Laundry Cost Breakdown
Many laundry managers focus on direct expenses when asked what effects the cost of their laundry operation. Chemicals, purchasing new linen and employee hours are the top three concerns of laundry managers in regards to this. This can cause a focus on the cost of laundry chemicals thus causing an increased amount of scrutiny. It is important to have a discussion with laundry managers about the saving that can be had with a well-run laundry chemical program. Labor will be reduced by less reclaim linen being processed and less spot treatment. Fabric replacement will also be down because of a low rejection rate. Energy and utilities will be monitored to keep them as low as possible while retaining good results. Regular in-service training will reduce the amount of supervision needed and also improve results. As you can see chemical costs are a small fraction of the overall cost of a laundry operation (6%). It is hard to put a dollar amount on the expertise of your laundry knowledge so it is imperative that you merchandise your commitment and knowledge with your customer.
