, it can identify the possible root or cause of staining and/or damage.
  • By meeting and presenting these stained or damaged items with customers on a regular basis, you might find out that the product is not being used in the proper environment or application, thus causing the continual staining and/or damage. 
  • This learning process might allow you to recommend a different product for use that will now reduce or eliminate the staining or damage.
  • By having these meetings with the customer base, we might also be able to identify an internal issue with one or several employees who are habitual abusers of uniforms and machinery. Keep in mind that in some cases (hopefully not here) some employees tend to think NMG (Not My Goods), if not mine I can abuse it. 
  • By having these meetings and finding the real causes of the staining and damage, we can ensure our product life is enhanced and last longer before being downgraded or ragged. This will help us in the reduction of replacements and can add dollars to our bottom line.
  • Last and probably the most important, having random meetings to sit with your customers to review internal and external issues that may be having an impact on the quality of service being given develops a stronger trust factor that will equate to a happy customer and long-lasting relationship. 

One of the most important lessons I have learned over my 35 years plus in this industry is The Customer Is Always Right no matter how we feel. Our customers have choices and it is up to us to make sure we establish a good rapport with them.

Anybody can rent and launder product, but not everyone can provide service that not only meets your customer’s needs but exceeds them as well without breaking the bank.

Take the time to sit and talk with your customers. Ask them what is it that you can do better to enhance their daily or weekly experience with you and your team. You might be surprised at what you hear.

This brings me back to what my wife uses to clean the stains in our linen or clothing, a good soak in OxiClean and water. Works every time. 

May 2022 be a successful and stain-free year for all of us.

Value of Creating, Implementing Linen Stain Processes

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].