October 2020

Joshua Finch
Government and NHS expert

More and more hospitals, healthcare and the food industry are switching to microfibre cleaning cloths and mop pads as the focus on infection control increases. It’s a significant investment, and should be encouraged, but without the right approach to maintenance, that investment could be wiped out quickly.

Traditional microfibre laundering – thermal disinfection

Microfibre suppliers generally recommend that a wash temperature of between 60°C and 95°C is needed to launder their products after each use. Due to the high effectiveness of microfibre in picking up micro-organisms from surfaces, it should always be considered as ‘infected linen’ and therefore thermal disinfection is an effective means of decontamination – whether processing laundry in-house or outsource it to a third party.

Wherever it is laundered though, thermal disinfection should not be seen as the only go-to solution to decontamination. Disinfection cannot be guaranteed (spore-forming such as C. Difficile and some heat resistant bacteria E. Coli for example, cannot be fully eradicated using this method).

As for the impact, too much heat during laundering can destroy microfibres – leading to repeat investments or simply making do with damaged mops or cloths. Microfibres are essentially plastics, blends of polyamide and polyester; heat is not good news for plastics and can reduce their effectiveness. Shrinkage occurs, with fibres becoming damaged and twisted, trapping bacteria and reducing the effectiveness of the decontamination process and ongoing performance of the material.

The future of microfibre laundry – low temperature ozone disinfection

In contrast to traditional thermal processes, low temperature ozone laundering offers the dual benefit of being tough on bacteria while being gentle on fibres. In a peer reviewed report published in the Journal of Infection Prevention_ in 2012 by P.N. Humphreys et al at Huddersfield University stated “The data supports the position that JLA’s OTEX system is an effective approach for the re-cycling of Microfibre cloths without any detrimental impacts on MF performance up to 350 OTEX cycles”._x000D_

After considerable development work a unique wash process was developed and trialed with the support of the NHS and ISS Mediclean at the QE2 Hospital, Welwyn Garden City. After microbiological analysis of mops and cloths over a six month period, no pathogenic bacteria was found to be present in any of the post wash mops and cloths, demonstrating an extremely effective disinfection process even in cold water. As there is no need for hot water both water and electricity is reduced significantly. The energy to heat to thermal temperatures and provide the necessary hold time is also not required. As such, ozone decreases the overall carbon footprint of the wash process and maintains the integrity of the microfibre.

“Technology’s role in professional cleaning should not be underestimated. Even though more managers are indeed turning to microfibre, there’s a danger that they might overlook the decontamination process needed to ensure hygienic laundering.

Since the main route for outbreaks of E.Coli, C.Difficile, Norovirus, MRSA and other infections is hand-to-mouth, it clearly becomes a problem if surfaces are being cleaned by unclean cloths and mops. This can be made worse through the transmission of germs from the cleaner’s hand onto clean surfaces or materials after they have handled inadequately laundered items.”

Jackie Hook, Technical Support Chemist at JLA

The latest study for OTEX has taken place with De Montfort University, and following in depth testing, it has been proven that the OTEX laundry system removes all traces of Coronavirus. For any site where infection control is vital, understanding that microfibres, as well as textiles such as bedding, linen and even uniforms can be washed using a low temperature yet completely removes all traces of the virus is a reassurance more important than ever.

You can download a copy of our full microfibre laundry ‘Talking Point’ below, with more on how ozone laundry can help your green credentials, as well as your compliance responsibilities.

Talking point

Using Ozone To Wash Microfibre Mops & Cloths

In contrast to traditional thermal processes, low temperature ozone laundering offers the dual benefit of being tough on bacteria while being gentle on fibres.

Download our FREE Talking Point to read more about why O3 washing represents the future of disinfection when it comes to achieving the highest standards of hygiene in healthcare settings.

Olivia Nolan
Care sector expert

(Digest of JLA’s contribution to Issue 27 of ‘The Carer’, by our in-house Chemist Jackie Hook)

As care homes face mounting difficulties in combating COVID-19 through the winter months, finding ways to keep staff and residents safe is more important than ever.

Research shows that Coronavirus can live on fabric and textiles for up to three days. It’s therefore vital that linen (especially that which residents or staff come into direct contact with) is removed, stored and washed as safely as possible. With huge emphasis on infection control in care homes’ laundry facilities – and increasing number of visits likely from CQC inspectors – here are six of the most important recommendations every home should follow.

Avoid shaking down, rinsing or sorting linen when removing it from residents’ rooms. Instead, carefully place it in a red bag, tie the bag, then secure it in a secondary bag to be placed in the allocated ‘dirty’ laundry trolley.

Store all laundry baskets in a designated and safe area once filled, away from both residents and staff ready for washing (or collection by a contractor).

Process linen as quickly as possible and do not leave overnight before washing. This will ensure any stains are not allowed to dry into the fabric, and the microbial challenge will be reduced.

Thoroughly review your current washing system (whether in-house or through contractors). When researching potential new laundry systems, look for systems that have undergone extensive testing to demonstrate just how effective they are at removing the coronavirus infection.

If using ozone, make sure your supplier has documentation to ensure they support the products under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation. The regulation exists, in simple terms, to ensure that a product’s performance meets recognised standards and that no adverse affect on the environment, human or animal health exists as a result of its use.

Wash and store all health workers’ uniforms on-site rather than allowing them to be taken home for laundering. In addition to guarding against cross-contamination during a commute, using commercial washing machines provides better control of the wash process in comparison to domestic washers, which aren’t designed to deal with infected linen and may not be compliant with UK water regulations.

Read JLA’s full contribution to the discussion around current infection control best practice for care homes on page 14 of The Carer (Issue 27), with expert insight from our very own chemist Jackie Hook.

After what has already been a difficult year for businesses in every sector – particularly care homes, schools and hospitality venues – we’re urging customers to ensure their commercial heating system is up to the demands of the winter months to avoid further unwanted challenges.

We’ve pulled together this Heating Checklist to share the key things we’d recommend you consider ahead during the coldest months, to keep things running smoothly and ensure boiler downtime is kept to a minimum.

Establish a cold weather continuity plan

As you navigate winter, you need to establish a continuity plan that details how your staff will handle a boiler breakdown that would affect the day to day operations of your business.. It’s also important to make sure contingency plans are in place should any boilers let you down in the colder months.

Do you have servicing cover in place that guarantees 24/7 support…and can you be sure that engineers would be able to visit your site quickly if you found yourself without heating and hot water?

Look into remote boiler monitoring

Now – particularly given the current limitations on face-to-face site visits – is a good time to look into the new technologies available in the heating market, which remove the reliance on physical engineer support.

If you’re in the market for a new boiler, look for models that have integrated smart remote monitoring and diagnostics as standard, and ask your provider if their appliances come with real time data fault detection and remote auto-fix that can potentially fix minor issues before they impact your heating or hot water supply.

Conduct a full heating health check

Many businesses, from care homes and offices to hotels and schools suffer from inefficient boiler use during the winter months, without knowing how to do anything about it. Scheduling a heating ‘health check’ allows a trusted advisor to visit the property and evaluate its requirements before recommending appropriate equipment or changes in usage to increase the energy efficiency.

Consider adding an ‘inhibitor’ to your heating system

One thing that may be suggested following a health check at this time of year is to add an inhibitor to your system to prevent it from freezing, and also help to break down sludge in your pipes and radiators that may have built up over time.

Note: It’s important to seek further advice from professionals rather than attempting any chemical work as a DIY task.

Replace any old, faulty or condemned boilers

Lots of buildings are operating using old boilers and heating systems that are unreliable and costly. Although replacing your central heating can be a substantial expense, you could consider an alternative commercial rental subscription solution to break the cost into manageable monthly payments and avoid the pressure that might come with leasing, financing or buying outright.

To find out more about how your commercial premises can benefit from an upgraded heating system, or to book a boiler service, get in touch with our experts today for a no-obligation chat.

If your business is closed during lockdown, or your organisation is only partially open, you’ll still need to make sure your critical appliances are maintained properly – to keep them in good condition while not in use and minimise breakdowns when the time comes to load them again. This quick guide will help you ensure the basics are covered, but we’re always on hand if you need further advice, servicing or repairs.

Washing machines

Quick maintenance checklist

Start by running the machine on its hottest setting

Open the door when the cycle ends and air for a few minutes

Completely turn off the water and electrical supply

Clean the door seals, soap drawer, and all external surfaces

Keep the door open to prevent mould from building up

Other things to consider

Water inlet filters – If blocked, the water efficiency to the machine will be reduced, causing the wrong water usage levels to be calculated, increasing utility costs.

Inlet and outlet hoses – Ensure there is no water leaking from either hose, which can occur at the connections and joints in particular. You should lok for and remove any build-up too – left uncleared, this can cause increased utility bills and even breakdown.

Belts – These should be checked twice a year, and belts that have damage, cracks, or splits need to be replaced. Spotting a worn-out belt and replacing it can prevent the machine from being out of service when you need it again.

Tumble dryers

Quick maintenance checklist

Firstly, clean the lint filter thoroughly and dispose of all lint

Using a vacuum attachment, hoover the inside of the machine

Lastly, cut off the gas, water, and electricity supply

Other things to consider

Exhaust duct – Check the duct for lint or other debris and remove if possible (vacuuming is a good way to do a basic clean). While duct cleaning isn’t a critical necessity during lockdown, you might want to book a visit ahead of time so you can hit the ground running safely when things return to normal.

Dryer belts – These should ideally be checked annually under normal circumstances, but our experts recommend a lockdown check while things are quiet and the machine is in use.

General laundry area

Ensuring the work environment around all commercial equipment is clean is extremely important. Any rubbish, debris or dirt that has built up could create a fire hazard or cause damage to your machine if it finds its way into the drum.

After following the quick maintenance tips above, and checking the other elements of your machines that might need attention, carry out a final sweep around the appliances (mop all floors if possible), and clear work surfaces as much as possible.

We’re here to help in whatever ways we can during this difficult time for businesses. If you need to help with any commercial laundry maintenance during lockdown or beyond, contact our friendly experts today.

If your businesses has been forced to close due to lockdown, it’s important to ensure your commercial fridges and freezers are cared for properly while not in active use. We’re urging all our customers to use this period of downtime to ensure you are taking the best care of your equipment, and catching up on preventative maintenance tasks that you may not always have enough time to conduct when service is busy.

Commercial refrigerator care

Deep cleaning your refrigeration equipment

Even if your business is no longer operating due to current restrictions, all equipment must be looked after in order to meet fundamental hygiene standards. Good maintenance is also key to ensure your chllers are in good working order when you re-open once restrictions are lifted.

Firstly, it’s important to empty your fridge before cleaning rather than ‘wiping around’ your stock. We then advise using soap and warm water to clean both the inside and exterior, with non-abrasive cloths or sponges – soft cloths and plastic scouring pads will prevent any damage to the material coating, but steel pads and wire brushes or scrapers and solvent-based cleaners will cause unisightly marks even on stainless steel.

Fridges with stock

Refrigerators only need a minimal amount of maintenance – it doesn’t take long, and once carried out correctly you will be reaping the benefits of having a longer-lasting, safe, and efficient fridge for many years. Even when you’re open, neglecting the routine maintenance of your refrigerators increases the risk of breakdowns. Now you have some time on your hands, this is the perfect opportunity to give your fridge a basic ‘MOT’ over and above the quick clean suggested above, by following a few simple steps:

- Remove any food ( a chance to check for out-of-date stock too)

- Thoroughly wipe down inside and out (see tips above)

- Clean the condenser coil with compressed air when necessary

- Ensure the gaskets are in good condition and seal properly

- If possible, clean heated seals weekly with warm water & mild detergent

- Polish any stainless steal to maintain appearance

Empty fridges

If you have no stock to keep chilled, you can save money on utilities by ‘hibernating’ your commercial fridge. Simply follow the steps below:

- Switch the chiller unit off at the mains

- Carry out a manual defrost if required

- Clean inside and out as per our tips above

- Check door/drawer gaskets are clean, and not damaged

- Dry all interior surfaces fully

- Remove racking/shelves/containers and wrap in cling film

- Leave the door slightly ajar too stop bacteria from setting

- Wipe the refrigerator’s feet and/or castors

- Ensure the top of the appliances is clear – never store boxes etc on there

- Remember to re-clean agan before re-stocking after lockdown

Commercial freezer care

Freezer units with stock

Freezers can be left on during periods of closure which is a big help when it comes to reducing costly waste, but it’s important to re-evaluate stock once things return to normal. Here are our tips:

- Remove any food that is out of date

- Staack remaining food on shelves with adequate space between levels

- Make sure nothing is is stored on the bottom/floor of the freezer. (if it is, the airflow of the unit will be restricted which will lead to the compressor going into overtime and increase your energy bills)

Empty freezers

For commercial freezer units that have been cleared completely and won’t be used for the foreseeable future, here are some recommendations to make sure the equipment is ready to work at its best when you re-open:

- Turn off the unit to conserve energy

- Thoroughly clean the entire freezer with soap and water (use our fridge cleaning tips)

- Leave the door open marginally to prevent the build-up of unpleasant odours/bacteria

We’re here to help in whatever ways we can during this difficult time for businesses. If you need to help with any commercial kitchen maintenance during lockdown or beyond, contact our friendly experts today.

Peter Westwell
Catering expert

Having a piece of kit go down is every chef’s worst nightmare. Planned preventative care can help you to avoid unnecessary downtime while ensuring the optimum performance of all your mission-critical kitchen apparatus, improving its lifespan, and minimising energy consumption.

How to avoid downtime in your professional kitchen

The benefits of pre-emptive maintenance

Prevention costs less than cure

Quite simply, it’s a false economy to wait until something goes wrong, with the expense of calling out an engineer every time you have a problem far exceeding the costs of regular care. Not only does preventive maintenance cost less than repairing or replacing broken equipment, you can also factor it into your monthly cashflow, so you never receive any nasty surprises. For example, take a refrigeration malfunction; not only can this result in a huge repair bill, but it also brings the additional cost of having to discard your valuable stock. And that’s something all commercial kitchen operators want to avoid.

Avoid downtime

By routinely servicing your professional kitchen equipment, there is less chance of it breaking down when you need it most, helping you to avoid the financial implications of downtime to your business and your reputation.

Save money with energy savings

Regular essential maintenance not only saves you money when things go wrong, but it can also deliver cost-savings to your business on a daily basis. In fact, a study examining the consumption of electricity in the commercial kitchen found that poor levels of care significantly contribute to excessive energy use in refrigerators, while in some cases maintenance can deliver electricity savings of up to 45%.

Keep compliant

Adequate maintenance is essential to help meet the requirements of the Food Safety Act, and to ensure your cooking, hot holding, and chilling equipment is working correctly and won’t let you down. There are more than a million cases of food poisoning every year in the UK, but when it comes to the health of your customers, ignorance is not an adequate defense. Contravening food safety legislation can result in severe penalties – including an unlimited fine, or even imprisonment. Properly maintained professional kitchen equipment can help make sure you meet your obligations, reducing your exposure to risk, and protecting your hard-earned reputation.

How to ensure proper maintenance of your professional kitchen equipment

Start by creating an inventory of all your essential kitchen equipment. Then, set out what needs to happen when a repair is required, including who is in charge of handling it and who else needs to know. Consider where you track this information, and whether you need to hire an engineer to make repairs, or if there someone in-house who has the skills needed do this (properly!). You also need to set up a preventive and routine maintenance programme. To do this, you must instill good to day-to-day practices in your commercial kitchen to help your employees look after your equipment properly. Did you know, for example, that just by putting a filter in your fridge you could save £92 a year? Not only will regular care help prolong the lifespan of your equipment, but it will also help to ensure that any warranties remain valid. Next, be sure to shop around to find a suitable maintenance package which meets the various needs of each of your items during their lifetime. Depending on the equipment this could include:

- Gas safety checks

- Temperature validation

- Machine optimisation

- Canopy cleaning

- Duct cleaning

- Annual service

- Emergency engineer response

And a quick tip – it’s also worth considering whether renting makes more sense than purchasing outright – particularly if this includes a regular maintenance package to keep your kit in top-notch condition. In a commercial kitchen, keeping your professional kitchen equipment in optimum working order is not just important for ensuring food quality and consistency, it is business critical. As such, ensuring you have the right kitchen equipment in place, and that it is looked after correctly is essential. By putting aside a set amount each month to cover the costs of regular maintenance, you can save your business money, keep compliant, and be sure to avoid product downtime. Ultimately, letting you get on with what you do best – cooking consistently high-quality food.

Are you considering upgrading your catering equipment to help improve hygiene standards and protect your valuable reputation? Find out how you can do just that by contacting our friendly experts today.

We’re excited to announce further accelerated growth in our fire and security division, with the acquisition of two more specialist businesses. Firewatch South West Limited and ITS Fire & Security Limited are the latest additions to bolster our national capabilities in the areas of commercial facilities that matter most to our customers.

Both companies, based in Devon and Surrey respectively, provide a full breadth of key products and services from the design, installation and maintenance of fire alarm systems, fire doors, signage and extinguishers through to fire risk assessments and training. ITS will also boost our security credentials with services covering intruder alarms, CCTV and access controls.

Fire is a rapidly growing addition to the JLA family of critical asset supply and service propositions which also include commercial laundry, catering and heating. The company is a trusted partner to 22,000+ customers across a diverse range of sectors including healthcare, care homes, schools, hotels and social housing.

“Alongside our other acquired fire businesses, these two key industry players, Firewatch South West and ITS, will expand our capabilities and national coverage significantly with the addition of 50 engineers, many of whom are cross-skilled. As the newest critical asset division in JLA we are proud to see the growth we have achieved in fire and security in just two years, and we are excited about the huge opportunities going forward with our national coverage.”

Rob Harris, Managing Director of Fire at JLA

“JLA was the perfect fit for ITS. Becoming part of a growing national group will enable us to strengthen and expand our offerings to our clients and means we can provide a truly exceptional service across the country. We are all looking forward to the exciting road ahead.”

Tim Dyer, Director at ITS Group

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Total Care

Existing customers

Month: October 2020

Traditional microfibre laundering – thermal disinfection

The future of microfibre laundry – low temperature ozone disinfection