Changing the linen for every guest is the rule for the hotel industry. However, though the linen is frequently changed and washed, the linen issue still occurs frequently: The guests complain that their skins feel itchy after using the linen, and the washed linen is not white and clean enough. Frequent washing of linen accelerates the damage to linen.
As a public textile, linen always comes into contact with hundreds or thousands of users during the process from being new to being discarded. In terms of health and hygiene, the washing requirements of the hotel linen are further higher than those of the original clothes. However, many laundry plants only pursue visual cleanliness and rely extremely on the chemical products (highly alkaline cleaning agents, chlorine-containing bleach…). Although a non-standard process can make the linen white visually, it still has many potential risks.
Excessive pH value
The pH value is the primary problem. Surface of human skin is weakly acidic. During the washing, an alkaline detergent is needed. If the rinsing and neutralization are not done well, the residual minimal alkaline particles on the linen will contact the skin for a long time. Under the effect of the sweater, it easily triggers irritation, itching, and even a burning sensation. The cleanliness and the comfortable using experience both matter.
Chlorine Residue
Most of the hotel linens are white. To maintain whiteness, the laundry plants may use chlorine-containing bleach to remove stubborn pigment stains. Though the effect after using chlorine-containing bleach is good, if the rinsing is not thorough, the residual chlorine may have a bad impact on the using experience or cause allergies as well. Also, chlorine damages the fibers of the linen and makes them brittle and easy to break, greatly shortening their service life. When using the chlorine-containing bleach, people should pay attention to the correct dosage and complete rinsing.
Excessive Use of Fabric Softener
People often use softeners when washing towel-type linen to prevent static electricity and increase smoothness. However, excessive use may get a converse result. It will warp the fibers, which causes the linen’s fluffiness to decrease and its water absorption ability to decline. Water retention and reduced air permeability create a breeding ground for bacteria. As a result, people shouldn’t use excessive softeners to pursue softness. The decreased fluffiness also has a bad impact on the using experience.
Unreasonable Water Temperature
The water temperature control is the fine work of the laundry process. If the temperature is too high, it will severely damage the toughness of the linen fibers, accelerate aging and damage, and make the colored linen fade. If the temperature is too low, the detergents and bleach cannot dissolve and activate thoroughly, and the stains cannot easily be peeled off, making the washing quality poor.
Mixed Washing
Scientific washing requires strict sorting. New/old, pure cotton/polyester-cotton, different stain types, different soiled levels. However, to save the sorting cost, many laundry plants wash all kinds of linen together.
The results of the rough and mixed washing:
Heavily soiled linen didn’t get the targeted cleaning.
Relatively clean linen got secondary contamination.
The service life of the linen has shortened.
As a result, the sorting link is the basis of the cleanliness of the linen. People should not save labor on this link.
Conclusion
The linen hygiene is the core bond of connecting the hotel quality and the health of guests. To solve the laundry problems, the key lies in the scientific, standardized, and refined washing procedures instead of simply increasing the washing frequency. Every detail, like precisely controlling pH value, strictly controlling chlorine residue, reasonably using softeners, optimizing the water temperature, and strictly sorting the linen, should be treated seriously.
Post time: Aug-15-2025