I’m in the process of replacing my old washers with new energy-efficient units. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these new machines, and will I really save money on my utilities?
Yes, you will save money on your utility costs. The new washers have more energy-efficient motors and, therefore, use less electricity. In addition, the water levels can be adjusted to enable you to use less water. You also can add or eliminate certain functions, such as a pre-wash or a rinse cycle.
However, as a word of caution, be sure that you know your customer base well before you start changing water levels or getting rid of any pre-wash cycles.
If you lower your water levels and you’re located in a market where the customers are noted for overloading the machines, you’ll probably be inundated with complaints that there isn’t enough water to wash their clothes. What’s more, if you eliminate the pre-wash cycle, I would strongly suggest adding some extra time to the wash cycle – otherwise the quality of the wash very likely may suffer.
All in all, upgrading to new, energy-efficient washers is a great idea for everyone involved – you and your customers. But, once again, you must fully understand your customers’ wants and needs when setting wash times, cycles and water levels on these new machines, because your customers will know if they’re not getting their money’s worth.
I installed a series of tankless water heaters in my laundry, and they’re working out great. They turn on only when the washers are being used, which is saving me money. So far, it seems like I made the right choice? However, I’m interested to know your opinion of these tankless units for self-service laundries?
They definitely will save you money, because you’re not heating water that’s then sitting there dormant in a storage tank. The gas goes on only when you need it. Overall, the units are cheaper to purchase, and they draw air from the outside, so you don’t need air makeup openings in your walls or ceiling.
As far as some minor disadvantages of tankless water heaters, they can tend to be more delicate, since the components are more high-tech than those of a standard water heating system and, as a result, this technology must be kept extremely clean and well maintained. In addition, they do take up a good portion of wall space; for instance, a larger laundry might need eight to 10 units to fulfill its hot water needs, versus probably two standard water heaters.
In general, I think tankless water heating systems can be a good, cost-effective choice for the right laundries in the right markets.
We recently washed a number of rain parkas for a commercial client. Unfortunately, a ballpoint pen ended in the dryer and exploded, leaving spots on most of the garments. We’ve tried everything to get the ink out – including graffiti remover, hairspray, alcohol and straight acetone – with no luck. Can you offer up any other possible options before we write off this incident as a loss and learning experience?
In general, you certainly used some of the right chemicals for removing typical ink stains. However, your situation seems to be a bit more extreme and likely requires somethi
ng a little stronger.
It helps to understand that all inks are made differently – some are metallic-based, some are vegetable-based and some are soil-based. Therefore, a process that works on one ink stain may not work on another.
With that said, I would suggest trying a product called InkGo, which you can purchase from your local chemical distributor. Of course, be mindful of the fact that, when certain synthetics are exposed to ink and heat, the ink will actually discolor the molecules within the fibers of the garment – and, when this occurs, the stain becomes permanent.
