The hospitality industry has made great strides in embracing green cleaning and its positive impact on the environment, corporate profitability and customers. According to the Green Hotels Assn., the hospitality industry is increasing eco-friendly purchasing and operations, as such matters are increasingly important to guests.
Notably, one important aspect of green cleaning that also impacts hotel guests is laundry care. With new technologies in commercial laundry programs, today’s hoteliers have more options than ever when it comes to their on-premise laundry. Cold water washing, in particular, is gaining momentum as it has been shown to be able to boost customer satisfaction, significantly benefit a company’s bottom line and make progress against corporate sustainability goals.
In fact, in the 2014 P&G Professional Cleaning Industry Insights Survey, two-thirds of cleaning managers in the Hospitality/Lodging sector said that they would be much more likely to consider a laundry product that would offer bottom line savings, reduced linen replacement costs, lower energy consumption, less water use and sustainability.
Energy & Water Savings
New cold water wash processes can reduce the number of fills and water used per wash—translating to up to a 40 percent reduction in water used compared to traditional wash methods. To put it into context, the amount of water you save at your hotel in a year could equal the amount needed to fill 20 average-sized swimming pools.
With less water to heat, and washing in colder temperatures, cold water washing can contribute to up to a 75 percent reduction in energy use. This reduction in water and energy can lead to significant savings on a hotel’s utility bill that, when combined with up to a 15 percent linen replacement cost savings from using a high quality cold water washing system, could save a hotel property with 150 rooms up to $8,700 per year. Saving water and energy makes good business sense for any hotel, as it benefits the environment and the bottom line.
Today, modern laundry formulations include new developments in enzymes specifically designed for lower wash temperatures that can help effectively break down stains without the need for high water temperatures, resulting in less water usage and clean, soft linens and towels for your guests.
Using national average water and energy cost data combined with the Uniform & Textile Service Association’s On Premise Laundry (OPL) Processing Costs Study, 41 percent of the operating costs in an on-premise laundry room can be directly impacted by which on-premise laundry system is selected for use on a property. If hotel operators are doing it right and paying attention, they can achieve savings with water and energy costs and make a positive difference in their facilities. Decisions hotel managers make for their individual properties can collectively make a big difference in our world.
Corporate Sustainability Goals
Establishing green initiatives throughout your hotel may be helpful in achieving the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) certification.
This green building certification program can be an important aspect of corporate sustainability goals. To achieve this, hotels must go through a LEED certification process that entails satisfying prerequisites, including green cleaning, and earning points to achieve different levels of certification.
As part of a new version of LEED (Version 4) that will go into effect on October 31, 2016, USGBC added a requirement to reduce energy and water consumption specifically relating to laundry operations. Hoteliers should follow this new requirement even when using the current version of LEED.
For the numerous hotels that have already gone through this process or are currently working on it, the benefits of LEED certification can result in operational cost savings, reducing environmental impact and appealing to guests who prefer staying in an eco-friendly hotel.
Keeping Customers Satisfied
As with any hotel stay, it’s important to remember that for the time being, this is your guest’s home away from home. Guests expect clean, soft, white linens and towels. A high quality cold water washing system can help provide these and other benefits to your customers.
Laundry systems which use a near-neutral pH formula provide guests with noticeably softer sheets and towels. A near-neutral detergent also helps promote guest and employee safety with no harsh alkali, acids or phosphates, and helps protect fabric integrity for longer lasting linens. This, in turn, can contribute to less wear and tear on your linens and a decrease in linen replacement costs, along with a reduction in the environmental impacts associated with manufacturing the linens (especially if made from cotton) and disposal of old linens.
Innovations in Laundry Care
With new technology in professional cold water washing systems, hoteliers have more to consider when it comes to laundry care. By using the latest innovations in cold water washing, hoteliers can decrease operational costs through bottom line savings with a reduction in water, energy and linen replacement costs and boost guest satisfaction. These benefits can also make a positive impact on our environment and help meet LEED certification. Guests will enjoy the benefit of bright, white, fresh towels and bedding and appreciate your hotel’s initiative to reduce its environmental impact.
Stephen P. Ashkin is considered the “father of green cleaning” and is President of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in greening the cleaning industry, and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools, which offers a cloud-based dashboard that allows organizations to measure, report and improve their sustainability efforts. Stephen recently participated in a webinar titled “The Benefits of Coldwater Washing” that can be viewed on www.pgpro.com/webinars/ for more information.
