Shifts in Healthcare Design Create Demand for New Products
Some facilities contract with a mop rental or laundry company, which typically uses tunnel washers (a large scale computerized washing system consisting of a large long metal tube called a tunnel with a metal spiral agitator). This adds extra steps for shipping mops back and forth and runs the risk of loss and deterioration through the use of bleach and excess heat. Using in-house tunnel or standard laundry machines will run the same risks.
Photo courtesy of Miele Professional
Patented honeycomb drum in washers and dryers preserves the life of fibers.
One laundry system that has been successfully used in Europe for many years is specifically engineered to wash microfiber mops and cloths using features that are not offered by standard machines. The manufacturer has developed a patented convex-pattern honeycomb drum used on all washer and most dryer models that enhances cleaning and reduces microfiber and fabric wear. The size of the drum's water exit holes is smaller and a network of water channels create a skim water layer that cushions fabrics or laundry while the drum rotates. The honeycomb design allows virtually no penetration of fabric through the drum. (In traditional washing drums, the fabric penetrates the water exit holes, which shortens lifespan.)
Microfiber Mop Cleaning System: Return on Investment
As Tom Murphy of Murphy Consulting Group points out, a positive return from investing in microfiber mop systems depends on maintaining the integrity of the microfiber, which, in turn, depends on a laundry system engineered to clean microfiber. Since microfiber is viewed as “expensive” and there is a significant investment in mops and an appropriate laundry system to start a program, calculations as to overall costs and returns are essential for facility decision makers.
Murphy has worked out return on investment (ROI) for several facilities. In a generic example he compares a hospital's existing practice of renting its mops from an outside laundry service with laundering the mops in-house using appropriate microfiber laundering equipment.
If there is additional capacity in the equipment, cloths, privacy curtains and other items could be washed to further leverage the investment.
In other estimates, Murphy has calculated that one 1,500-bed hospital is saving $5,000-$6,000 a quarter in replacement mops that were damaged or lost to the outside vendor. Improving the process of distribution and collection of mops is also a key to increasing efficiency.
An on-board heater raises water temperatures from 40°F to 195°F that more than reaches the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) required standard for infection control of ≥ 160° F for ≥ 25 minutes for laundry. Disinfection can be attained through a 25-minute cleaning cycle without the damaging use of bleach. The cleaning process starts with a special spin cycle, which dewaters mops and rids them of 50 percent of dirt and soil before it even begins the main cleaning cycle. Observers have been astonished at the amount of dirt and dirty water extracted from a supposedly clean mop during an initial spin cycle.
An automatic conditioning phase in the wash cycle allows mops and cloths to be pre-moistened or “recharged” and ready for use with detergent or disinfectant; this translates into large labor savings for custodians, who do not have to wring out the cleaned mop in a bucket of detergent and disinfectant before use—and considerable savings in chemicals usage. Another critical feature is the high spin speed. With most of the moisture removed, the temperature of the drying cycle can be adjusted lower on a low cycle time—both of which cut energy costs considerably.
If a healthcare facility anticipates having in-house laundering for its microfiber mops and cloths, design professionals should locate space and utility connections for microfiber laundry machines.
In an ongoing process of replacing cotton with microfiber mops and cloths, one hospital group recently purchased the first of several microfiber laundry systems in order to cut costs. Several different mop-cleaning practices had been employed, including on-site washing in a standard machine, contracting with a vendor, and sending mops to a satellite hospital. “We noticed there was a 72-hour turnaround, it cost us money for shipping and to pay the vendor, and we did not need as much inventory if we pushed the cleaning on site,” said its director of environmental services, who has experience in long-term care facilities management. Cost savings also came from not needing a commercial, highly corrosive type of bleach, less damage to mops, and reduced drying costs because of the washer's on-board heater. “The spin cycle is so strong. You can flip out the mops and use them.” And how has the staff received it? “They are in love with it. It's so user friendly. I love it too, it's so simple to use. Less like a washer/dryer and more like a cell phone or tablet.” Utility savings are estimated to be half that of previous laundering costs.
Lebanon Valley Brethren Home Switched to a Microfiber Washing System
Six years ago the Lebanon Valley Brethren Home in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, changed its system for washing microfiber mops and cloths for its 100-bed skill nursing and 32-bed personal care units. Instead of washing and drying them in a standard commercial machine, and storing them in buckets for the staff to manually apply chemicals each morning, the mops are loaded every evening into a microfiber washing machine that washes and conditions them with cleaning solutions. Without the need for drying, the damp mops are ready for use the next morning. “It was a three-step process that has been cut down to just one,” says Francis Glynn, director of Environmental Services for the Lebanon Valley Brethren Home. “There are a lot of efficiencies that have been gained at our facility. We have saved in detergent and chemical costs with automatic dosing and in mop costs—as we have eliminated drying which contributes to mop degradation,” Glynn stated. “Right now, I am seeing the efficiencies in time—the man hours wasted on loading and drying and then applying chemicals. We also have a repeatable process, and no inconsistencies between staff members applying too little or too much cleaning solution. The process is also ergonomically friendly as there is no bending to apply solutions in buckets.”
Photo courtesy of Miele Professional
Housekeeping supervisor Judy Meyerhoffer and director of environmental services Francis Glynn report that a microfiber mop and cloth cleaner at the Lebanon Valley Brethren Home saved time and costs for detergents and chemicals.
Laundry Systems: H2O Dryer
More than two-thirds of energy used in the laundry process is consumed in the drying. One of the most energy-efficient commercial laundry technologies available is H2O drying. Introduced to the U.S. in 2013 and used in Europe for several years, the H2O dryer uses heat energy from hot water to dry laundry. It can be installed anywhere there is a source of hot water from solar thermal energy and geothermal energy to co-generation plants.
Diagram courtesy of Miele Professional
In H2O drying hot water supplied by a co-generation plant is used as a source of energy for drying.
The hot water is used to heat process air in a heat exchanger. The dryer's programs are specially designed to take care of laundry at lower process air temperatures. This new type of heating is available on tumble dryers with various load capacities. The new H2O dryer reduces laundry heating costs to virtually zero if the source of heat is a co-generation plant. In this case, the hot water is a by-product of cooling the generation plant and does not need to be heated separately. This approach also offers the additional benefit of cooling the water in the H2O dryer for reuse again as cooling water in co-generation.
The new H2O commercial drying technology can cut energy costs of a commercial tumble dryer by up to 96 percent depending on the heat source. “If you review the whole process of linen cleaning, the tumble dryers are by far the most energy-consuming step,” says Miele Professional laundry specialist Celeste Kopyscianski.
The H2O dryer has the same patented honeycomb drum cleaning benefits as the microfiber mop laundry system.
Energy-Efficient Rehabilitation Centers
Changes in the healthcare payment reimbursement system are impacting the design of inpatient skilled nursing facilities. No longer restricted to a specific number of square feet per patient, new facilities can offer more space for advanced rehabilitation programming, medical support, aquatic therapy, and amenities that are shown to get post-acute patients better faster and back home.
Examples are two new PowerBack Rehabilitations facilities in Voorhees and Moorestown, New Jersey, operated by Genesis HealthCare and designed and built by Burris Construction Company. Collaborating with a laundry systems manufacturer, Burris installed energy saving heat pump dryers—the first in the U.S.—which helped reduce electricity cost in the 124-bed 87,000-square-foot Voorhees facility by 60 percent, and are recognized by the EPA for significantly reducing carbon emissions.
As laundry demands peaked, a more energy-efficient dryer with a higher laundry throughput was needed for the second center. Modeled after the Voorhees facility, PowerBack Rehabilitation in Moorestown was designed with highly advanced energy savings systems that include rainwater collection for irrigation and toilet operation, and geothermal heating/cooling. In addition, the laundry system, which serves the laundry needs of the entire facility, has H2O dryers, another first in drying technology to be specified in the U.S., and energy saving washers. The H2O dryer significantly reduces carbon emissions and can decrease electricity consumption by up to 90 percent.
Photo courtesy of Genesis HealthCare
Genesis HealthCare’s PowerBack Rehabilitation in Voorhees, New Jersey, was designed and built by Burris Construction Company as an energy-efficient facility.
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