In any business where you are caring for pets, you end up with a ton of dirty laundry. If you don't have a commercial washer and dryer that's meant for not only washing and drying but also sanitizing your laundry, you can end up potentially spreading bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens.
Whether you're buying new laundry equipment when opening a pet grooming business for the first time or replacing outdated laundry equipment for an established veterinarian office, it is important to make informed choices. Among issues of vital importance are crucial sanitation, energy conservation, and financial issues like the initial price compared to overall return on investment.
Proper Cleaning Is Crucial
In veterinarian offices, medical procedures take place, so laundry is used that needs not only to be washed and dried but sanitized, also. Even in a pet grooming business, dirty towels and linens are accumulated on a regular basis. Residential laundry equipment is not designed for sanitizing this type of laundry, nor is it meant to do laundry repetitively, sometimes several times daily, as some pet businesses must do. Commercial laundry equipment is needed for this task.
Getting HACCP Certified Laundry Equipment
HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) was designed to keep illnesses from spreading in the foodservice industry. Its relevance in the laundry industry is related in that when laundry, such as aprons and napkins are not sanitized properly, germs can be spread and thus, pathogens.
The pet industry is certainly no different. With viral infections rampant, it is important that proper sanitation practices are followed in your pet business, and commercial washers and dryers with HACCP certification means they're able to adequately sanitize laundry at a vet, pet shelter, or pet groomer.
Using High Temps To Prevent Illness
Pathogens and viruses don't only affect humans. They can be harmful to animals as well. So having commercial equipment to help eliminate these illnesses can help. The WHO (World Health Organization) states that pathogens causing illnesses begin dying at around 140°F (60°C), meaning you want your laundry equipment to wash and dry at a minimum of this temperature when needed. On the right cycle, quality commercial washers can reach a temperature of 158°F (70°C), and the dryers also get hot enough to ensure that pathogens are eliminated.
There are even commercial washing machines that offer a sanitizing rinse pre-wash cycle and an anti-virus wash cycle. The pre-wash sanitizing rinse is actually meant to be run in between users before the new user places their clothes inside. The anti-virus wash cycle washes at 158°F.
Help Conserve Energy
Minimal energy consumption is paramount, and quality commercial laundry equipment can help. Let's examine the why and how of energy conservation.
Why Conserve Energy?
There are two financial reasons why you should always practice minimal energy consumption. The first is relatively basic — using minimal energy will reduce your energy bills. The other is that it is one of the main factors in maximizing your ROI (return on investment).
How to Conserve Energy
You must work a plan to be efficient. When you get your new equipment, read the operating instructions, the cleaning plan, and the maintenance plan. Make sure you dedicate a handwritten notebook or computer worksheet to the documentation of routine cleaning and always get the required maintenance. And be sure to inspect the machines often for damage that might need repair services.
Make Sure To Use Commercial Laundry Equipment
While quality commercial laundry equipment may cost more initially, they will end up far outlasting their counterparts, which are built for residential use and can't handle all the animal fur. Commercial machines are designed to withstand constant use, handle larger loads, and with upkeep and maintenance, will pay for themselves quickly.
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