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To get the best from your commercial washing machine, you also need to use the right laundry chemicals and detergents. It can be complicated to work out what is best for your laundry so we’ve put together this handy guide.
Detergent: what is the difference between biological and non-biological?
Biological detergents contain enzymes that boost cleaning performance, working effectively at low temperatures (30°C – 50°C). Non-biological detergents contain powerful cleaning agents that ensure your washing comes out clean and fresh but without enzymes.
Key to both biological and non-biological detergents are surfactants. A major component of laundry detergent they break up stains and suspend the dirt in the water to be washed away when your washing machine drains.
Detergents often also contain OBAs: Optical Brightening Agents or Additives. Their job is to increase the perceived whiteness and brightness of your laundry.
Do I need to use a fabric softener?
Yes! Machine washing can put stress onto your laundry textiles, particularly natural fibres such as cotton and wool. Fabric softener lightly conditions each of the fibres helping them to remain smooth and keep their natural elasticity. It can also help prevent static and reduce creasing making ironing a much quicker job. Look out for encapsulated fragrance technology which ensures some of the fragrance remains on the fibres, only releasing the long-lasting scent when the linen is touched.
What are the types of destainers?
There are a number of options to choose from depending on your requirements.
For stubborn stains on laundry which can be washed at hotter temperatures (50°C and above), there is the option of hydrogen peroxide based liquid destainer which can safely remove stubborn stains such as tea, coffee and bodily fluids.
If your linens can only be washed at lower temperatures (20°C – 40°C) then make sure you use a low temperature destainer designed for these temperatures which can be used on all types of fabric.
And for those stubborn stains, look out for destainers designed for pre-soaking or for use in the drum of your washing machine.
What is an emulsifier?
An emulsifier is an essential product when you are laundering linens heavily soiled with grease, fat or oils from environments such as kitchens and spas, or from around shirt collars and cuffs.
This product removes fats and oils by allowing oil and water to mix, lifting the substances from the laundry before washing it away. They work at all temperatures and are safe for coloured fabrics.
When should I use starch?
Starch is ideal when you are laundering chef whites, table linens or other flatwork. Liquid laundry starch gets deep into the fibres of your fabric for a crisp finish. It also makings ironing easier helping reduce turnaround times.
Why use an alkali wash boost?
Hard water can reduce the performance of your cleaning chemicals. An alkali wash boost increases the pH of the wash solution in your washing machine to maximise your cleaning chemicals’ performance. It is particularly helpful when you are dealing with food and fatty or oily stains.
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