A communal laundry room can be a valuable amenity for many residents and the following ideas are a good start to making laundry facilities appealing.
Convenience Is The Key – The primary design consideration of a laundry room must be the convenience to residents. Communal laundry rooms should be located near main traffic areas. A good rule of thumb is to place laundry facilities within 250 feet of any unit, and preferably on the same floor. This may mean having several smaller rooms, rather than one large, centralised one.
Make It Safe – The safety and security of your scheme, including the laundry room, are key factors in resident satisfaction. Taking a few extra measures such as placing the communal laundry room in a well-lit and adequately visible location goes a long way in promoting resident safety. Also consider making the room accessible only to residents by placing locks on laundry facility doors.
Keep A Clean Area – Residents should not have to endure dirty laundry areas. To ensure cleanliness, arrange regularly scheduled cleaning of the facility. Provide plenty of lined bins to encourage resident participation in keeping the area clean.
Compliance – For any communal laundry facility, providing a hygienic facility has never been more pressing than today. CLM have been very busy this year carrying out both installations and supporting our existing customers from within the social housing, care and wider public sector. This pandemic has truly underpinned the importance of not only choosing the right machines, but of ensuring compliance and serviceability.
There are very specific requirements to adhere to. For full compliance, The Department of Health’s CFPP 01-14 guidelines state that machines must be WRAS approved due to elevated risks of contamination.
CLM provide highly efficient compliant commercial laundry solutions to housing, care and the wider public sector. The new, highly programmable, and user-friendly CLM Pro range provides thermal disinfection to help kill viruses and bacteria. It is also WRAS approved and delivers faster wash cycles and impressively low energy consumption, making it an ideal choice for any communal laundry environment. CLM’s Complete Care laundry solutions will help ensure compliance, including installation and maintenance as well as best-in-class service support.
Make Sure Equipment Works – To maintain the value of your communal laundry room, the laundry equipment should be checked regularly and maintained to ensure it is in proper working order. This will guarantee that laundry equipment will always be ready for resident use. Encourage residents to immediately report any issues to your CLM service team when equipment is not working properly.
Supply Enough Machines – Having the right amount of washers and dryers in a communal laundry room reduces wait time and increases resident satisfaction. The demographic make-up of your scheme will help determine the number of machines you’ll need. Contact your CLM representative who will assist you in recommending the correct number and specification of machines required.
Add Technology – Technology is finding its way into the laundry room, making laundry easier and more convenient for residents. One new innovation includes a card system, rather than coin-operated machines. The smart app can notify residents when machines are available or in use.
Enhance the Social Element – Communal laundry rooms are a place where residents socialise. Laundry facilities are an extension of a resident’s home, and they are used more often than the communal lounge area. With a few added amenities like ample seating, you can promote a sense of community and develop the social aspect of the communal laundry room.
Brighten Up – Laundry rooms should be inviting and attractive! A fresh coat of paint will go a long way in brightening up a laundry room. Select a color that goes with the overall design and color of your scheme. Also, by simply updating a room’s lighting, you can increase security and enhance the cosmetics appearance of the laundry facility.
CLM-Services supply a wide range of communal laundry machines that can be tailored to meet your exacting needs. You can trust us to supply, install and maintain the washers, dryers and finishing equipment that you rely on every day.
Our equipment is water technology listed confirming the very latest efficiencies in energy consumption, with many models designed specifically for communal needs in consultation with social housing.
With sustainability at the forefront of our ethos, CLM’s team of consultants can carry out a full laundry audit providing typical savings up to;
80% in hot water
45% in overall water use
60% in electricity
35% in gas
50% in detergent
30% in operator labour
This provides significant financial savings whilst conserving energy resources, reducing your CO2 emissions and eliminating the potential for allergens to users.
For further information and support, do not hesitate to contact the CLM Team today
www.clm-services.co.uk