New machines set to double capacity of NEW iMAGE Laundry

More than 200kg of laundry just became light work at NEW iMAGE Laundry.

The commercial laundry is an initiative of IMPACT Community Services’ which serves Bundaberg and the surrounding areas.

IMPACT’s Laundry manager Daniel Leary said they recently installed two Jensen Washer Extractor 110kg machines.

These Front Loader single pocket machines will essentially double the capacity of the laundry.

“The current wash capacity at the Laundry was 180kg at any given time, with the average cycle being around 45 minutes,” he said.

“The current machines are 40kg, 60kg and 80kg. Meaning that it would take three machines to produce 180kg every 45 minutes.

“These 2 new machines are each 110kg which allows us to process an additional 220kg every 45 minutes.”

Daniel said this equated to a new capacity of 400kgs every 45 minutes.

He said without the new machines the laundry was operating at close to its maximum capacity and this made it difficult to pursue other contracts to drive production and sustainability further.

The new equipment allows the laundry to fine tune its operation, reduce overheads. It now also allows us to drop existing machine out of production for essential maintenance at given times while still maintaining good production levels.

Servicing a range of local aged care facilities, hospitals, medical practices, accommodation outlets and more, the laundry is committed to working to meet all guidelines set by the Australian Standards AS/NZS 4146.2000 for the collection, loading, storage and sorting, disinfecting, washing and delivery of linen.

Daniel said key aspects to commercial washing operations and remaining compliant to medical and aged care standards are Mechanical, Thermal and Chemical disinfection.  

The Mechanical Action is achieved by the engineering of the inner drum and the rigorous tumbling process. The Thermal action is achieved by the injection of steam continually throughout the wash cycle to maintain set temperatures. And the Chemical disinfection is maintained by the computer-controlled injection system which delivers concentrated wash, softening and neutralising chemicals.

Daniel said the washing machines operate up to 80 degrees Celsius depending on the fabrics being processed, while the ironer operates at 180 degrees Celsius and the dryers at 90 degrees Celsius. This will eliminate any pathogens or viruses that may have been in contact with the linen.

The machinery and wash cycles are calibrated each month to ensure that all the above measures are being meet. Importantly, the linen is also pH tested to confirm neutral pH linen was going back to clients. This is particularly important for use in hospitals and aged care facilities were when patients and residents will have contact with linen for prolonged periods.

The machinery was commissioned on June 8, 2022.

Some interesting facts:

Current research suggests that the covid virus cannot withstand temperatures at or above 70°C (158°F). All medical, aged care and accommodation linen at NEW iMAGE Laundry is washed at between 75 and 80 degrees Celsius.

When washing clothes for Bed Bugs or lice, wash cycles above 65 degrees for 10 minutes killed 100% of all life stages. Washing at 40 degrees killed all adults and nymphs, but only 25% of eggs. Therefore, washing clothes for bed bug dis-infestation should be done at the hottest temperatures. Most domestic washing machines will not maintain these temperatures for any period to eliminate these pests.

The extraction process of moisture or final spin cycle by our washing machines is done at 350 G-forces. In comparison, the massive G forces experienced by a space shuttle astronaut at take-off is 3 G, while fighter pilots can only manage up to about 9G for a second or two in a vertical manoeuvre.

NEW iMAGE Laundry is located at 4 Inglis Court, Svensson Heights, and is open 5 days a week from 8am to 3pm.

Want to know how our commercial laundering could benefit your business, visit webpage or call us on (07) 4152 6158.