What is On-Premise Laundry?

A business owner can tell it’s time to invest in an on-premise laundry (OPL) when rising costs, poor linen quality, and scheduling issues jeopardize their operations. Laundering in-house allows you to tailor your processes to meet your business’s needs and guests’ expectations, rather than trusting a third-party service to get it right.

Whether you operate a hotel, spa, healthcare center, athletic facility, or other institutional laundry-generating facility, the pressure is always on to provide guests with a ready supply of fresh, clean linens. If a commercial laundry service contract isn’t working out the way you hoped, you might need to consider alternative solutions to regain control of your costs and workflow.

What Is an On-Premise Laundry?

By definition, an on-premise laundry is a linen processing facility that’s housed on a business’s site. The operators and attendants collect, sort, wash, dry, and finish (fold, steam, and iron) linens to the business’s specification. Owners understand that an OPL is more than a commercial laundry room; it is a tool for managing quality standards, scheduling, and expenses.

Industries That Benefit From Commercial Laundry Rooms

An establishment in any industry that consistently generates laundry can benefit from building an OPL, whether your operations focus on healthcare, tourism, or education. While you may immediately think of [hotel and resort laundry](https://www.westernstatedesign.com/industries-served/hotel-laundry.asp), our equipment suppliers develop OPLs to process linens in many sectors, including:

Healthcare – bed linens, patient gowns, scrubs
Hospitality and Travel – bedding, room and amenity towels, catering and restaurant linens
Corrections – jumpsuits, uniforms, towels, bedding
Sports Facilities – gym, training and beach towels, physiotherapy linens, yoga mats
Spas and Salons – towels, sheets, capes, massage table linens
Universities – linens for janitorial, technical classes and laboratories, banquets and events
Veterinarian Clinics – surgical and exam towels, uniforms, crate covers, animal beds

5 Signs It's Time to Invest in an OPL

The differences between in-house and contract laundry boils down to control over linen availability and quality. When customer satisfaction is a main driver of your success, you may not want to leave these factors to a third party. If you’re undecided, watch for these signs that it’s time to consider bringing your laundry in-house.

1. Scheduling Issues

A linen processing service likely has many other customers to satisfy. They may not be able to meet specific turnarounds without charging fees to expedite processing and delivery. Delays create headaches for companies needing clean, refreshed linens fast. If the laundry service hours don’t accommodate your business, it can also put pressure on internal processes. This is especially true of hospitality businesses that face strict room turns, and why hotels and resorts prefer an OPL to outsourcing.

2. Poor Linen Care and Wash Quality

Satisfaction matters, whether you operate a gym, hotel, hospital, or nail salon. When your linen cleanliness doesn’t meet standards, or harsh processing is wearing out your towels and sheets, customers, guests, and patients see it. OPLs ensure better control of the wash quality, leading to longer linen life and increased guest satisfaction. Care facilities with strict guidelines may prefer to process laundry in-house to control sanitation and hygiene from start to finish.

3. Inventory Pressure

If you’re struggling to keep backup inventory on hand (in case of processing delays or seasonal business), washing your own linen can speed up circulation. A groomer, boarding facility, or other pet care business with commercial washers and dryers doesn’t need to turn customers away due to inventory problems. The same goes for nail salons, gyms, massage centers, and other companies with unpredictable business volumes.

4. Unmet Sustainability Goals

Consumers and travelers prioritize companies with sustainability goals. Brands need to update their operations to meet these expectations or risk losing business. If you don’t control how your linen is processed, you can’t assure customers of your sustainability efforts. Investing in efficient on-premise laundry equipment at spas, salons, and similar businesses helps these companies stick to Earth-friendly practices.

5. High or Rising Overhead Costs

Third-party laundries will pass many of their rising costs onto their customers. That means you’re paying for rising utility rates, higher transportation costs, and wage increases. Third parties may also be less inclined to look for ways to improve OPL efficiency if their customers are the ones footing the bills. All of these expenses add to your overhead. If a laundry contractor doesn’t use high-efficiency equipment, you could be paying more than necessary for the same — or worse — output you could complete in-house.

How To Create an Efficient In-House Laundry Facility

The first step to setting up an on-premise laundry is to analyze your business’s needs and consider the equipment, space, and staffing required to meet your operational goals. Technology plays a significant role in creating an efficient in-house laundry room. It allows OPL operators to improve automation and optimize resources without jeopardizing wash or linen quality.

These are the key areas to focus on when designing an in-house laundry room:

Modern Laundry Equipment

Advances in digital technology have transformed commercial and industrial laundry equipment. They’ve also played a significant role in giving attendants the tools to consistently and efficiently process loads. Modern washer-extractors and dryers are also programmable, allowing you to tailor settings for fabric types and soil levels to meet your business needs. Here are features that on-premise laundry equipment offers your business:

Enhanced rinse capabilities to improve linen softness and its appearance
High-efficiency washer-extractors use g-force extraction to remove moisture, minimizing required drying time
Innovative dryers prevent over-drying, thus extending the life of the linens and reducing inventory costs
Increased automation reduces training and labor costs
Uniform cycle selection ensures linen processing meets standards with fewer rewashes
Remote monitoring features allow managers to track performance and detect issues in real-time, minimizing downtime

Streamlined Workflows

While washer and dryer technology helps simplify oversight, a strategic OPL layout can organize processes and flow. When planning your OPL, you’ll have full control over the shop floor layout to increase safety and reduce backtracking, waste, and congestion. When you establish dirty and clean areas and zones for flatwork and finishing equipment, you can reduce mistakes, maintain hygiene, and increase production.

Employee Training

Even advanced and automated on-premise laundry equipment requires skilled attendants to run it properly. Training your team to program controls, follow procedures, and maintain machines will protect your investment and keep operations running smoothly. Western State Design offers professional on-site commercial laundry training to educate your staff and maintain an efficient, sustainable OPL.

If you’re convinced it’s time to invest in an on-premise laundry room, we’re here to help. We understand the nuances of planning a new laundry, modernizing an existing facility, or scaling up your processing volume. Our laundry specialists will analyze your needs and recommend washers, dryers, and finishing equipment — and that’s just the start. As a leading distributor of state-of-the-art commercial equipment for OPLs, WSD is dedicated to providing solutions for every industry. Contact a WSD OPL expert today.

Contact a WSD OPL Expert Today