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Improving Efficiency in Healthcare Laundries

Laundering textiles involves multiple processes working together. Because of its complexity, inefficiencies can and do arise. For example, if laundry work is not being processed fast enough through the washers, dryers and ironing equipment are wasting energy waiting for new loads of textiles. Not only can inefficiencies emerge through disruptions in production flow, but also because individual pieces of equipment are not running as they should. Smart laundry managers should track daily how efficient their laundry equipment is. Furthermore, they should be benchmarking their production, energy usage, and water usage with other healthcare laundries, both commercial and on-premises.

Beyond laundering the textiles, there is the potential for inefficiencies to arise in the management of those textiles. Most importantly, healthcare organizations should have a linen management program in place to ensure that goods are being utilized properly to extend linen life and that loss prevention measures are being taken.

What areas of the laundry are most prone to inefficiencies?

All equipment within a healthcare laundry is susceptible to inefficiencies if they are not well maintained. Following a manufacture-prescribed preventative maintenance (PM) schedule is the best way to ensure that equipment is running at high efficiency. Check with your equipment manufacturer to ensure that you are following their PM guidelines.

One of the most common inefficiencies in healthcare laundries of all sizes is failing to capture and re-introduce energy into the laundering process. Al Jenneman of Kemco Systems reported to attendees at the Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA) 2006 Healthcare Seminar that it is possible to recover about 10 degrees F of heat and reduce natural gas consumption by more than one-third.

In his presentation, Jenneman also points out that there are other areas where healthcare laundries are most prone to energy waste, including:

  • Wastewater recovery systems
  • Heat reclaimers
  • Boilers
  • Water reuse systems
  • Extractors

Energy use also can be reduced when implementing solutions to reduce chemical consumption. Steven J. Tinker, Gurtler Chemicals, also presented a seminar at the TRSA 2006 Healthcare Seminar providing insight in how to increase healthcare laundry efficiency. Among the tips noted by Tinker were:

  • Establish standards for loading washers – Increasing load sizes by 5% increases water consumption at the same rate.
  • Soften water – Softening reduces water, chemical and energy use.
  • Extract as much water before dryer – It takes 1 BTU of energy to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree F, which would be 112 BTU to go from 100 to 212 degrees F. However, to convert water at 212 degrees F in dryers to steam take 980 BTU – 8.75 times more energy.

Dryers are the greatest energy hogs in a healthcare laundry. TRSA has presented seminars on improving drying efficiency during its 2006 and 2007 Tech/Plant Summits. Advice included:

  • Reduce moisture retention
  • Perform preventative maintenance
  • Use heat exchangers
  • Eliminate process constraints “up-stream” and “down-stream” of the dryers
  • Ensure proper air flow and temperature

The textile services industry has invested significant resources into upgrading laundry equipment to increase energy, water and chemical efficiency. Since 1999, the industry has lowered water use by 12.6% and energy by 11%, in addition to significantly moving to more environmentally-safe chemicals. To learn more about the industry’s environmental achievements, visit the LaundryESP® website.

How can I improve linen management and prevent losses?

Another inefficiency prevalent in healthcare textile services is improperly managing inventory, which results in an unnecessary increase in the amount of pounds per patient day. This event drives up operating costs and wastes energy, water and chemicals. If you are outsourcing your textile services, your linen supply company is likely working with you to ensure that textile inventories are properly managed. If you are running an on-premises laundry, you will need to implement good practices to ensure that items are handled properly to avoid loss and abuse.

TRSA has produced a video entitled The Proper Care and Use of Healthcare Linen in a Hospital. Practice Greenhealth members with on-premise laundries should review this video and assess how it can improve linen management in its operations.

What resources are available to help improve our laundry’s efficiency?

TRSA is an excellent resource for Practice Greenhealth members to utilize in order to benchmark and increase its plant efficiency. TRSA provides the following services to Practice Greenhealth members:

  • Developing an Efficiency Study – TRSA will assist Practice Greenhealth members in conducting a study to determine how efficient its operations and equipment are.
  • Finding a Consultant – TRSA can refer Practice Greenhealth members to several healthcare laundry consultants who are members of the association.
  • Maintenance School – Each year, TRSA co-hosts the Managing Maintenance Institute (MMI). Practice Greenhealth members are eligible to attend this three-day school focused on teaching proper maintenance techniques – including preventative maintenance – in a laundry. MMI is a three-year program.
  • Production Management Institute – TRSA also co-hosts the annual Production Management Institute (PMI), held each year at Texas Women’s University. This one-week institute provides in-depth training for laundry managers in all areas of plant operations. The skills learned at PMI will help laundry managers improve the efficiency and productivity of their operations. PMI is a three-year program.
  • Healthcare Seminar – TRSA’s Healthcare Seminar is the premier educational venue for managers of healthcare laundries. Here, operators will take back to their facilities information on improving their operations through new products, technologies and processes. The Healthcare Seminar also provides an excellent forum for healthcare laundry operators to network with one another. The 1 ½-day TRSA Healthcare Seminar is held in even-numbered years. Practice Greenhealth members may attend at special discount rates.
  • Tech/Plant Summit – Each year TRSA hosts its Tech/Plant Summit, a venue that allows operators to learn and see innovative technologies first hand. This 2 ½-day seminar includes more than 20 hours of education programming focused on discussing innovative solutions to problems faced by laundries. Courses include sessions on technologies designed to increase productivity and efficiency. The Summit also features plant tours of healthcare laundries and a trade fair. Practice Greenhealth members may attend special discount rates.
  • TRSA Training Publications – TRSA has more than 150 training resources addressing all areas of laundry operations. A catalog of publications can be viewed online. To check on upcoming TRSA seminars and events, visit the association’s calendar of events.

Key Resources

Energy Efficiency in Laundries
This PowerPoint presentation made at the TRSA 2006 Healthcare Seminar demonstrates how much energy is wasted in a typical healthcare laundry and offers solutions for recapturing that energy to save money and improve efficiency.

Lowering Washroom Costs: Chemicals and Energy
A comprehensive presentation presented at the TRSA 2006 Healthcare Seminar highlighting where laundry operators can look to find inefficiencies in their product operations.

Dryer Energy Savings
Dryer Efficiency Through the Application of Technology and Operational Best Practices
These seminar presented at the 2006 and 2007 TRSA Tech/Plant Summit, respectively, help healthcare laundry operators reduce energy loss in the dryers – the greatest energy hog in a laundry.

The Proper Care and Use of Healthcare Linen in a Hospital
This video is designed to show the proper use and methods for preventing loss of healthcare textile merchandise in a hospital. It is useful for educating hospital staff that come in contact with linen or are responsible for linen use and management.

Knowledge is Power—A Look at Energy-Saving Equipment Options
Given ongoing increases in natural gas costs, healthcare laundries need to make energy conservation a key priority. This article provides several solution.

Are You Wasting Heat Energy?
Heat exchangers offer proven technology that helps laundries capture and reuse heat that otherwise would simply dissipate from systems such as tunnel washers. Here, we compare shell and tube vs. plate and frame heat exchangers.

A Penny for Your Therms
Reviewing water consumption—formula by formula—can enable your company to save energy by reducing water temperatures and adjusting loads for maximum efficiency and quality in both washing and finishing.

The Heat Is On-Part I
The Heat Is On-Part II
Author Skip Kemberling explains why increasing fuel costs demand an understanding of the process of adding oxygen (obtained from air) to fuel, which produces heat.

Prompt Payback— Laundry Wastewater Recycling
The prospect of scarcity and high prices for water are high on everyone’s list of strategic concerns facing laundries. Here, we offer input on various systems for recycling wastewater with the benefits and limitations of each. Also included are tips for calculating ROI.

Mind Your ‘P’s: Preventative Measures May Save You More Than Time
Taking preventive measures in your plant can ensure the longevity of your equipment.

LaundryESP®
The Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program (Laundry ESP) is a joint program between the Uniform and Textile Service Association (UTSA) and the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA), in collaboration with the US EPA.

TRSA Online
The Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) is the world’s largest textile rental industry association representing more than 1,000 industrial laundry facilities in 24 countries. The membership of TRSA represents a cross-section of the industry: including some of the world’s largest textile rental companies, along with numerous mid-size and one-plant operations.

Managing Maintenance Institute
The Managing Maintenance Institute (MMI) is an educational conference that focuses on technical skills needed by maintenance engineers and supervisors in today’s increasingly automated laundry. MMI gives engineers and supervisors a better understanding of their role in improving plant operations, profitability and developing leadership skills.
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