Is it best to use an in-house team when taking care of your linen, or is it better to outsource and use a professional laundry service? It really depends on your needs, if you are a small business which doesn’t employee a lot of staff, then maybe you’ll have no problems using one of your employees. On the other hand, if you run a medium to large business, especially in the catering industry, using an in-house team can be costly. It is important to weigh up all the potential benefits and list what you may consider drawbacks to using an in-house team or commercial laundry business. We’ll explore this topic in more detail below.
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Commercial Laundry Services
No matter what industry you’re involved in, you must find the most efficient way to deal with linen and uniforms. Outsourcing is becoming very popular because it benefits companies in several different ways, the task of running an in-house team can be very challenging, not to mention the long list of associated costs.
Traditionally, uniforms and linen were cleaned by an in-house team or designated department. But, times are changing, and many organisations are choosing to outsource these tasks to professional laundry services. Several companies, in many diverse industries have now elected to contact Stalbridge Linen and other professional commercial cleaning services to help manage their laundry.
Here are some of the benefits of choosing to outsource.
Cost Effective & Energy Efficient
By choosing to outsource your linen, you save a lot of money on numerous things such as staff, cleaning products and electricity bills. Commercial laundry businesses can offer much better rates because of economies of scale. They deal with huge amounts of linen, meaning they don’t waste energy on small tasks, labour or water, to name but a few. In-house laundry teams only focus on their own items, it isn’t always possible to wait for a high-volume to arrive before loading the washing machine, sometimes small loads must be cleaned, even though it doesn’t save on energy.
Create Space
Having your own laundry facility means you need space to store equipment, you must have a dedicated site fully stocked with steaming equipment, industrial washing machines, cleaning products and other items necessary for running a launderette. You can use this space for other schemes which are important to your business.
Create Time
Using a commercial laundry business allows you to concentrate on your core skills, you create time for other employees to focus on more meaningful tasks. It is one less thing to worry about when running your enterprise. Unless you’re operating a laundry service, it is more beneficial to outsource your laundry and let staff work on more important projects.
In-house Laundry
This is the way most companies used to deal with their linen and uniforms, but since the arrival of specialised commercial services, things have started to change. In-house laundry allows management to easily monitor their linen, they have complete control over what leaves their facility, so if something isn’t finished to a high-standard, it won’t make it out into the restaurant or hotel.
Choosing to run an on-site laundry service means you have total control of your linen, but it comes with a substantial initial investment. Buying all the equipment needed to run your own service costs money, not only in terms of equipment, but also labour. As a business owner, you must also consider the cost of electricity bills and cleaning products. Furthermore, items such as industrial washing machines are expensive to run and maintain, they also use a lot of energy which adds to your monthly expenses. You’ll have more work to do operating an in-house team, but it comes with the benefit of added security.
Here are some of the main benefits of choosing an in-premises team.
Availability
Having your own laundry department means you’ll never be stuck for clean linen or uniforms, they’ll be available at your request whenever you need them. Any large catering firm, hotel or restaurant knows that having fresh, accessible linen is a huge benefit. Furthermore, you may be able to cut costs on deliveries, if the company you were dealing with charged for collection and delivery services.
Quality Control
Buying your own equipment and employing a qualified team of cleaners allows you to control the quality of linen and uniforms which makes it out of your facility. It makes it far easier to inspect your items to ensure your team are constantly cleaning your company’s linen to a high standard. Your management staff won’t have to deal with external contractors if they aren’t happy with the standard of their laundry services.
No Contracts
One of the main reasons to consider in-house laundry services is that there is no need to sign any contracts, or commit to any lengthy agreements. If you’re laundry department isn’t operating as effectively as you desire, you can easily change personnel and employ more suitable candidates. A high majority of commercial linen services will offer great services, but most will request that you sign a contract, but there are some who now offer non-contractual services.
Traditionally, laundry services were run by an in-house team who looked after all the organisations linen and uniforms, but times have changed, and business owners are starting to see the many benefits of hiring a commercial laundry service. They provide attention to detail, low cost services and affordable rates. Running an in-house laundry team can be highly challenging, and expensive, you’ve to consider the cost of items such as detergent, industrial washing machines, steaming devices, irons and other things. In addition, you must hire a team of experienced cleaners who can guarantee spotlessly clean, stain free linen and uniforms every time they process items. It really depends on your requirements, but it seems like most business owners are opting to outsource because of the many advantages it provides.