Laundry Equipment

Laundry equipment is any type of equipment necessary to have a fully functioning laundry facility. Many people utilize public laundry facilities when they do not own their own washer and dryer, prefer to use a different facility than that provided by their apartment community, or are temporarily away from home and do not have access to laundry facilities elsewhere.

Laundry equipment may also be necessary for in-house laundry facilities as found in many hotels, larger restaurants, boarding schools, and any other organization that requires laundry services on a frequent enough basis to justify investing in equipment under their own roof.



Basic types of laundry equipment

Perhaps the most often thought-of laundry equipment is the washing machine, known as a washer extractor in industrial settings. Washer extractors differ from household washing machines in both their size and features. Whereas most household washing machines have an inlet valve, a standard rinse cycle, and relatively limited options as to cycle types, washer extractors often have up to 4 high-speed inlet valves for quick filling of the tub, a jet spray rinse cycle for thorough rinsing, extremely high speed spin cycles for effective extraction, much larger capacities, and various features such as overnight soak, soft wash, or delayed start. Although specific details will vary according to washer extractor models and manufacturers, they are all similar in the ability to handle much larger loads of laundry and in their handling of special options necessary when running a commercial facility.

Drying machines, or dryer tumblers, are also found both in homes and commercial settings. Industrial dryer tumblers have a super fast drying capability for quicker drying of laundry, often have an energy efficient design, may have a tumbler that can be reversed manually or automatically, a self-cleaning lint system, and various mechanical parts that make possible features such as instant ignition and more. While dryer tumblers range in the size of load they can handle, the largest equipment can handle upwards of 75 pounds of laundry at a time, many times more than a standard household dryer.

While homes may use a standard iron, this is not effective for a larger laundry facility. Thus most laundry equipment retailers will also offer a variety of ironing equipment, which may be heated roll or heated press. Heated roll ironers are preferred by smaller to medium size laundry facilities, while heated chest ironers are used by larger laundries who can afford the greater initial investment.

Special features of laundry equipment

Depending on the setting for which the laundry equipment is intended, there may be special features that are desirable in the equipment being leased or purchased. For example, larger versions of the stacked washers and dryers found in many apartments and condominiums may be preferred for a small or medium size laundry that has very limited space. Coin laundries require equipment that is compatible with coin mechanisms. Many manufacturers of commercial laundry equipment offer machinery that already has coin features in place.

Washers and dryers may be topload or frontload, a matter of personal preference as well as determining a fit for the particular application, and range in shape and electricity usage. The wide variety of laundry equipment available ensures that any facility, from the smallest salon needing to wash towels to the largest hotel with huge quantities of linens that need to be laundered, can find the equipment right for them.
By Kira Lee