General requirements for premises and principles of equipment selection
There are several types of laundry:
- Self-service laundry
- laundry for the public (commercial)
- mini-laundry in a small industry (beauty salon, sports club, fitness center, restaurant, sauna, car service station, etc.)
- laundry in the hotel
- laundry room in the hospital
- industrial laundry
- other types of laundries
Each direction has its own set of equipment, its own technology, and its own requirements for the organization. However, there are general requirements for laundry premises and a general methodology for selecting a set of equipment.
Choosing a location for a laundry room
One of the important stages in organizing a laundry room is choosing a room. If you do not take into account the bureaucratic aspect, it is not difficult to find premises. Suitable for different types of premises, different areas, at different levels. Sometimes laundry areas are even located in basements and other similar rooms.
The area is calculated based on the volume of laundry processing and the equipment installed. There are examples where small laundry areas were located on an area of 6 sq.m. (1 washing machine with a load of 5 kg, 1 drying machine with a load of 5 kg and an ironing roller with a working area width of up to 100 cm).
Such mini-laundries can be organized both for an elite restaurant and for a small hotel with 10-15 rooms or for a self-service laundry. Modern laundry equipment has a minimum noise level of up to 60 decibels, so it can be installed on any floor of buildings, including residential buildings. There are certain requirements for the decoration and layout of these premises. The main criterion is the requirements of the SES.
Organizing the correct movement of linen flows in the laundry. This is an important point. The flows of dirty and clean should not intersect. For this purpose, it is recommended to organize two entrances in the work shop: dirty linen is brought in through one, and clean linen is taken out through the second. The equipment in the shop is also placed taking this requirement into account:
- reception, sorting and storage of dirty laundry
- laundry
- drying/ironing
- packaging, storage and distribution of clean linen.
If there is no second entrance, you can organize an additional window for receiving or dispensing linen. The Fire Inspectorate also requires two entrances.
Floor and wall covering. Laundry floors should be waterproofed and tiled. Ideally, they are made with slopes and have drainage ladders. Some SES departments require this mandatory - so that the room can be washed with running water. Walls up to a height of 2m must be tiled.
Requirements for electrical equipment. Regulations - current PUE and SNiPs for rooms with high humidity: lighting fixtures, distribution boards, sockets, etc. must be water-splash-proof, etc.
Utility rooms. Ideally, a laundry room should have the following additional rooms:
- laundry warehouse
- clean linen warehouse
- room for cleaning equipment, storage of detergents and chemicals
- staff room
- toilet/shower.
Equipment selection
The selection of equipment for a laundry should begin with an analysis of the following indicators:
- laundry focus (servicing the public, working with corporate clients, laundry at an enterprise, etc.)
- type of linen (straight/shaped/terry) and their ratio in the total volume
- degree and specificity of laundry contamination
- volume of linen processing per unit of time (kg per month, day, hour)
- Laundry operating hours (number of days per week, shifts per day, shift duration)
- frequency of linen delivery
- the heating source used (steam, gas, electricity)
- area of the room and dimensions of window and door openings (preferably a room plan).
