Whether you are in the hotel, restaurant, spa, healthcare or catering business, then you most certainly deal with linen and laundry issues. These issues, unfortunately, can become a costly and time-consuming aspect of your business. A lot of effort, time and money go into dealing with washing and storing linens, towels and uniforms. Instead of handling these issues in-house, many businesses outsource their linen and laundry needs to a professional linen service company. These companies are great because they take the burden off your business when it comes to laundry. If you are thinking about hiring a linen and laundry service, here are some of the fantastic benefits you will receive, and some helpful tips on choosing the right company for your linen and laundry needs.
Why Not Handle Linens and Laundry in House?
The debate over whether to outsource your linen and laundry services or handle them in house really comes down to cost effectiveness. Many large healthcare operations, spas and hotels are able to handle their linen and laundry needs in-house because they have the capital to do so. For medium or smaller businesses, the costs of handling linens and laundry in-houseis simply not cost effective. This is especially true for businesses that are just starting out. There are lots of costs involved, which include purchasing the linens, the machines needed to wash them, the chemicals used for washing and drying and the space to put all the stuff in. Not only that, but you also need to hire staff to handle these needs—so when the total bill is tallied, it can be quite large.
Perhaps the most expensive part of handling linens and laundry in house is finding a place to put all the equipment and supplies. Depending on the size and scope of your business and where it is located, space may be at a premium. Laundry facilities located in-house not only require a lot of space, but also ventilation and sophisticated electrical and plumbing work. This can be overwhelming for businesses that simply don’t have the space or capital to handle their linens and laundry in house.
Of course, there are some advantages of handling your linens and laundry in-house, such as the ability to choose your own style of linens, towels, uniforms, etc. This can be nice if you really want to personalise your business with unique colours or brands of linens. Also, linen and laundry services can be rather expensive, so depending on the company you choose, the quality may not be as good as you would have hoped.
Why Should I Outsource My Linen and Laundry Needs?
There are many benefits of having your linen and laundry services handled by an outside company. The most important benefit is that it will save your business time and money. This may not be true for all businesses, but those that outsource their linen and laundry needs can surely save time by not having to worry about this aspect of their business. Having a profession linen and laundry company take care of these needs will certainly free up more time to focus on the more important aspects of your business. That is not to say that linen and laundry aren’t important, but most business owners would agree that it is not something they want to put at the top of their to-do list.
Outsourcing linen and laundry services can also save your business money because you won’t have to pay the electrical and water costs of doing laundry over and over again. You also won’t have to hire dedicated staff to run these operations. Again, this may not always be true, so determining whether a linen and laundry service is right for your business will require a fair bit of research.
What Should I Look for in a Good Linen and Laundry Service?
There are plenty of great linen and laundry services available. Many have fantastic websites where you can browse their products and services from the comfort of your home. Click here for an example of a great site. One thing to strongly consider is the reputation of the company. You want to make sure that they have been in the business for a while and have garnered positive reviews from their customers. This information can usually be found on the company website or through an Internet search.
You also want to make sure that the company you are thinking about hiring has the services and products you require. This may seem like a no-brainer, but some linen and laundry services simply won’t have the right uniform colours you require or type and size of bed sheets. Usually, these companies have a wide variety of products, but their choices may not be tailored specifically for you.
One of the more important things to look for in a linen and laundry company is their delivery protocol. You certainly don’t want to have any delays in pick-up and drop-off times, as that could seriously affect your business. Make sure that the company you are considering has a fabulous track record of being prompt in their delivery services. Also, while some linen and laundry services offer both pick-up and drop-off to your business, some may only offer one or the other.
A somewhat overlooked aspect to look for in a linen and laundry service is environmental friendliness. Choosing a linen and laundry service that strives to do its best for the environment can be a great thing for your business to boast about. Customers these days care about and are happy to support businesses that use environmentally friendly practices, so advertising your hotel or restaurant as being ‘green’ will definitely help.
Decisions, Decisions
Deciding whether to hire a linen and laundry service requires some research. It is certainly not for everybody, but it can usually be a great cost-cutting measure for some businesses. If you decide that it can save you money, following the tips above will certainly get you well on your way to finding the right company for you.
