Thread Number: 58045
/ Tag: Detergents and Additives
How do hotels make their linens so fresh? |
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Post# 805238 , Reply# 4   1/21/2015 at 20:11 (3,354 days old) by Dustin92 (Jackson, MI)   |   | |
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I didn't even think to ask, we weren't terribly impressed with the place otherwise, but the sheets and towels were 😄 |
Post# 805243 , Reply# 5   1/21/2015 at 21:01 (3,354 days old) by moparwash (Pittsburgh,PA )   |   | |
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Post# 805263 , Reply# 6   1/21/2015 at 22:18 (3,354 days old) by Gusherb (Chicago/NWI)   |   | |
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Everywhere I go the linens and towels just smell faintly of bleach to me, which I can easily recreate at home with some unscented detergent, bleach, and lots of rinsing. |
Post# 805279 , Reply# 7   1/22/2015 at 01:06 (3,354 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)   |   | |
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After spending literally years in hotel/motel rooms most sheets in those places have kind of a paper smell to them. Kind of neutral, and a lot of them have some starch in them! I also think these establishments start replacing sheets before they start showing any kind of significant wear too. |
Post# 805298 , Reply# 9   1/22/2015 at 06:29 (3,353 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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I briefly worked in a hotel in 2009. Wasn't assigned to the laundry but spent a lot of time there. Big and bigger Unimacs that took turns breaking down, and a Wascomat. Spanish ladies watching Spanish channels; out of the corner of my ear I'd get some of the punch lines. I like the 'transcultural thing' but lately most cultures have put up fences so it's hard to come by outside of say, a hotel laundry.
Yes they use chemistry to which you and I have no access. The machines pump them from bulk containers of detergent, bleach, and 'conditioner' whatever that means. It's some kind of 'softener' since when it injects the water beads on the glass. Anyhow, the whole operation including its output smells like "laundry". Rather like "original" Tide. No, not the one currently LABELED 'original', the one that really WAS original. You know, the one that smelled like LAUNDRY before marketeers and focus groups got ahold of it. |
Post# 805303 , Reply# 10   1/22/2015 at 07:00 (3,353 days old) by kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.)   |   | |
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What you mean for fresh???
Commercial laundries especially the ones dealing with whites like hotels and such generally use lots of LCB. I don't remember ever staying in an hotel with towels or bedsheets smelling nicely and feling "fresh" like my home laundry does but a note of bleach and acid..of course not too strong but that is... Many commercial laundries relies in acidic products to condition better say re-condition textiles that may get hard and dull... "filled" from soda precipations or anyway precipitations and residues from a too basic wash solution and or too hard water...they helps getting what is the natural softness of the clothes eliminating them, being acid they also act as rinse help themselves as they will contrast the basic of the wash solution "left behind" with their acidic nature... Of course some laundries will also use softeners and many softeners often do aid in rinsing the same way acid does, but the use of acids in rinse is used largely and often is the only "conditioner" in these istances as you don't know the people who are going to come in contact with those linens, they might be allergic to cationics or else...so they typically strive to get the clothes free of "resiudes" so without chemicals left that may be a problem for these guests with allergies or whatever special requirements, a "neutral" laundry... acid rinse accomplishes that....some also use de-chlorinations stuff to help in rinsing of the LCB. This post was last edited 01/22/2015 at 08:14 |
Post# 805306 , Reply# 11   1/22/2015 at 07:18 (3,353 days old) by tennblondie78 (Bowling Green, KY)   |   | |
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Ugh... Hotels skeeve me out. Every one of them, no matter how "high end" they are. I have never noticed hotel sheets being particularly "fresh..." Whenever I stay in one I always end up wanting to sleep in my clothes so I touch as little of the bed as possible. Something about sleeping in a bed that thousands of other people have done lord knows what in just makes my skin crawl... |
Post# 805311 , Reply# 12   1/22/2015 at 07:57 (3,353 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)   |   | |
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I try not to think too much about hotel linens and the bedding that I sleep in/on... Same goes for the bathing/showering/sink and toilet use...
Luckily I'm usually too tired to really care... Just enjoy my stay, leave a good-size tip (maybe THAT helps keep your room sanitary, neat and clean!) and check out...!
-- Dave |
Post# 805322 , Reply# 13   1/22/2015 at 09:31 (3,353 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)   |   | |
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decades ago, I worked as a linen manager for a rental company, and we used the Unimac washers......we bought our product from a place called 'DON'.....which surprisingly is still around....I was able to buy the products as part of our shipment, but otherwise, most things we sold by the case...depending on what you were buying.....more along the lines of Commercial/Industrial products....
the detergents just seemed more powerful than what you could buy in a store.... Hulk....powder detergent Boost...Liquid detergent/Pretreat.... Sizing....was used instead of softener..... blind luck found out once when we ran out of 'Boost' before shipment, that Boost was a higher concentrate of Liquid Era.....and worked just as effectively.... just note, some of these commercial detergents/chemicals are potent for a home machine.....worked well in the commercial machines, but we also had two TLers, Whirlpool belt drive and a Maytag.....these chemicals would destroy pumps big time.....I stopped using this stuff at home after watching these repairs as not to damage my machine... a number of times we got a quick run through to see what sort of setup a hotel had in place...never thought to check out the chemicals they used....usually there were 2 washers and dryers, plus an ironer.... CLICK HERE TO GO TO Yogitunes's LINK |
Post# 805326 , Reply# 14   1/22/2015 at 09:53 (3,353 days old) by kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.)   |   | |
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Post# 805341 , Reply# 15   1/22/2015 at 11:58 (3,353 days old) by Mich (Hells Kitchen - New York)   |   | |
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From someone who's done a stunt or do, in Hotel Laundry, I can answer a few questions.
For one thing, nasty, hard to remove stains, like Blood, get a 6 hour warm soak, in Oxiclean. This is a whole lot more effective than sprays like Shout, etc. If a stain, does not come out, after the wash. The linen is thrown out. It's now unusable, and shouldn't be given to a guest. The 2nd thing, is the Sheets & Towels and everything, are already practically clean to begin with. By pulling sheets & towels daily, back into the cycle, they simply don't have a chance to get all dingy, and stains set in. This keeps fabrics looking whiter, and brighter overtime. Home Users, typically wash things like sheets, once a week, if not much longer. So Stains have a much longer time, to set in. Throw in the fact, that americans hate Bleach, and using Hot Water. And we notice sells of off-colour linens become ever so popular. Hotels. Aren't afraid of using Chemicals. They use extremely alkaline detergent(s). Ones that'd physically burn skin off if touched. Stronger Mixtures of Chlorine Bleach, than watered down crap from the store. And lots and lots of Unlimited, Hot Hot (160, 170+) water. It's a fascinating cycle. First Laundry Break/Alki - This is what dissolves the stains, loosening up fabric soils, so they can be washed away by the Detergent. Detergent - Quick Cycle in typically heavy suds. Helps pull out anything lingering from the break cycle, notably greasy stains, and body oils. Bleach - The Magic Clorox. This Removes remaining dyes and colors left behind by stains. It oxidises them out of fabric, leaving Sheets & Linens, Bright, and Clean. All that Bleach, would take a very hard life on the fabric. Aging and weakening it prematurely... However. Hotel Magic comes back into place. Anti-Chlor, is than rinsed into the Fabric. Killing off lingering Chlorine. Preventing Yellowing, and Eliminating that Chlorine Smell. This is all followed by a Laundry Sour. Removing any alkalinity to the fabric, making the fabric softer. Than... they inject a Softener Chemical, along with Bluing. The bluing, makes white fabrics look brighter, while the softener, makes the towels, and sheets, feel amazing. :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now comes the more fascinating part. Hotels, never ever, buy "Luxury" Fabrics. They buy cheap 220tc/300tc (higher end) sheets for there hotels. They go to a cotton supplier, and order in the biggest bulk possible. Everyone loves the sheets, because of the laundering process. However, they still aren't any better than what you already have at home. The Towels. Are Cheap Too. I know for a fact that Westin doesn't spend more than $4 a towel. :-) Obviously, you can't replicate the hotel laundering process. (Although, I've came pretty da** close with a lot of determination.) But... I think simply investing in better sheets & towels, and linens. Can make a world of a difference. And Using Bleach. Buy 8.25% Bleach, and use it. Bleach Bleach Bleach. It's there to re-inspire whiteness. Use it :) |
Post# 805342 , Reply# 16   1/22/2015 at 12:02 (3,353 days old) by Mich (Hells Kitchen - New York)   |   | |
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Post# 805345 , Reply# 17   1/22/2015 at 12:54 (3,353 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
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Post# 805349 , Reply# 18   1/22/2015 at 13:31 (3,353 days old) by Mich (Hells Kitchen - New York)   |   | |
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Post# 805355 , Reply# 19   1/22/2015 at 13:50 (3,353 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
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Post# 805372 , Reply# 21   1/22/2015 at 15:47 (3,353 days old) by perc-o-prince (Southboro, Mass)   |   | |
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When I DO use bleach, I add a little lemon juice concentrate to the fabric softener cup to help neutralize the alkali and sometimes leave a tiny touch of scent. "Extra Rinse" button is always engaged here. Chuck |
Post# 805403 , Reply# 24   1/22/2015 at 18:49 (3,353 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.))   |   | |
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Typically use MUCH STRONGER chemicals and MUCH HOTTER water than home laundry. Of course the machines can take it as they are all SS. Also the dryers in a commercial setting have a much higher airflow and burner input.
The combination of a stronger washing process and a higher airflow in drying is what finishes the laundry better. WK78 |
Post# 805480 , Reply# 28   1/23/2015 at 09:05 (3,352 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
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Actually, Disney World does all their laundry in 1 central facility so I would think all the linens would be the same whether you stay at a Value, Moderate, or Deluxe resort.
You guys here must have money if 2 of you are even thinking of staying at the Grand Floridian, Disney's most expensive resort that costs $600 a night. |
Post# 805486 , Reply# 29   1/23/2015 at 10:33 (3,352 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
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Post# 805596 , Reply# 30   1/23/2015 at 21:34 (3,352 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Institutional/professional laundry products differ from domestic on several levels depending upon various factors.
First commercial product offerings come in a bewildering and vast array of chemicals designed to suit particular soils/problems issues. While there are "one shot" products that resemble Tide (which is sold for professional use), you also have separate builders, bleaches, enzyme, pre-soak, anti-bacterial, anti-grease, breaks, alkaline builders, non-alkaline builders, pH adjusters such as sours, various bleaches (chlorine, oxalic acid, oxygen, etc...), and so forth. These are used according to what is being laundered. That is goods from say a meat processing plant require different formulations than men's dress shirts. Commercial laundry products can and tend to be highly concentrated and often very powerful. The first is because they are meant for dilution in machines that *start* at 50lbs or even 100lbs and only to up. The next is because cycle times are short and thus products need to be able to hit and run so to speak. Unlike domestic laundry time in commercial settings is money. The longer a machine is tied up doing one wash means it cannot do another. So you either need more machines to handle peak loads or make the one's you've got work faster. You notice cycle times on even Laundromat machines isn't very long say compared to domestic unit. You aren't going to get long cycles with starting from cold water and gradually heating to warm or hot and then held for 30 minutes or longer. You'll get very hot to boiling washes held for ten or so minutes to satisfy certain standards for sanitation/disinfection were required, but that is far is it goes. Those machines and that load need to be kept moving. Commercial laundry also goes through far more changes of water than domestic machines. They also use hotter water, driers and ironers than you could ever get today in domestic use normally. This adds up when done well to a very good and fresh smelling result, but often at the cost of additional wear and tear. As for the freshness of hotel linens that could be (and often is) the result of various softeners or other scented products. Ecolab: They aren't only player in the USA commercial/institutional market, but by far the largest it seems. Besides Ecolab you have Johnson-Diversey, and P&G along with a host of others. P&G markets Tide, Downy and so forth in the USA for "institutional" use while across the pond they do the same with Ariel, Lenor and so forth. Henkel as a commercial/professional arm as well. Miele teamed up with Kreussler a well known maker of commercial products. Ecolab like the others succeed by locking in customers to their various proprietary dispensing systems. After you've spent no small amount of money to have those things installed and stocked up on the chemicals that go with it you are sort of stuck aren't you? Ecolab sends their people to set things up and program the equipment. Often even the owners of laundries aren't told the settings/dilution rates for the products they have paid. If product isn't coming out the way it should the Ecolab rep comes back and he or she will work (hopefully) with the plant to get things sorted. All that Ecolab products you see on fleaPay and elsewhere are surplus to requirement goods that people need to move on. They've paid for the stuff and Ecolab isn't taking it back so it has to find homes elsewhere. Trouble is virtually none of it comes with directions. That is what the Ecolab reps are for. If you happen to use Ecolab in your business then you are set. Otherwise you are out of luck. Ecolab's reps and corporate will *NOT* provide any sort of assistance unless you are a customer. They also will have nothing to do with domestic users. CLICK HERE TO GO TO Launderess's LINK |
Post# 805748 , Reply# 31   1/24/2015 at 15:33 (3,351 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)   |   | |
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Speaking of Ecolab, they do have a retail line, which I believe is exclusive to Menard's. I've used the Clean Strike multi-purpose cleaner, and like it very well. Has a great citrus scent. Didn't see any products relating to laundry however. |
Post# 806191 , Reply# 32   1/26/2015 at 22:04 (3,349 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK)   |   | |
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I think some of it has got to do with the fact that it's always nice when someone else has done it for you. For example when someone cooks you a meal and your usually the one who cooks all the time you enjoy it more and you sometimes think it tastes nicer when in actual fact your own cooking is probably better.
I love doing the washing but I know what you mean when it comes to commercial laundry , I wish I could replicate it at home. It's obvious they use lots and lots of water which means I now put my machine on high water level every wash cycle with extra rinses. I also add a touch more powder and use a pre wash on every load to ensure the load is dampened down when the main wash comes. |
Post# 806665 , Reply# 33   1/30/2015 at 00:25 (3,346 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)   |   | |
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The three hotels I've worked at all used Unimac Machines, had Institutional Tide, Downy and Clorox plumbed to dispensers. The boilers were all set in the 200 range, the cycles were just long enough and used tons of water.
Being that two of the three hotels were Patel owned, the owners had the machines programmed with 'personal' settings as well so they could do their own laundry since they lived on site. I will say after reading some of the responses and opinions its amazing we are all still alive given what lurks in hotel linens... :/ |
Post# 806682 , Reply# 34   1/30/2015 at 06:21 (3,345 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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I keep my motel slippers in a pocket of the travel bag for wearing from bed to bath and, when driving, carry a can of Lysol to spray down the bathroom before use. If I am someplace for a few days, I put the "no service needed" hanger on the door and do my own neatening. |
Post# 807364 , Reply# 35   2/2/2015 at 18:45 (3,342 days old) by nanook (Seattle)   |   | |
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Back in the day, each hotel chain had their own "line" of chemicals, impregnated with 'its' particular scent, or group of scents, for the very reason folks would remember the scent, and remember it in a positive light. Holiday Inn's were famous for this.
Have no idea how much of this exists today, or if the individualized nature of the scents from the past have given way to a 'general group' of scents available to any and all in the hospitality industry. Scentair, fer instance, provides just such offerings. CLICK HERE TO GO TO nanook's LINK |