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Cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters and dirty gear is a known contributor — exposing wearers, and those they serve, to carcinogenic chemicals, particulates, toxins and biohazards. That’s why Carrollton Fire Department (Carrollton), in Carrollton, GA., takes dirty gear decontamination seriously. Over the past 3 years, the four-station department has installed Continental ExpressWash® Gear Washers and ExpressDry®…

As a college student, Craig Myatt spent the summers working as a bartender in a touristy North Carolina beach community. That’s when he noticed a need for clean linens within the vacation rental market. “I started in a garage in 2000. I’d rent sheets and towels, put them into a bedsheet package, and then I’d deliver them to rental properties,”…

Even before a pandemic took the world by storm, athletic programs concerned themselves with fighting and reducing the spread of potentially deadly pathogens, including HIV, Hepatitis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph resistant to antibiotics. MRSA in particular has been a problem for years — plaguing locker rooms, infecting and ending the athletic careers of many student-athletes…

“We want to be at the top end of outdoor hospitality,” said Jill Currier, director of accommodations for Kampgrounds of America’s (KOA) Company-Owned Properties (COPs). Of the 500 KOA campgrounds across North America, 28 are COPs and feature deluxe cabins where linen and towels are provided for guests. During 2013, KOA COPs provided clean linen for over 50,000 camper night…

After outsourcing laundry for years, Pratt Regional Medical Center (PRMC), in Pratt, Kan., developed its own off-site laundry capable of processing and sanitizing more than 1,000 laundry pounds per day. The $300,000 laundry investment — which proved considerably more efficient and cost-effective than outsourcing — paid for itself in 18 months, cut linen volume loss in half, and toppled cost…

Brightwater Laundry in Sevierville, Tenn., recently completed a massive automation project that positions the company to process up to 10 million pounds of customer-owned goods (COG) per year, according to Laundry Project Manager Matthew Shadle. The commercial laundry, which serves the booming vacation rental and hospitality markets of Eastern Tennessee, immediately launched laundry productivity, lowered labor costs and improved end-product…

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers — the High-Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers — recently expanded Fox Cities Stadium, in Appleton, Wis. That expansion resulted in new seating areas, elevated player amenities, a new three-story slide, an expanded concourse encircling the stadium, and a larger, improved laundry facility dedicated to processing everything from table linens, skirting and game uniforms to…

Shortly after purchasing an existing laundry near Palm Springs, Calif., Keith and Jacqueline Reed made smart equipment tweaks to better serve the booming vacation rental market. “Our goal was to take our very nice laundry and increase its revenue and profit for a more viable business,” said Keith Reed.When Opportunity KnocksWhen purchased in 2018, the 4,500-square-foot Sparklean Laundry was predominately…

Scott Vlahos is president of Advantage Equipment Inc., a full-service laundry solutions provider serving Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Over the course 21 years, Advantage Equipment has sold and installed turnout gear washers at more than 600 fire departments. In this Q and A, Vlahos provides expert advice on how to select the right washer for cleaning turnout gear according…

When and why should a laundry transition from open-pocket washers and dryers to an automated continuous batch washer system? In this article, we’ll offer some timing guidelines for moving into a tunnel system that directly relate to laundry poundage; the benefits a tunnel brings, including amped productivity and savings in labor and utilities; and its anticipated return on investment.Tunnel Automation…