Football stadiums and training grounds have numerous challenges in the laundry room.
Whether it is balancing tough grass stains and keeping the kits comfortable for players or reducing infection risks whilst maintaining fast turnarounds, there are numerous key considerations for kit managers.
If you are looking at improving your laundry set-up or even subbing out old equipment, then this guide will provide you with some useful tips.
An efficient set-up for fast turnarounds
Football clubs often need to wash multiple kits, towels, and other items within very short time periods before the next match or training session.
Multiple medium sized or larger commercial-grade laundry machines can ensure the kits are washed in a timely manner and with fast turnaround times for maximum efficiency.
The laundry room itself should be laid out to be able to withstand the consistent loads with a clear separation between dirty and clean laundry. Stringent procedures should be implemented to reduce cross-contamination and disinfection along with sufficient staff training.
Tackling harsh stains
Football kits are likely to be subject to numerous stains like mud, dirt, grass, sweat, blood, therefore high-performance machines are critical to return them to their former glory.
Using commercial washing machines and dryers like the JLA SMART range manufactured from robust hi-spec components, intuitive controls are capable of tackling even the worse stains.
Gentle on fabrics
Washing machines and tumble dryers that are gentle on fabrics are essential to improve comfort for the players, to increase the longevity of the it and so it looks professional at kick off time.
Our commercial washers feature a wide range of cycle modes and SMART technologies, which make them an ideal choice for cleaning a wide range of fabrics and materials, including delicates like kits.
Equipment reliability
Equipment reliability and durability is critical in football club laundry. Whilst multiple washers and dryers help to build redundancy in the system, it is still important to maintain machine reliability.
Not only does this include purchasing high-quality commercial machines, but regularly servicing, preventative maintenance, machine cleaning (including lint filters on dryers) and staff training so employees are aware of best practices. This should be continuously monitored and recorded.
The importance of disinfection
The overall health of the players is critical, therefore stringent hygiene standards through disinfection is key. Kits can become subject to sweat and bodily fluids like blood, therefore either thermal disinfection or ozone technology is recommended to maximise hygiene, reduce cross-contamnaton and minimise infections.
Many football clubs use ozone technology to handle the multiple challenges of disinfection and harsh stains, as well as ensuring softer and fresher kits match after match.
Ozone technology like the JLA OTEX disinfection system kills 99.999% of moulds, yeasts, viruses and bacteria – including Athlete’s Foot – even at low temperatures. Otex uses natural chemical disinfection at low temperatures for deep-cleaned, fresh-smelling and softer linen.
Detergents
Along with industrial laundry equipment, a high-quality commercial detergents are essential for maintain hygiene and the freshness of kits and towels. This could include bio or non-bio detergents, fabric conditioner for softer garments and destainer for tough stains.
The JLA Ultra detergent range offers outstanding cleaning power and stain removal, that can tackle high levels of soiling in even the most demanding settings like football pitches helping you to maintain peak levels of hygiene and cleanliness.
How Southampton FC benefited from JLA’s expertise
JLA’s team of commercial laundry specialists worked closely with Southampton’s Kit and Equipment manager Mark Forbes to design a reliable and efficient new laundry, capable of disinfecting thousands of items of kit every week.
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