Why on-premise laundries are blowing hot and cold

Employed as early as 1906 to treat the water supply in Paris and used today in some processes for producing bottled water, ozone is known for its bleaching action and ability to kill bacteria and viruses. It also has a practical, money-saving application in laundry operations.

Advantages of Ozone

Ozone, which is basically oxygen plus an extra atom (O₃ as opposed to O₂), is formed when oxygen comes into contact with highly charged electrical energy. Systems that generate ozone and inject it into laundry water can dramatically reduce hot water use in large laundry operations, as well as reducing the amount of cleaning chemicals used and producing cleaner, brighter linens and clothing.

The slightly blue-coloured gas can be created naturally, by an electrical storm, or synthetically in a generator. When ozone gas is introduced to an environment with bacteria, mold or any other organic material, it gives up one of the oxygen atoms in its structure to oxidize or destroy that material.

When it comes to laundry, Ozone attacks soils in the same way. As soon as the ozonated water comes into contact with the linens, it begins to break down these contaminants so they can be removed from the fabric by detergents.  

To obtain the ozone, a laundry ozone generator replicates the naturally occurring gas and then introduces a low concentration into the water under pressure. As the ozone molecule is unstable, it can not be packaged and must be produced, on-demand, on site. It cleans, whitens and brightens, all without the use of hot water, before it naturally reverts back to oxygen.

The ozone molecule intervenes in the wash process in various ways. Ozone opens the fibre structure to make it softer and fluffier. The textile thus contains less residual moisture after the washing process, so drying times can be reduced. Ozone also boosts the performance of the laundry chemicals.

Speed-O wash concept

Specialist laundry chemical manufacturer Christeyns has succeeded in combining the advantages of ozone properties with the requirements of a commercial wash process with its new Speed-O wash concept. The system comprises a small wall-mounted box that draws in oxygen and converts it into ozone then pumps this into the washer extractor. Going one step further, Christeyns combines active oxygen (Peracetic acid) together with the ozone to create a hydroxyl radical which breaks down soil in the wash liquor.

New chemicals, Speed-O Wash, a detergent, and Speed-O Boost, an alkali booster, have been specifically developed to perform at cold temperatures. The addition of surfactants to the detergent ensures it is fully active throughout the wash process.

In action

Petersfield Linen Services based in Hampshire and established in 1899 provide high quality laundry and linen hire services to clients across Southern England.  For this family-run firm with a staff of 60, offering a top quality service in a sustainable manner is their number one priority.

At the end of January a Speed-O system was installed for use with one of its 90 kilo washer extractors as a trial, with the plan to convert four further machines at a later date. “Although it is still early days, we are already seeing a raft of benefits,” managing director Robert James says.

These benefits are most noticeably the softer, fuller feel to the towels and linen and a pleasant, fresh odour that you might associate with laundry that is hung outside. However it is also the ‘unseen’ benefits that are just as important.

Ozone works best at low temperatures and the cool water is less harsh on the linens thus prolonging life span and reducing replacement costs for customers in the long term. The cooler temperatures of the wash also reduce the amount of lint separating from the linens, which consequently ends up in the machine systems. 

There are also significant benefits in water and energy usage and process times are much shorter. The system can run on purely cold water and currently at Petersfield the water temperature is down from 71⁰to 25⁰.  Once all five machines are up and running this will be considerably lower.

Already water consumption on the machine is down 60% and wash times for towels reduced to 37 minutes run time from 58 minutes. The reduction in process times means that the laundry can wash up to three loads extra per day when compared to a non-ozone system, which represents an increase in productivity of 25-30 per cent.

Robert James concludes: “Ozone should certainly be considered for certain types of laundries. Investing in technology and doing something different helps us stay one step ahead. As a small independent we are not in a position to compete on some levels with larger operators but a system such as Speed-O puts us in a good place.”

For soft, fluffy, white linen, that is hygienically clean, ozone can provide a great value-for-money solution and not only that, it has an overall positive impact on the housekeeping task in general.