I own a successful laundromat in a small Midwestern town. One of my promotions is giving my customers free detergent – all they need Monday through Friday. The problem I have is that some of the customers use too much of the detergent and over-suds the washers.
I was thinking of mixing the detergent with water, cutting it by 50 percent. Will this work? Should I do it?
It depends on the detergent. Some detergents contain solids that emulsify only when heated at a certain temperature and given a certain amount of time. Some less-expensive detergents emulsify in warm water only.
You could try mixing your detergent with warm water and then let the solution sit for a couple of days to see if there is a separation. Generally, if there is separation, the solids will sink to the bottom.
Other the other hand, why go through all of this? Perhaps just give your customers less detergent. Buy some cups that will hold only the proper amount of detergent for a certain size of washer. For example, you could have a four-ounce cup for your toploaders, a six-ounce cup for your 50-pound washers and so on.
I’m building a new laundromat, and I’m confused about what to do with regard to my store’s plumbing. I have the choice of going with a solid pipe drain system or a trough drain system. What do you think I should do?
In my opinion, a trough system is definitely the better way to go. With a trough, you can dump a much higher volume of water, thus preventing backups. In addition, such a system is easier to clean. And, if it’s properly installed, you will eliminate the need for very much main line rodding for several years. Plus, coins won’t plug up the main line, because they will remain at the bottom of the trough where they can be easily picked up.
The only negative factor of a trough system is that you may on occasion need to pour in a gallon of bleach, if you develop any odors. However, your drain system is pitched correctly, you shouldn’t have that problem.
I do a lot of wash-dry-fold laundry at my store, and lately I’ve had trouble with mildew stains. What is the proper way of removing mildew?
There are two types of mildew stains – green and black.
If the stains are green, you should wash the garments in hot water with a strong, high-quality chlorine bleach. Then, immediately re-wash the items in a normal wash cycle using detergent. Do not dry the clothes after that first hot-water wash – go directly into the second wash cycle.
If the mildew stains are black, soak the items overnight in hot water and chlorine bleach. Then, remove the garments while still wet and run them through a normal wash cycle.
