Get a quote
Contact us by phone
Call us free:
01422822282

Month: March 2024

The challenge: modernise laundry room facilities with minimal downtime

Based in the suburbs of Bolton, the Withins is a family-run home that has specialised in elderly residential care since 1989. After 35 years in business, the team now looks after 65 residents in purpose-built facilities where everyone’s comfort, independence and safety are paramount.

While the Withins has rented JLA commercial laundry equipment through Total Care since 2003, the home recently set out to modernise its ageing laundry room floor and appliances to improve infection control and stay compliant. The upgrade was seen as a vital but disruptive job, and would also coincide with the installation of new equipment. This demanded expert planning to minimise downtime.

Withins care home

The solution: a managed install with state-of-the-art equipment

Thanks to combination of trusted equipment, price and reliable service, the Withins chose to extend its longstanding partnership with JLA. The team arranged for its new laundry machines to be commissioned alongside a new floor, and JLA’s installer arrived on site to help coordinate the works.

"We were dreading the install as we’re just so busy, but JLA’s install team were extremely helpful, and we had it turned round in just three days: the first moving equipment to one side of the space, for continuity; the second to move everything out, so we could finish the floor; and the third to finish up. We were really impressed – it went seamlessly and helped us avoid a complete shutdown of the laundry room for a full week, which was simply not an option for us."

Samuel Shahbazi, Director at the Withins Residential Home

The care home’s equipment upgrade saw JLA deliver three new commercial washers and two dryers, including the easy-to-use JLA 50 Touch, along with a highly efficient JLA Breeze commercial dishwasher for the kitchen. For the Withins’ management team, investing in these appliances was a straightforward decision.

“We’ve been renting JLA products for over 20 years, and for good reason: the machines are the best on the market. This new generation of washers and dryers are better than ever, and our laundry team are really happy with them.”

Samuel Shahbazi, Director at the Withins Residential Home

Through Total Care, JLA’s all-inclusive equipment and repair package, the Withins continues to enjoy free installation, with 24/7 support and ongoing maintenance and parts covered by one simple monthly cost. It’s real peace of mind that the team doesn’t have to worry about the cost of servicing or repairs for their most critical assets – something the team enjoyed first-hand when an older dishwasher recently broke down.

“As a business owner, you do worry about budgeting, and when things go wrong with equipment you own outright, it can be costly. With Total Care, you pay what you pay. You pick up the phone and an engineer comes out. For us, it’s a lot more relaxed, and always reassuring. Two engineers were sent to fix our dishwasher issue, which historically saw us having to turn it off and wash plates by hand. The engineers were professional, very polite and seriously worked hard to get it repaired within the hour. It’s working great, now!”

Samuel Shahbazi, Director at the Withins Residential Home

Similar testimonials you may like

Loading...

Cleaner air for Valley View Care Home residents

Learn how Valley View Care Home is utilising air filtration systems to comply with Regulation 9A and reduce the spread of infections.

New energy efficient commercial boilers for Campbell Snowdon House

Discover how JLA provided new commercial boilers with minimal disruption for a leading independent care home in Renfrewshire.
George Barclay
coin op business

Coin-operated laundry equipment can help you when it comes to maximising your revenue. They can also provide your business with a competitive advantage and offer your customers a comprehensive and complete service.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at what businesses would benefit from these washing machines and tumble dryers, and why.

Launderettes

Coin-operated washing machines and tumble dryers are traditionally associated with launderettes and other laundry businesses. These businesses have increased in popularity since the energy crisis as an affordable way for people to clean and dry their garments. 

Stacked equipment is often popular in launderettes to provide double the number of machines within the same square footage to save space.

Campsites and holiday parks

Laundry equipment is frequently used in campsites, caravan parks and holiday parks in the UK.

We understand that not everyone will have the suitcase space to pack everything they need for a long holiday. By providing residents of your caravan park or holiday park with access to laundry machines, you’ll run a convenient service that sets your business apart from others in your area.

By offering both coin-operated washing machines and coin-operated dryers, you’ll provide a complete and stress-free service that will draw guests back time and time again. This also opens up a new revenue stream and can maximise profits for park operators and owners.

Student accommodation and shared housing

Student accommodation, apartment laundry blocks and housing facilities frequently have shared laundry rooms. This allows residents to clean their clothes and personal possessions, particularly when washing machines and tumble dryers may not be installed into individual apartments.

Coin-operated equipment is used as a convenient solution for residents in a dedicated laundry room and allows landlords to cover the costs of operating the equipment, including electricity, water, servicing and maintenance.

Stables and equestrians

Larger stables and equestrians may have coin-operated equipment within shared facilities. There are a wide variety of items that require laundering, such as Numnah’s, saddles, blankets, rugs, clothing, so convenient laundry equipment can make the process much simpler.

With infection control and hygiene being crucial in equestrians, you can raise the standards of your stables by providing easy access to reliable laundry equipment.

Alternative solutions

Contactless laundry equipment is becoming a popular alternative to coin-operated machines. They provide increased convenience for consumers along with eliminating handling cash and coin jams. They are a popular solution across many sectors and often complement existing machines to enhance customer choice.

JLA Total Care

Our Total Care option is available with all of our laundry equipment for businesses. With Total care, we’ll provide you with top of the range machines with no upfront cost. All in one monthly payment with no surprises, Total Care gives you 24/7 365 access to our experts, giving you peace of mind that someone will be there to keep your service running.

Interested in learning more about how industrial laundry equipment could help your business? Talk to our laundry experts today.

Similar blogs you may like

Loading...
Commercial laundry machines launderette

What are laundromats, launderettes and commercial laundries and how do they differ?

Launderettes, laundromats, commercial laundries - how do they differ? Learn more about these laundry terms and how not all laundry rooms perform the same function.

As managers across the UK’s care sector continue to navigate the triple challenge of infection control, rising utility costs, and the drive for greater energy efficiency, what innovations and practices can be adopted to help future-proof care homes, protect residents and staff, and still enable organisations to meet their short and longer-range sustainability targets?

In this piece on finding the balance, JLA’s Chief Data & Marketing Officer, Christina Larkin shares her thoughts on an increasingly pressing question.

Care home staff

Why sustainability in the care sector matters


The Covid-19 pandemic has rightly seen the care industry – and the Care Quality Commission – place renewed focus on infection control. From the laundry room to the kitchen, care home hygiene and safety are rightly non-negotiable, while compliance and residents’ safety remain everyone’s top priority.

At the same time, initiatives to drive efficiency, reduce waste and decarbonise the sector continue to gather pace, with net-zero targets and more accessible alternative technologies allowing organisations to reduce their carbon footprint without compromising care standards. The good news, then, is that energy savings are still highly achievable in care settings, and can even help to demonstrate to your residents (and their families) that you are taking steps to becoming a more sustainable business, which in turn enhances your reputation.

Of course, practically meeting these expectations will usually mean adopting a range of measures. These could be as simple as switching to more sustainable everyday consumables and reducing waste sent to landfill. It could mean upgrading boilers and associated heating equipment to more efficient, hydrogen-ready units. Or it could mean investing in more energy-efficient washing machine systems, which, thanks to technological innovations, will use considerably less electricity and hot water to disinfect a laundry load, and actually lower your day-to-day running costs.

Whatever the path you take, improving sustainability brings a myriad of benefits – and not only in operational efficiencies or cost savings. In fact, it’s increasingly the case that committing to sustainability means investing in your people’s wellbeing as well. By making positive changes and working on sustainability together, you can help to improve morale and reduce staff turnover, which allows residents to build even deeper relationships with your care team. You’ll also be a more attractive proposition to talent across the industry, which further drives up standards.

And as more and more families begin to consider the environmental impact of facilities while making crucial care decisions, such a commitment to sustainability could well become the key difference between you and your competition.

Adopting best practice solutions

With commercial energy costs at record highs, we often hear of care homes seeking cheaper domestic washing machines for their laundry rooms. However, research shows that this can be a false economy. 

For one, domestic machines are much less robust, needing more regular repairs, while their smaller load capacities add up to needing more washes, at greater expense. 

OTEX

More importantly, it is unlikely that they can achieve and maintain the thermal temperatures required to keep you compliant with the requirements of HTM 01-04. 

A commercial washing machine is far more likely to control temperatures effectively, as well as providing the correct holding time to achieve the full penetration of a load for disinfection.

Alternatives to thermal laundry infection are becoming increasingly widespread, too. One example is ozone disinfection technology, which uses the power of natural ozone gas to eliminate infection from laundry loads on an energy-saving cool wash. During a study with Leicester’s De Montfort University, JLA’s own ozone disinfection system, OTEX, was found to completely remove the coronavirus. It also helped to cut hot water usage by up to 80% and electricity by 60%.

As expected, regular servicing and proactive maintenance are more likely to extend the working life of your equipment. But when washers, dryers and other appliances reach the end of their life, it is always worth considering the latest developments to understand what they could save you in time, energy and money. This is because the most up-to-date technologies are likely to come with enhanced energy-saving features, and help you spread savings across the year.

Further utility savings can also be achieved through comparatively low-cost investments such as swapping double-headed taps for single-lever taps to help control hot water consumption, installing showerheads that use aeration to save water, adding reflective heat film to your windows to reduce energy loss, and – a classic – powering down any unused appliances.

Energy-saving innovations are becoming more accessible


As technology for the care sector continues to evolve, embracing it will be key to staying ahead. Enabled by internet connectivity and state-of-the-art sensors, remote monitoring systems are now allowing providers to keep a watchful eye on your equipment, spotting issues early and dealing with them before they can cause disruptive downtime. Similarly, customers are getting fresh insights into the way their laundry rooms are running; from one dashboard, managers can easily view real-time data without having to be on site. By creating a fuller picture of a laundry room’s daily use, these systems offer a smart way to plan resources, save time, and make decisions that reduce energy use. And as this technology expands, we expect to see more and more use cases opening up.

JLA’s own Connect service offers always-on monitoring for compatible commercial laundry equipment. Some of its features include improving efficiency by estimating the amount of energy and water machines use, in addition to suggesting better times to run them for maximum savings. On top of that, JLA Connect offers a handy way to quantify and potentially reduce environmental impact with estimates of CO2 emissions.

JLA has also introduced its own Energy Smart Hub, which combines practical tips, data-driven insight and actionable advice that is already helping customers tackle rising energy costs and stay energy smart. We view this hub as a crucial resource offering honest comparisons between products while ensuring customers have the full picture on costs and benefits when they come to explore or invest in more energy-efficient equipment.

Our recently published sustainability report – a first in the commercial equipment industry – expands this transparent approach. The report not only explains the steps we’ve taken to save our customers 8 million kWh in electricity, and 276 million litres of water through OTEX, but formalises our sustainability strategy. We believe it is vital to outline our future goals as we continue to support thousands of organisations, like yours, that are the bedrock of the UK’s social infrastructure.

It is our hope that by adopting best practices, embracing new innovations, and sharing inspirational success stories, the sector can navigate today’s challenges while working towards a future of excellence in care and environmental responsibility.

Similar blogs you may like

Loading...

What is sick building syndrome, and how can we prevent it?

Learn about what sick building syndrome (SBS) is, how it can affect your workplace and the different systems available to help address the problem.
Commercial housing

How JLA can help social landlords improve Tenant Satisfaction Measures and meet the Decent Homes Standard

Dicover how your housing association can keep compliant with the introduction of Tenant Satisfaction Measurements in 2024.
Need help? Call us on

01422822282

Facebook Linkedin
About JLA
Solutions
Sectors
George Barclay

George Barclay

Laundry Expert

Head of Installations George joined JLA as an apprentice service engineer in 2011. With years of experience in plumbing, engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering, he oversees the delivery of safe, compliant installations.

George is Gas qualified for both laundry and COMCAT 1, 2, 3, 5, and holds IOSH Managing Safety and 17th edition accreditation.

Read George's full profile

Olivia Nolan

Care sector expert
LinkedIn_Logo.svg v2 copy

Olivia has been supporting some of the UKs largest care providers for over 10 years and is also the sector specialist for care.

Olivia has an excellent understanding of the commercial and technical requirements of care homes, having overseen many contract mobilisations and contract deliveries. 

Along with a drive to help make sure your critical equipment is running smoothly, Olivia’s primary mission is to work with customers to find the right solutions to your challenges.

Read Olivia's full profile

Talk to our experts today

Find out more By providing your email address we can send you information about JLA's products & services and special offers which we think might be of interest to you.
Keeping your information safe >>