Providing Exceptional Quality Since 1962

The Cold Vs Hot Water Debate in Commercial Laundry 

Laundry is a fundamental aspect of both domestic life and industry. The quest for innovative methods to effectively cleanse textiles and eliminate stains is ongoing. As technological advancements reshape our world, they also transform our laundry practices. The global community is increasingly aware of the environmental impact of everyday activities. This awareness is driving a shift towards sustainability, with individuals and corporations striving to lessen their ecological footprint. Today, the focus on conserving resources, such as energy and water, and fostering eco-friendly practices like reusing and recycling, is stronger than ever. 

In the realm of laundry, the discussion often centers on the consumption of water and energy. Commercial laundries are adopting various strategies to curtail water usage, including reclamation systems that repurpose rinse water for pre-wash cycles, the deployment of high-efficiency machines designed to minimize water and energy use, and the implementation of optimal load management to ensure each cycle is run with maximum efficiency. To reduce energy consumption, many are turning to cold water washing as an alternative to traditional hot or warm cycles. 

The commercial laundry sector is currently at a crossroads, debating the merits of cost savings versus performance. There’s a split opinion on whether lower water temperatures can deliver substantial reductions in utility expenses without compromising cleaning quality and sanitization. The industry predominantly relies on hot water, defined as 130-150°F, while warm and cold water are typically set at 90-110°F and 60-80°F, respectively. Detergent manufacturers advocating for cold water washing define it as 90-120°F. This article delves into the contentious issues facing the industry: the efficacy of cold versus hot water in soil removal and the financial benefits of adopting lower washing temperatures. 

First let’s examine the performance of hot/warm water temperature and cold-water temperature on soil removal and overall cleanliness. The results of those tests are listed in the table below.  

The table presents a selection of common soils typically found on fabrics: dust sebum, cooking grease, coffee, cosmetic makeup, and rust. Each soil type was applied to both cotton and polyester fabric samples. These samples underwent washing using a consistent laundry formula within a five-product system. The outcomes revealed a varied performance spectrum. Ideally, clean fabric samples devoid of any soil should exhibit a 0% soil presence. However, the results indicated that neither fabric type achieved this ideal baseline. Interestingly, cold water washing yielded comparable outcomes for both cotton and polyester, with the overall difference in cleanliness efficacy between cold and hot temperatures proving to be minimal. 

In terms of soil removal performance, higher temperatures (hot/warm) were more effective in eliminating dust sebum from both cotton and polyester, cooking grease from cotton, cosmetic makeup from both types of fabrics, and rust from cotton. Conversely, cold water was superior in removing cooking grease and rust from polyester. The eradication of coffee stains showed similar success rates across both temperature ranges. Notably, cold water demonstrated enhanced soil removal capabilities on polyester compared to cotton, whereas hot/warm water was generally more effective at removing soils across the board. 

Now let’s explore the potential cost savings for lowering the wash temperature. The chart below reflects the average cost per load of heating 125 gallons of water used in a 50lb laundry machine at 90°F, 120°F, 140°F, and 160°F.  

 The chart reveals that significant cost savings can be achieved by lowering the wash temperature and housing the appropriate water heating technology. The most dramatic savings occur in facilities using electric tanks for heating water. By reducing the water temperature from 160°F to 90°F, the cost savings amount to $4.52 per load. For a facility processing 10 loads daily, this equates to an annual saving of approximately $16,500. Conversely, facilities with natural gas storage tanks or instantaneous systems experience a smaller, yet still notable, cost differential. A temperature reduction of 30°F results in savings of $1.42 and $1.05 per load, respectively. While these figures are less striking than those for electric tanks, they still represent a considerable annual saving of around $3,500 to $5,000 for facilities averaging 10 loads per day. 

In summary, adjusting wash cycle temperatures presents both challenges and opportunities. The decision rests with the end user, who must weigh various considerations. One key factor is the fabric type; for instance, cold water is more effective at removing soils from polyester than cotton. The nature and volume of soils also play a crucial role. High concentrations of fats, oils, and greases may lead to increased rejection rates at lower temperatures. Generally, hot/warm water ensures superior soil removal due to accelerated chemical reactions with detergents and reduced soil re-deposition. 

Water Conditions in the Laundry 

Water conditions are one of the most important factors when it comes to determining the proper products to use at a laundry account.  If you have good water conditions, many products are available for use.  If you have poor water conditions, you must first match up the proper products to handle the particular water conditions and then take into consideration other factors such as soil type, soil load, type of linen, and procedures. Here are a few important things to remember about water conditions in the laundry and water impurities that you can check with your total test kit.

 Water Hardness – If you have water hardness above 12 GPG you cannot use a Built Detergent.  You must use a separate Break and Suds.  Water harness is a combination of minerals that will build up on fabric and cause greying.  In order to prevent this, you will have to add more water conditioners.  Built Detergents have a limited amount of water conditioners.  Break products have a high amount of water conditioners. This allows you to be able to adjust the amount of Break going into a laundry machine to treat the water hardness without causing excessive foaming.  Water hardness will also reduce the effectiveness of detergents, which may trap soils into the linen. 

Bicarbonate alkalinity – If you have bicarbonate alkalinity over 200 ppm you must use a separate Sour and Softener. This way you can increase the amount of Sour that will dissolve the bicarbonate alkalinity without increasing the Softener. This can also waterproof linen if too much is used.  Too much bicarbonate alkalinity trapped in the linen will cause some of the same issues that water harness will.  It can cause graying of linen and entrap soils in the linen.     

Iron – Water containing as little as 0.2 ppm can cause discoloration in linen.  Any account with a significant amount of iron in the water should have a separate Sour and Softener.  Sour/Soft combination products only effect pH and not iron.  Iron in linen can cause a variety of staining discolorations from yellow to reddish brown.  Iron can also trap oily soils in the linen making them difficult to remove without removing the iron in the linen.  At accounts with high levels of iron in the water supply it is recommended to use an oxygenated bleach instead of a chlorinated bleach.  Chlorine will oxidize iron trapped in the linen and cause yellow/brown stains.  If you have to use chlorine bleach in an account with high amounts of iron in the water, try to use as little as possible and use specialized detergents such as a solvent detergent to help maintain whiteness.

Chlorine – Many water treatment plants add chlorine to the water for sterilization purposes.  Most municipalities maintain a minimum of 0.5 ppm of chlorine in drinking water.  Generally this does not cause any issues, but there may be instances where it can.  Some water softener resins can be damaged by chlorine levels as low as 0.5 ppm, creating water hardness issues.  Also if there is a high amount of chlorine in the water supply it can cause yellowing of the linen or a reaction in the linen with any trapped iron. 

These are just a few water impurities that can cause issues in a laundry account, but they are the most common.  You can check these water impurities with your total test kit.  However, if a more in-depth water analysis is needed, please contact the U S Chemical Training Department.

Click here to view Laundry Total Test Kit video

Water Conditions in the Warewashing Environment

When it comes to selecting the proper dish machine chemicals, water conditions play a major role in which chemicals will be appropriate for a particular account. Water hardness, bicarbonate alkalinity, TDS, silica, and chlorides are all impurities that can be found in a water supply which can add additional challenges to getting dishes clean and spot free. The two main water impurities that must first be taken into consideration when selecting dish machine chemicals are water hardness and bicarbonate alkalinity. Water hardness is a combination of calcium and magnesium and is found in almost all untreated water. Water hardness becomes an issue inside of the dish machine because when it is exposed to heat or alkalinity it will try to leave the water and attach itself to anything it can, including dishes. This can make it difficult to remove food soils and cause white chalky spotting on the dishes. The extent of this problem will be determined by how much water hardness is in the water. Water that has a hardness of 0-4 grains per gallon is considered soft, 4-7 slightly soft, 7-12 hard, and 12 and above very hard. Each one of our dish machine detergents and rinse additives have a water hardness tolerance in which they will perform best in. Water conditioners are added to our products to block water harnesses from attaching to dishes. The more water conditioners that are added to a product the higher water hardness tolerance that product will have. Keep in mind that our products have to be dosed at the recommended amount for them to perform within their water tolerance range.

As mentioned before bicarbonate alkalinity is another common water impurity that needs to be taken into consideration when selecting products. Unlike water hardness which affects what detergent and rinse can be used, bicarbonate alkalinity only affects which rinse products are appropriate for a particular account. Any account with bicarbonate alkalinity over 200 ppm will need what is called a high-solids rinse additive to combat this impurity. Untreated bicarbonate alkalinity will mainly affect glassware and silverware. Residual bicarbonate alkalinity will leave what is called “ghosting” on dishes causing light white streaks on the dishes. Many times this will be confused with residual dish machine detergent. Water softeners do not remove bicarbonate alkalinity so the best way to treat it is with the proper rinse additive.

Before selecting products for an account, make sure to do a water hardness test and bicarbonate alkalinity test. This will narrow down which products can be considered and make obtaining good results much easier. For water tolerances of specific products contact the U S Chemical Training Department or speak with your U S Chemical Field Support Representative. There are other factors you will need to take into consideration when selecting products, but matching up products based on water hardness and bicarbonate alkalinity is the first step to obtaining good results. Any additional water testing that may be needed can be done by sending in a water sample to the U S Chemical Training Department.

Please click the link to view our Warewash Total Test Kit Video.

5 gallon vs. 1.5 gallon

At U S Chemical we produce a line of highly concentrated cleaning products that have benefits far beyond just cost savings. Not only do these products qualify as industry leading performers, but they also provide us with an opportunity to get away from the standard 5 gallon pail. With these highly concentrated products we are able to produce product in a 1.5 gallon container which is equivalent to a 5 gallon pail. This may not seem substantial, but if we take a closer look we can discover a meaningful impact. First, let’s look at the space saving benefits of using a 1.5 gallon container vs. a 5 gallon pail.

Our 1.5 gallon containers are generally used in conjunction with wall brackets. That means the product does not need to sit on the floor, but instead can be mounted on the wall. This allows for easier cleaning and additional storage space around laundry machines and dish machines. A 5 gallon pail takes up 1,115 square inches of space whereas a 1.5 gallon container takes up 468 square inches. That’s over a 60 percent reduction in areas where space and storage may be at a premium. Not only will a 1.5 gallon container add more space around a laundry machine and dish machine but it will also reduce the amount of space needed to stock inventory. Furthermore, a 1.5 gallon container is 70% lighter than a 5 gallon pail of an equivalent product.

Next, let’s look at the environmental impact of reducing the amount of plastic that is being used by switching to a smaller container size. Researchers found that more than 500 million tons of CO2 are produced by plastic annually. This is equivalent to the amount produced worldwide by all passenger cars, motorbikes, planes, and trains combined. According to the EPA, one ounce of carbon dioxide is emitted for each ounce of plastic produced. That being said, a 1.5 gallon container produces 8.6 ounces of CO2 whereas a 5 gallon container produces 36 ounces. Not only is there a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions in the production of a smaller pack size but there is also additional reductions in transportation. We can also reduce our environmental impact by recycling any used containers. At U S Chemical we use HDPE plastic for our containers which is the most commonly recycled plastic. This safe form of plastic is simple and cost-effective to recycle for secondary use. HDPE has good chemical resistance and can be recycled into plastic lumber, furniture, and auto parts.

Click here to download our sell sheet

Importance of Presoaks

With the national average to wash a rack of dishes at $0.60 and rising, it is important to practice one pass warewashing. One of the best ways to do this is by making sure the use of a presoak is implemented.

Flatware gathers food soils that can be stubborn to remove and frequently dry onto the flatware. This makes it difficult for the dishmachine to remove with just one wash. That is why we need a presoak to loosen and remove soils that have accumulated on flatware prior to going into the dishmachine. Using a presoak will also help maintain the shininess of flatware and reduce spots and streaks by improving the sheeting action of the rinse. Presoaks are necessary for removing stains on flatware that does not come off by being washed in the dishmachine. A great example of this is coffee stains. With coffee stains, a special presoak with oxygenated bleach is needed to remove the staining. The oxygen bleach will remove the pigment of organic stains bringing the flatware back to a uniform color. Any flatware that has degradation on its outer layer is more prone to staining. This is especially true for plastics where the styrene layer is prone to damage by heat, chemicals, and scratching. When using an oxygenated presoak it is important to have the water reach temperatures between 120-140 degrees so that the oxygen bleach is activated.

When using a presoak, the savings can be significant. It is estimated that a location washing 300 racks per day can save $1600 per year in water, labor, and chemical cost combined. When selecting a presoak the type of application will help narrow down which presoak is appropriate for use. Be sure to read the tech sheet for each presoak you may be considering. Product descriptions, use dilutions, water temperatures, and the type of flatware are all listed on the tech sheet to help in determining the proper presoak for use.

Use Solvents to your Advantage

Having a five-product laundry chemical system allows the most flexibility to combat the adverse water conditions and soils that you may encounter. For the right accounts, a three-product system can be the perfect fit though too. Many of smaller hotels have consistent water conditions and soil types. The most problematic soils that can be encountered in these types of accounts are petroleum based soils such as make-up, oils, suntan lotion, and grease. The best way to remove these stains inside of the laundry machine is with a suds type product that has a high amount of solvents, such as USC Merit or USC Liquid Laundry Emulsifier. The solvents work to break down and dissolve petroleum-based soils while the suds aspect of the product pulls soil off the linen and encapsulates them.

This is usually sufficient enough to remove all the soils encountered in smaller hotels. Any leftover staining can be addressed with a pre-spotter. Because of the high amount of solvents being used in pre-spotters, many times when implemented they dramatically improve the whiteness of linen because they remove petroleum-based soils that have built up over time that standard suds and breaks do not remove. That being said, there are many instances where a three-product system will outperform a five-product system.

A three-product system with a solvent-based suds, a bleach, and a finishing product in conjunction with pre-spotters is a great way to achieve the results that are desired.

Picking the Right Squeeze Tubes

Tygon 900/Bi-wall/co-extruded– Generally a tan or cream colored tubing.  Composed of Santoprene/Norprene with a thin inner layer of Tygon.  The Norprene outer layer provides longevity with peristaltic pumps and the inner layer provides a high level of chemical resistance.  Acidic, alkaline, chlorine and solvent products have very little effect on the inner layer.  Overall, it is the best performing laundry squeeze tube.   This tubing comes with all USC’s laundry dispensers.

EDPM– Black in color. Holds up well to alkaline products. 

Santoprene- Tan in color.  Very durable tubing that can withstand lengthy exposure to peristaltic pumps.  Very good resistance to alkaline and acidic products.  Also holds up well to chorine.  This tubing comes with all USC’s ware washing dispensers.

Silicon– Semitransparent in color.  This is a good tubing for rinse additives because it does not contain any moisture.  Rinse additives draw out moisture and quickly make other types of tubing dry and brittle.  Better options are available for other product types.

Viton– This is a great all around tubing.  It is resistant to all product types and performs very well against bleach, solvents and D’limonene.  The only drawback is price.  Viton can be 10 times more expensive than standard tubing.  

1=Excellent  2= Good  3= Fair 4= Poor

Shelf Life & Expiration Date

When thinking about the quality of our products we always want to ensure the customer is receiving the best product we can manufacture. At the time of manufacture, we are absolutely certain the product will perform to the best of its ability once in the field because we test each product on site to ensure quality and performance standards are met. Products that fall short of those standards are not sent to the customer but instead are re-worked until they can meet proper standards. Once the product leaves our facility however the timeframe of quality and performance is no longer monitored. We, as a company, want to make sure that if the product we made needs to sit at a warehouse for some time that the product will still perform within the parameters measured on the first day it was manufactured.
This is where the shelf life is established.

The shelf life is simply a length of time a product can sit on the shelf and still perform up to quality tested standards, as long as it was properly packaged and properly stored. Based on these conditions the shelf life is indicative that the product has not undergone any physical or chemical changes that would impact quality or performance. All products we make are tested against the elements in order to see how Heat, Cold, Direct Sunlight, Darkness, etc. can all effect the product over time. If any of these elements would cause an issue for the product within its shelf life then the shelf life may be shortened to account for the instability that will occur over time or they may have special circumstances associated with them such as, “no-freeze”, or “keep out of direct sunlight.” Those that have special circumstances should be advocated to following the special instructions to ensure quality and performance for the extent of the shelf life.

To put it simply the majority of our products that we manufacture will have a recommended 24 month shelf life. Whether it be a general purpose cleaner, an oven and grill cleaner, a laundry detergent, a rinse aid, or an EPA registered disinfectant/sanitizer- they will all have a 24 month shelf life from the date of manufacture. This means that as long as the product is properly stored then they will perform as they did on day one.

It is important to note that the shelf life is a recommended amount of time determined by the company based on testing and results, it is not a use by, sell by, or safety date by any means. Once a product is past its shelf life date doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be disposed of right away. The product may begin to develop physical or chemical changes that are visible past its shelf life but the efficacy or performance may not have been effected. Dyes and Scents begin to degrade after the 24 months and can begin to change the way the product looks but these are not compounds used for performance just for aesthetics. So, although they may not look appealing or “normal” the product is still useful. Because of this reason we do not mark the shelf life on the outer or inner packaging. If there is a question about shelf life please contact customer service (800-558-9566) so they can direct you to the proper dept.

As mentioned before, the only time we would see a shortened shelf life, to be less than 24 months, would be when we have products that contain a certain amount of chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach (aka Sodium Hypochlorite) is a very unstable compound that can degrade quickly over time due to its inherent nature to gas off. As the Chlorine bleach continues to gas off it will lose its potency and effectiveness for cleaning/destaining/sanitizing. The shortened shelf life is determined by the level of chlorine bleach within the product, therefore the more bleach in a product, such as sanitizers and laundry destainers, the shorter the shelf life.

USC Sanitizer E.S., USC LL Destainer and UA Destainer Plus all have high amounts of chlorine bleach so they have a shelf life of 6 months. Other products that may use the aid of chlorine in cleaning or destaining but do not contain such high levels of chlorine and therefore would not become unstable as quickly, would be more along the lines of chlorinated detergents and some specialty cleaners. USC All Temp, USC All Temp HD, USC HydroKlor are just a few examples of chlorinated detergents which have a shelf life of 12 months. USC Maxi Foam, QuickLine White Glove, and USC Block Whitener are a few examples of specialty chlorinated products which have a shelf life of 12 months.

If a product has an expiration date associated with it however those products are not as flexible with their time frame. It is a hard set date determined by the manufacturer and registrar of the product to ensure safety standards are being met along with quality and performance standards. Expiration dates are used on products that have the potential to harm others by no longer working properly due to their degredation over time, such as antimicrobial hand soaps or high level alcohol based hand sanitizers (62% or more). Some examples of Expiry Products are: USC Shurguard HP and USC Shurguard HP RTU. USC Shurguard HP has an expiry date of 1080 days (~3 years) from date of manufacture while USC Shurguard HP RTU has an expiry date of 720 days from manufacture (~2 years). Expiration dates will always be printed on the outer packaging and on each inner unit (Bottles/Canisters) of the packaging, along with the lot code, time stamp, and date of manufacture. Products with an expiration date MUST be used before the Expiration Date printed on the bottle/container. Below are some examples of what an expiration date would look like on the outer packaging and inner units of the packaging.

Sanitizing with Bleach

It is very common for a sanitation specialist to have an account or prospect that is using store bought bleach as a sanitizer. Of course we would like for them to be buying our product but if we cannot make a compelling case against buying bleach from the store we will get the, “bleach is bleach” reply or “it’s cheaper at the store.” Here are a few reasons they SHOULD NOT be buying bleach from the store.

• All sanitizer and disinfectants must be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and display an EPA     
  Registration Number as well as an EPA Establishment Number.
• Many household or store bought bleaches are not EPA registered as sanitizers. Non-registered products are illegal by
   federal, state and local regulations as sanitizers.
• If there is no directions on the label for use in a three-compartment sink or in a low temp dish machine it is illegal to use
   and can result in a health code violation or possibly a fine. Store bought bleaches do not have such directions.
• Commercial bleach is three to four times stronger that household or store bought bleach. If someone were to put a store
   bought bleach on a dish machine or dispenser that has been set up for commercial bleach they will be well below proper
   sanitation ranges
• Any adjustments or maintenance needed on dispensing equipment will more than likely have to be done by a service
   technician. Maintenance service is built into the cost of product. It is not reasonable to ask for service on dispensing
   equipment using product not provided by the chemical provider.

Having knowledge like this improves our business and protects us from competitor infiltration. Most importantly though, it adds value to our service by looking out for their best interest and becoming a partner instead of just a provider.