How to Make Your Hotel Laundry Service Sustainable

On average, U.S. hotels use 25 gallons of water per occupied room per day for laundry alone. When you see statistics like that, “sustainable” probably isn’t a word you would use to describe hotel laundry service as a whole. But that doesn’t have to be the case for your hotel. With today’s travelers prioritizing the environment more and more, it’s time to turn the dream of sustainability into a reality.  Here’s how to get started:

A Guide to Sustainable Hotel Laundry

Traditional hotel laundry methods are notoriously wasteful, particularly when it comes to water and energy use. However, there are ways you can reduce waste even if your properties are still using traditional washing methods.

Step #1: Implement a towel and linen reuse program. Honestly, if your hotel hasn’t already done this, you’re well behind the curve. The American Hotel and Lodging Association’s 2016 lodging survey found that 94 percent of hotels have such programs in place. A recent TripAdvisor survey found that a majority of respondents do participate in these programs, and the AHLA estimates that they reduce the number of loads of laundry washed by 17 percent.

Step #2: Use cold water whenever possible. Water isn’t the only resource gobbled up in hotel laundry operations. It takes a surprising amount of energy to heat the water used in traditional washing machines, and cold water is just as effective at disinfecting linens between guest stays.

Step #3: Monitor your usage. Do you know what your laundry is costing your hotel? We’re willing to bet it’s more than you think. Today’s technology gives us the chance to not only better monitor the cost of laundry operations, but the usage of individual resources. The AHLA survey found that both in-room energy sensors and whole building energy management systems are becoming more common, and laundry software solutions allow you to take the same control over your hotel laundry service.

Step #4: Upgrade to near-waterless laundry machines. With Hydrofinity’s near-waterless laundry systems, you save water, energy and detergent on every load. Your hotel can reduce energy usage in your laundry operations by up to 50 percent, and water usage by up to 80 percent.

Sourced from Hydrofinity.