• By Steven Hays
• Published 02/27/2012

Whether you are trying to determine the appropriate location of the laundry room in a building or considering buying washing machines for commercial purpose, you need to have a proper plan for doing it. Setting up on-site laundries in commercial establishments, such as hostels, hospitals or hotels, is no tough task, if you have a good idea about which things to keep in mind. Here is a brief overview of the points you need to consider.

Location of the laundry room needs to be somewhere in the rear of the building away from the view. However, there needs to be good access to the room. If the building consists of numerous floors, the laundry needs to be on the ground floor. Moreover, in such a circumstance, there needs to be a service elevator for linen collection and delivery.

Size of the room is of considerable importance as you would need to keep the washing machines and tumble dryers, assign an area for stocking dirty linen and another for clean linen storage, and provide adequate space for the individuals operating the machines to move around freely.

Layout of the room needs to be planned keeping in mind factors including the number of washing machines, dryers and ironers essential for the establishment, the space necessary for setting up the machines and for the employees to operate them, and the access and storage necessities.

Arrangement of the commercial laundry equipment needs to be done in such a way that opening and closing them would not be difficult. Adequate space needs to be there to manoeuvre the linen trolleys as well. Using concrete or metal plinths and necessary fixings the machines are bolted at place to avoid vibration and enhance durability.

Plumbing requirements include hot and cold water supply for different wash cycles, as appropriate for the commercial establishment. Maintaining a continuous working pressure is also necessary to ensure efficient cleaning. Waste water management is another thing you need to pay attention to, especially if contamination of water supply is a threat.

Ventilation is necessary to maintain continuous air supply to the room. This would be essential for working the machines. As the dryers require continuous air, it is necessary to plan an inlet in the room. Otherwise, the dry atmosphere of the room would be unsuitable for people working there.

Electricity requirements imply arranging the power supply necessary to operate the laundry equipment. It is wise to have separate distribution board for each machine. A single source of power supply is not a good idea, as this would mean that you have to stop operating all washing machines and dryers when just one requires repair.

Proper planning makes it possible to set up a fully-functional laundry in no time. All you need to do is take it one step at a time – determining the place for setting up the laundry, purchasing the right commercial appliances, and taking care of the plumbing, ventilation and electricity requirements. Another thing you need to consider is the budget for this, as most of your decisions would be influenced by it.

Author Bio: Steven Hayes is the owner of a commercial cleaning company that has been in business for more than a couple of decades. If you were setting up a laundry room in a commercial establishment and selecting commercial laundry equipmentfor it, planning in advance is necessary.