As the demographic profile of the population becomes ever older and advances in medical science mean that we are living longer, the need for residential care homes will become even greater.From the point of view of the prospective occupants, these establishments must offer a spotlessly clean environment, especially since so many of the residents were probably very house proud. It’s no easy thing to give up your own personal living space which you know was cleaned thoroughly and entrust basic day to day hygiene to a stranger.Although the elderly may be physical frailer and less capable of housekeeping, their standards of cleanliness do not diminish and nor should they.
For the owners and operators of these care and rest homes, the issue is how to comply with all the legislation and provide an effective laundry and dishwashing service while still making a profit. Meeting these in house laundry and dishwashing needs requires a specialist supplier and the very latest commercial laundry equipment which not only conforms to current Water Authority and Health & Safety legislation but is also extremely energy efficient.
Throughput is limited by the slowest piece of equipment, usually the dryer, so planning and careful investment in laundry procedures and systems is required to achieve high quality, cost efficiency and minimise environmental impact.None of this should be achieved by compromising the wash quality, so look for the latest commercial equipment from companies like Miele Professional. Miele washing machines use the very latest technology to deliver highly efficient laundry systems that consume the minimum of power, water and detergents yet still provide top quality cleaning results.
The same is true for crockery and cutlery.These items are not as personal as bedding and bed or bath linen, but they too must be spotlessly clean not only to impress the residents but also to minimise the risk of infections such as MRSA, especially important when dealing with the elderly. Commercial dishwashers are the ideal solution here, but attention should be given to models that provide thermal disinfection and have full WRAS approval, which means that the machine will not contaminate or otherwise taint the water supplied and components will not encourage microbial growth or taint the water.The Miele G7859TD dishwasher for example is used extensively for ward end wash-up facilities in hospitals and is particularly suited to these applications where stringent levels of hygiene must be maintained.