There is an ongoing debate in the hospitality industry regarding which is the better choice going forward, continuing to outsource for laundry services, or investing in on-premises laundries (OPLs) to manage the laundering in house. 

Did you see our mention in The Caterer magazine?

There is an ongoing debate in the hospitality industry regarding which is the better choice going forward, continuing to outsource for laundry services, or investing in on-premises laundries (OPLs) to manage the laundering in house.

Tibard Director Rick Shonfeld had this to say to Kathy Bowry for The Caterer,

“Many of our customers are now ensuring continuity of appearance front of house by making sure these items are professionally cleaned and pressed, rather than being washed at home. To that end, we are now providing many of them with what is essentially a dry-cleaning service rather than a traditional rental contract.

The introduction of new fabrics, such as moleskin and denim, is also a challenge as many of these products are not designed for commercial laundering. We recently introduced our own range of denim aprons and had to search far and wide before we found a product that was suitable. This highlights the fact that operators need to give a great deal of thought to the laundering process when selecting fabrics.”

An increasing amount of people are swaying towards the OPL route recently, believing that once the initial installation is complete, this option may save them money in the long run. Which option is more suitable depends entirely on specific requirements.

Some of the disadvantages of opting for OPL include the fact the facility needs staffing, and the staff put in place will more than likely not be as experienced as a professional service, who know how to deal with any potential issues - possibly making the whole process less efficient, and of course along with the increase in water/electricity usage. On the plus side of installing an OPL, the collection/delivery times of using an external company are completely removed.

Going down the professional route offers benefits in several ways for various different types of customer. Firstly, as a professional laundry service, it’s their job to carry out the service in the best way possible. Experience in the industry brings more knowledge on how to help prevent degradation and maintain condition, helping to improve the lifespan of the clothing. Professional companies have access to more advanced equipment and technology, which enables a more flexible service, appealing to a wider audience - some fabrics require new processes and special attention when cleaning such as low water or no water washes.

For front of house clothing, it’s all about the appearance. Looking clean, smart and professional to the customer. Much front of house clothing is better off being dry cleaned, rather than traditional techniques, which professionals can also obviously provide more effectively. Newer uniform fabrics such as denim, are more likely to be introduced to front of house clothing - with different types of establishments opting for a different fashion of front of house appearance, an OPL may not have the ability to be as reactive as a professional service, because as mentioned some newer fabrics have tailored cleaning requirements.

Certain industries require a very high level of service and cleaning. For example, healthcare laundries must conform to specific standards, this factor may prove difficult and reveal some issues when operating laundry on premises.

Upon installation, an on-premises laundry could possibly be of similar ability to some professional services, but overtime it will become increasingly difficult and expensive to keep the on-site facilities on par with the ever developing technology of professional laundry. Services such as low or no water wash will not be available outside of professional laundry on a large scale for some time.

Another option some people may opt for is actually washing uniforms at home. This should always be a last resort, the potential issues can ruin a uniform and therefore the appearance of staff. Some home washing machines will fade clothing quicker than others, removing the consistent appearance of staff which a professional uniform aims to do. It only takes an un-ironed shirt to defeat the object of having a uniform in the first place, among other potential mishaps!

Find out more on Tibard’s uniform rental and laundry services here.