In times of coronavirus, innovations are welcomed on all fronts

Albacete municipal laundry service boost its output in critical times

Few of us are aware that apart from the medical staff in hospitals and senior care homes, there are also other people working hard every day to aid the collective efforts and ease up as best as they can the burden that stays heavy on the healthcare systems all across Europe and the world. A great example of these lesser-known heros are the laundry services operators who have to wash and treat linen and clothes from the hospitals in order to keep them functional.

In the case of the Albacete Laundry and Linen Service, part of the municipal Integrated Care Management in the city of Castilla-La Mancha, they have introduced innovations in the automated processing of the clothes for washing with the result of making it more efficient.

The idea was borrowed from the automated carwash

The laundry in question services 4 hospitals in the area and the increased demand for its work has meant the introduction of an evening working shift to help out with the workload. The result is that more than a million kilograms of clothing have been washed, dried and ironed since the beginning of this year, which represents a 10% increase in the capacity when compared to 2019.

But according to the Albacete municipal website, the above changes are not the only reason for the improved output results. Additionally, the equipment has seen its control system substituted, an example borrowed from carwash operations.

That means that not only the efficiency has been greatly improved but that there is also good news in terms of the environmental impact of the operation. The new control device has meant a reduction in the consumption of water, gas and electricity.

There is also better sorting and traceability in the operation. Although we speak of clothes and linen, the facility does not only treat pyjamas and bedsheets but also towels, robes, blankets and mattress covers, all of which are essential to the daily operations of any hospital.

And the even better news is that the above represents only a part of the overall drive towards greater sustainability on part of the Integrated Care Management in Albacete. Another thing they did recently was the replacement of the old chillers and boilers in one of the hospitals, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions.