As the care industry’s leading commercial partner for almost 40 years, we’ve gained unique insights into how care homes operate, and so we understand better than most how to help your kitchen and catering areas work more efficiently. If you want to spend more time looking after your residents than you do looking after your washing up, here’s a ‘tick list’ to keep handy when looking for a new dishwasher.
5 things to look for when choosing a dishwasher for your care home
1. Robust commercial equipment
It goes without saying that you need to process your loads at much faster speeds than a domestic appliance can manage, and also need the reassurance of equipment that is built to last. It’s therefore vital that you choose robust, easy-to-use commercial dishwashers, glasswashers and utensil & pot washers that can get through hundreds of items quickly, whilst washing them thoroughly and hygienically. Low water consumption, energy-efficiency, simple controls and reliability are all hallmarks of JLA’s dishwasher range, and you can benefit from all of these things for no capital outlay as part of Total Care. Importantly, commercial machines are significantly cheaper to run than domestic machines due to water usage, efficiency and cycle times with tangible cost savings for any care home currently using domestics.
It’s also worth pointing out that domestic machines being used for business operations will not be covered by their warranties – leaving you exposed to cost and inconvenience if something goes wrong.
2. Infection prevention
Preventing cross-infection is of course paramount in nursing and residential environments. Over the years, JLA has evolved products to give you all the features you need to combat the threat of MRSA and other common infections, while also giving you the reassurance of high wash quality that doesn’t require hour-long cycles to achieve. As a result, its tank dishwashers offer thermal disinfection and germicidal UV lamp disinfection programme options for Department of Health guideline compliance, while its freshwater dishwashers offer hygienic cycle times from just 11 minutes to help you improve housekeeping efficiency and kitchen hygiene.
Critically, if washing by hand (which still a lot of homes do) it is very difficult to prove that all items are being washed at the correct temperatures required to meet health and safety guide lines.
3. Tabling
Planning and designing a catering space can be daunting, and for the best results you’ll need expert advice as well as practical assistance. With JLA, you get both as standard. They’ll match your needs with the correct ‘before and after’ tabling for holding plates and cutlery, make sure you know all the possibilities offered by our tailor-made accessories, and leave you with a carefully thought-out, personalised production line. With market-leading products backed up by years of installation and building experience, its solutions allow you to scrap and rinse in a single area to save time, cut out the risk of re-contaminating items stored at the ‘clean’ side of your machine and remove the need to carry baskets across your kitchen after a wash.
No two homes are ever the same in terms of the dishwashing capacity they need, which is why, in addition to under counter tank and freshwater machines, JLA have also developed a range of passthrough machines that can cope effortlessly with up to 1260 plates an hour. Developed for the larger sites, solutions include corner installation tables and fittings, which will ensure you have the solution you need regardless of your kitchen layout.
4. WRAS compliance
The challenges you face when it comes to compliance as well as day-to-day practicality are many and varied. JLA’s experts will ensure you meet your obligations with the minimum of fuss, and can offer a full range of high performance dishwashers that are WRAS approved as standard.
5. Detergents
In a commercial care environment you need detergents that enhance your machine performance and give you the best possible results. Following care-focused research, JLA’s own professional detergents will do just that, while auto-dosing means you can be sure that the right amount of chemical is used every time you wash.