Getting the right commercial laundry equipment is only one part of an efficient operation. While the equipment does a lot of the heavy lifting (or in our case spinning), they are not meant to be used in isolation. Laundry detergent is an essential part of any functioning laundry operation, whether you are a small laundromat, or large on-site operation.
Pretty obvious so far.
However, picking the right detergent for your operation can be tricky. There are so many options out there (which are changing all the time), so how can you make sure you get the best out of your laundry chemicals?
Detergent comes in many shapes and sizes, ranging from powders to liquids, to dissolvable capsules/ tablets, each with its own unique pros and cons.
Recently the advocacy group choice.com.au published the results of their annual laundry detergent tests, with some surprising results. They tested over 70 different products on various stains, such as natural oils, mud, blood, mineral oils, and several foods like chocolate ice cream and tomato!
Whilst this is a consumer test - it gives useful insight into the extreme variability of washing chemical options.
Overall, Choice recommended Omo Expert Anti-Bacterial Powder as the most effective for cleanliness, however, Omo's detergent is pricey at $1.16 per recommended wash. If hygiene is a priority, this could be the detergent to use.
Alternatively, Choice's fifth-ranking option, Aldi Laundrite Powder, is recommended as a more budget option while maintaining some degree of stain removal. It comes in at $0.11 per recommended wash, ideal where price is more of an issue.
It is important to keep in mind that these are weighted towards common household stains, so they may not be as effective for industries with heavier soiling such as mining and firefighting.
We encourage you to go check out the full breakdown of choice.com's tests here!
Perhaps the most surprising result was that several products were identified to be no better than water at cleaning stains!
These detergents included; Aldi Green Action Laundry Liquid, Ecostore 3x Concentrate Laundry Liquid, Woolworths Clean Laundry Liquid Fresh Getaway, Surf Tropical Capsules, Surf Aqua Fresh Capsules, Ka Pod 4 in 1 Turbocharged Cleaning Power Capsules, and the Ka Pod 4 in 1 Anti-dust Mites Laundry Capsules.
You might notice that capsules tend to rank much lower when compared to powders and liquid detergents. It's hard to say exactly why this is, perhaps the dissolving film interferes with the efficacy of the powder inside, but Choice's results are clear.
Capsule's main advantage is their ease of use, just toss one in with the rest of the laundry and you are good to go.
Speed Queen commercial laundry machines come with advanced programmable features which give you ultimate control over what detergents are dispensed, how much, and for how long. You can select the most appropriate process for your needs.
Laundry detergent choices can be complicated. You can use Choice.com.au's list as a guideline but make sure you get in touch with experts to help you create the ideal solution for your business situation.