LAUNDERING

EQUIPMENTS
 WASHING MACHINE
Capacity- 7 to 200 Kg
Made up of stainless steel
Machines with a capacity of 100 Kg or more generally
have a drum that has two or three compartments
Also referred to as ‘Tunnel Washing Machines’
These machines may work on steam or electricity
They consists of a motor, inside and outside shells and a
casing
The outside shell is stationery and holds the wash water
The inside shell holds the laundry and is perforated to
allow water for various cycles to flow in and out.
The machine’s motor rotates either the perforated inner
shell or an agitator
The rotating shell or agitator helps the detergent to
break up soil on fabrics in the wash cycle and remove
detergents and other chemicals during the rinse cycles
Washing machines with microprocessors are
computer controlled
Most automatic washing machines have detergent and
solution-dispensing capabilities
In other machines, an operator adds detergent and
solutions manually through hoppers or ports
Washing machines should have at least five ports- two
for detergents and one for bleach, sour and softener
WASHING MACHINE
 WASHER-CUM-EXTRACTORS
These machines range in capacity from 7 to 300 kg
They may operate on steam or electricity or even a
combination of the two
These washers have extraction capabilities as well.
The motor spins the inside shell rapidly to remove
most of the excess water after washing is completed
They eliminate a need for a hydro-extractor
WASHER CUM EXTRACTOR
 HYDROEXTRACTOR
Capacity- 7 to 70 kg
Made up of stainless steel
Electrically operated
Clothes from washer are put into a hydro-extractor to
remove 50-75% of the excess water
The water is extracted from the washed linen by means
of centrifugal force or by the application of pressure
After extraction, the linen are left damp but not wet
They are then ready for pressing
HYDROEXTRACTOR
 DRYER
These are units of tumbler-type equipment meant to
remove moisture from damp, tightly packed linen by
tumbling them in a rotating cylinder through which
heated air passes
They are generally used for no-iron articles and towels
as these linen do not require pressing
Loading is generally done from one end. The heated
air may be produced by electricity, gas or steam.
DRYER
PRESSING EQUIPMENT-FLAT BED PRESS
Can be heated by electricity or steam
A foot control helps in operating the press.
Some are available as twin presses and rotate from
front to back horizontally
An article of linen is put under one press and then this
is sent behind while another article is put under the
press
The first garment, which has now been pressed, is
removed while the second is being pressed, and a third
is inserted in its place. In this way, there is no waste of
time or space; else the operator would have to handle
two machines simultaneously and keep moving
between the two.
FLAT BED PRESS
 FLAT WORK IRONER
These are similar to flat-bed presses except that the
ironers roll over the material while presses flatten the
whole of it at once.
Also, the articles to be ironed are fed gradually into
the ironer, whereas on a flat-bed press, they need to be
placed on the surface manually.
Some ironers also fold the article automatically.
FLAT WORK IRONER
 CALENDERS
These are large presses meant primarily for bed sheets,
bed covers, table cloths, and similar articles.
They consist of a series of rollers in pairs, connected
by a number of narrow conveyor belts. The speed of
the rollers is adjustable.
The sheet is fed in manually. The lifting of the article
is done either manually or pneumatically.
The sheets can also be folded automatically in some
calenders, which are fitted with an additional gadget
for the purpose.
CALENDER
 STEAM PRESSES
This equipment uses steam and heat to press the
clothes. The neatly folded clothes are sandwiched
between two plates, one plate referred to as the ‘head’
which gets hot and the other plate referred to as ‘buck’
through which steam is passed.
Steam presses have additional attachments like the
cuff-and- collar press.
 CUFF & COLLAR PRESS
This press consists of three spring-loaded bucks that
are firmly padded.
A pivoting head of chrome-plated steel bears the same
shapes as the buck and, when pressed over the buck,
applies uniform pressure on the collars and cuffs.
The head is uniformly heated by the steam. An
automatic timer allows the operator to perform other
tasks while the machine presses the collar and cuffs.
CUFF & COLLAR PRESS
 SLEEVE PRESS
There are primarily two types of sleeve presses, one
giving the sleeve a top crease and the other circular
and so resulting in no crease.
In both cases the sleeves are fitted onto the buck and
are then moved into the sleeve cabinet.
Here, air fills into the sleeves, pressing them against
the head and removing all the wrinkles.
 STEAM CABINET
These are boxes in which linen such as curtains,
bedspreads, and blankets are hung so that steam may
be passed through them.
The steam effectively removes the wrinkles from these
articles.
However, operating steam cabinets is time-
consuming and a worker is required to hang individual
articles in the box.
Therefore, the use of these machines is viable in terms
of cost only in large hotels.
Steam-air garment finishers/ Suzies/
genies/puffer
This consists of an open mesh nylon air form bag that
shapes garments such as dresses and jackets with a gentle
cushion of steam and hot air to restore them to an as-
good-as-new appearance
The garment is draped on the form, and then the steam
and air timers are preset.
A foot switch starts the steam cycle. Penetrating steam
softens and relaxes the garment fibers.
Just before the steam cycle ends, the blower automatically
starts and the air bag expands gradually to gently shape,
dry, and set the finish to the garment
 HAND IRON
Those using an external heat source and those heated
by electricity.
The former are box-type irons using heavy charcoal or
coconut shells. Another type of iron using an external
source are heated over a stove.
 ELECTRIC IRONS
These are much lighter and easier to use than these
traditional irons. Most are thermostatically controlled
It allows the selection of different temperature settings
for various fabrics as well and maintains the iron at
these temperatures.
Thus electric irons can be used at higher temperatures
than traditional irons.

 STEAM IRON
They eliminate the need to moisten clothes or use a
damp cloth while ironing. Water filled into a
compartment or reservoir in kettle-type steam irons is
brought to the boil and, at the press of a button on the
handle, a shot of steam emerges from perforations and
grooves in the sole plate.
The flash-boiler type of steam irons make
instantaneous steam when individual drops of water
come into contact with a heated chamber.
 IRONING BOARD
This is to be used with hand-held irons, the ironing
board should be well padded and smooth.
It should be covered with a firm, white, woven cover
stretched firmly and fastened well.
It should stand firm and be of the correct height- 75
cm (2 ½ feet) from the ground is generally
comfortable.
 FOLDING MACHINES
Folding machines do not fold the linen as such, but
aid the worker in doing so. The machines hold down
one end of the linen to be folded so that the worker
can fold it more easily.
 Spotting unit
These consist of a spotting board, a spotting gun, and
a steam attachment.
This surface is hard, smooth, and made of marble,
stainless steel or some other material that is resistant
to acids, alkalis, and other spot-cleaning agents used.
Dabbing and brushing of stains is done on the solid
area of the table.
The spotting unit has three treadles: one for air, one
for steam, and the third one for vacuum.
During operation, the spotting gun is held vertically
above the stain and at least 10 centimeters away.
Steam is shot through the stain and the spot- cleaning
agent used gets flushed out from the fabric.
DRY CLEANING EQUIPMENT
These are similar to washing machines of the tumbler
type. They are available in a wide range of capacities.
They are steam-powered or electrically operated. They
carry out washing, extraction, drying, and deodorizing
in a continuous process.
Solvent filtration and distillation are carried out in a
closed system.
 CARTS, TROLLEY & SACKS
These are used for the transfer of clean linen from the
laundry to the linen room and from the linen room to
the floor pantries, and so on.
Linen carts and trolleys may be made of Aluminium or
steel.
Laundry sacks may or may not be mobile. They may
be made of wicker, fiberglass, or plastic.
A very popular choice is the one made of tough cotton,
with drawstrings, which can be washed frequently.