Making your laundry efficiency top of the class

King Edward’s School chose Miele Professional for laundry equipment that offered uncompromised efficiency. Clare Long, business account manager at the professional division of Miele, looks at the impact they have had

Keri Beckingham

Whether it’s for faster processes or to ensure minimal use of energy, water and detergent, there are many great reasons why boarding schools should ensure their on-premise laundry is running at peak performance. That’s why it’s crucial to put efficiency on the list when shopping around for new commercial washers and dryers.

That’s what King Edward’s School had in mind when its laundry equipment needed upgrading. Keen to ensure speedy but high-quality cycles, it needed equipment from a brand that promised uncompromised efficiency. So, laundry manager Karine Butcher consulted Miele’s local partner, Solent Laundry Solutions (SLS). Both parties agreed that Miele equipment would deliver on the school’s laundry needs and two Miele machines were installed. From day one King Edward’s saw a considerable reduction in water and detergent consumption.

King Edward’s School said: “We would highly recommend Miele to other businesses. In our opinion they are a great investment and perform excellently. We look forward to many years as a satisfied Miele Professional customer.”

How to make your laundry more efficient

Energy, water and detergent efficiency:

● Laundry equipment that offers wash cycles precisely tailored to laundry needs are vital for efficiency because they use only the temperatures, spin cycles and the amount of detergent required for the item being washed. This can be achieved by using machines that offer a range of programmes that can be set as repeatable programmes and placed as one of the first options when turning on the machine, making laundry operators more inclined to wash items efficiently.

● OPL gives schools the freedom to choose the specific models that launder their items. That means being able to select models that use alternative energy sources. Take Miele’s H₂O dryer, for example. It is powered primarily by hot water, which often comes directly from a combined heat and power unit or is produced using local heat networks or alternative energies. Hot water produced as a by-product of other systems can also power it. As a result, drying can be much more cost-effective.

● Choosing a water-efficient washing machine can also have a significant financial benefit. Buying a washing machine on the Water Technology List (WTL) allows organisations to claim back 100% of the machine’s cost of purchase against taxable profits. The WTL was introduced to incentivise organisations to buy water-efficient products and systems, and Miele is a brand that offers machines on the list.

Karine Butcher, laundry manager at King Edward’s School

Time saving:

● As well as keeping costs down, programmable controls ensure that time isn’t wasted washing items for longer than required. For example, muddied sports kits require a longer cycle than uniforms, and controls can ensure that only items that are particularly soiled are washed for that length of time. The washing can then be dried and returned to the owner as soon as possible.

● Brands like Miele offer washing machines with a high G-force – that’s the power of a spin cycle to extract water out of the items being washed. The higher the G-force, the less time the spin cycle needs to be on, saving on energy too. Miele’s washing machines have an exceptionally high G-force compared to other brands, with models offering a rate of up to 526.

Space utilisation:

● With the right machines, boarding schools can increase their throughput of laundry without taking up more space. Miele’s Little Giants take up as little as 1m², are stackable and cater for loads up to 6.5kg. As a result, a backlog of items that need washing needn’t exist and instead they can be laundered promptly.

Prioritise efficiency

From sports games to food technology classes, the activities of boarding schools are certainly diverse, and hundreds of items need washing daily. That’s why it’s crucial to have an efficient laundry facility. That begins with the school’s choice of equipment, and a conversation with the right expert to see how running laundry equipment can be made as economical as possible.

For your free laundry consultation, call 0845 123 7033.