At Girbau we always opt for the most ground-breaking technologies and solutions, and therefore today we would like to devote this article to talking about our firm commitment to Wet Cleaning, which ensures complete disinfection of fabrics of different kinds while caring for the most delicate items and the environment, and to telling you why we have opted for it.
The main reason is that this new cleaning system allows a laundry's production performance to be significantly boosted in comparison with other traditional dry-cleaning processes; this in turn opens the door to new business opportunities.
The importance of new technologies
Wet cleaning machinery, which is highly programmable and features options for washing and disinfecting all kinds of items, including delicate ones, has been on the market for years. However, the traditional dryers associated with these machines made it hard to dry delicate items such as silk, wool and linen without damaging them.
So, any delicate items that came in were air dried, calling for a lot of time and space, or dry cleaned. However, new dryer technology is changing the industry's view of wet cleaning as, for the first time, it has become a viable option for practically all items or fabric types. It is also a very good option to boost the performance of the laundry or facility and build up business opportunities.
Why are the new dryers changing this scenario?
Today's dryers, the ones used after a wet cleaning process, are completely different to traditional dryers, as they offer the possibility of removing damp quickly by controlling the strength and action of the drum. This means the drum turns with sufficient strength to make the items stick to it without falling on top each other. Moreover, these new machines can reach high temperatures very quickly, making damp evaporate, and detect levels of damp in fabrics.
Creating opportunities with wet cleaning
While historically wet cleaning could not be compared to dry cleaning, in terms of output and results it now can. When wet cleaning is introduced or expanded, traditional cleaners are dramatically increasing their output, and by doing so creating opportunities. Most textile care plants use wet cleaning for 10-30% of all the items they process, allowing 95% of the items to be cleaned efficiently.
A very interesting case to understand the benefits of wet cleaning is that of Gary Heflin of Perfect Cleaners, a laundry business based in Detroit (United States). Gary tells us he has transformed his laundry by taking advantage of new wet cleaning and drying technologies and seen output rise by 50% and profits by 7%. "Wet cleaning enables us to finish our work a couple of hours earlier every day and turn off the boiler, which saves a lot of money on gas and labour," explains Heflin.
For all these reasons, here at Girbau we are making considerable efforts to help implement this method in all the countries where we work. We offer our customers a total solution made up of special kits including washing machine and dryer, with programmes factory installed and the appropriate chemicals. Moreover, customers can have full advice through training related to the machines, given by Girbau, and to the chemicals, provided by the manufacturers we work with.