How To Use Your Laundry Room Equipment Archives - Page 2 of 2

5 Surprising Items That Should Not Go into the Washer

Posted on July 24, 2019August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

The washing machine is a marvel of the modern era. It may be tempting to toss fabrics of any kind into the washer and let it run. Unfortunately, the appliance can ruin delicate fabrics. There are also some items that may damage the machine and affect performance. Here are some surprising things that should not go through the washer.

Bedding

Most pillows and comforters are too big and dense to get clean in a standard washing machine. This is especially true for memory foam pillows, which turn into a soggy, unstructured mess. Before washing bedding, check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. Most often, they recommend that you spot clean or have them dry cleaned.

Running Shoes

A washing machine can help restore the look of casual canvas sneakers. However, it breaks down the materials used in high-performance running shoes, causing shrinkage. The shoes can also damage the washer basket. If you add them to a full load of laundry, the laces can wrap around clothing. The items that are twisted and tied up may not get truly clean.

Flammable Stains

Washers are ideal for removing organic stains, such as grass, dirt, and food. Unfortunately, washing clothing with cooking oil, gasoline, or alcohol in the machine is a recipe for disaster. The flammable nature of these stains could start a fire if put into either a washer or dryer. Treat the stain with a solvent-based stain remover and hand wash the item.

Unzipped Zippers

Items with zippers can go into the wash, but make sure to close them first. The edges of an open zipper can get caught on fabric, causing holes, runs, and tears.

Keys and Coins

Your car’s expensive electronic key fob may become inoperable after being submerged in water and detergent. Metal items can scratch the interior of your appliance. If they get caught in the cracks, they can damage the machine. Check your pockets before doing laundry, or you might end up buying new keys or new appliances!

FMB Laundry provides service and advanced laundry equipment to apartments, condos, and other multi-family facilities. Contact us by calling 410-324-3654 or sending us an email today!

How To Increase the Value of Your Laundromat

Posted on December 12, 2018August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

A laundromat is an excellent business to run. However, the day may come when you want to sell it to someone else. You can do a lot of good by increasing your laundromat value now to prepare for the future. A few simple actions can result in a lot of great long-term value.

Upgrade Your Laundromat’s Technology

Add the most recent technology to your laundry room. These days laundry technology is designed to be easier for customers to use. By using smartphone apps, and wash alerts that will be sent directly to residents phones, make it easy to check machine availability, status of current wash cycle, and notifications when the wash or dry cycle is finished. Your laundromat can also use smartcard solutions, offered by FMB Laundry that links credit card payment systems making it easier for customers to pay for the service or reload the laundry cards.

Upgrade to More Energy Efficient Equipment

Laundromats require a lot of power. You can expect a decently-sized electric bill every month, but you can cut costs by upgrading to more environmentally-friendly equipment. This can include installing a more efficient water heater. It may require a lot of money to install such devices, but you will see amazing savings in the long run.

Having the Right Laundry Equipment

Your customers are not going to want to use unreliable laundry equipment that does not get the job done. Speed queen performance equipment offers customer conveniences, quality components, and a variety of different control and activation combinations that tailor to your laundry room needs. These machines draw on decades of unmatched industry expertise.

Regular maintenance is essential for any laundromat, and you can find first-class services with FMB Laundry. Contact us at 877-799-4664 today to see how affordable it is to keep your laundromat in great shape and how we can help increase the value of your laundromat.

Maintaining an Efficient Laundry Room

Posted on November 14, 2018August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

Tips on Maintaining an Efficient Laundry Room

No one likes to spend their time sorting laundry, loading the machine, putting in detergent, and pushing start only to discover that the washing machine won’t turn on. Keeping laundry equipment running well quickly becomes burdensome, and make it hard to maintain an efficient laundry room. But, with a few simple steps, increase the efficiency of your laundry room and the machines to reduce annoying breakdowns.

Location
Whether the machines service a large building with many residents or just a small multi-family building, where the machines are have an impact on how they are used. Take steps to ensure the laundry room is clean, well-lit, safe and relatively comfortable. This helps to encourage residents to take their time and treat the equipment more gently and will ensure an efficient laundry room.

Proper Use
Installing quality machines is a good first step, but how the machines are used has an impact on efficiency too. Too much soap or too full of loads waste both time and resources when laundry has to be washed again. Posted recommendations help encourage residents to consider the environment and save the machines from overuse.

Regular Maintenance
Some of the most common reasons laundry machines break down include small issues like worn gaskets and loose belts. By regularly checking for worn parts, you fix the machine before it completely stops working, saving an emergency call to the repair shop and creating an efficient laundry room for your users.

Number of Machines
One factor that results in rushing residents and overworked machines is simply not having enough on site. While actual use may vary, a good start is to make sure there is about one washer/dyer set per 15-20 people. Families with younger children will require more laundry than older demographics, so keeping track of how often the equipment is used helps you decide if you have too many or too few machines.

By communicating with residents and keeping track of actual use in the laundry room, you save yourself from expensive maintenance. Contact the professionals at FMB Laundry at 1-800-832-6193 to get a great price on updating your laundry room to make it easier and more comfortable for your residents.

Keep Your Laundromat Customers Happy

Posted on October 26, 2018August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

5 Ways to Keep Your Laundromat Customers Happy

As a laundromat owner or operator, you know that the key to success comes from repeat business. Without a steady stream of regular customers using your machines, you may struggle to stay afloat. Keeping your customers happy helps generate new business as they share their positive experience with others or give you good reviews on social media. Here are five ideas that keep your customers coming back to your facility.

Cleanliness counts.

From your main laundry area to your restrooms, your laundromat should be tidy and well-maintained. No one wants to frequent a business that appears dirty, especially since they are coming to you to clean their clothes or linens. Take out the trash, clean the floors and machines, and don’t forget the bathroom!

Get an upgrade.

New technology and updated equipment sets you apart from your competition. Customers appreciate well-maintained machines with new features that make their lives and their laundry easier. If your washers and dryers are outdated or break down frequently, you should invest in new ones.

Make a good impression.

Appearance does matter, especially for a laundromat. An inviting, comfortable facility encourages clients to stick around while they use your machines. Ample seating, good lighting, free Wi-Fi, and even fresh paint transforms your space for the better.

Welcome the family.

Laundry is a part of life for everyone, and parents need to bring their kids with them to your laundromat. Why not have an area dedicated to children to keep them occupied while their moms and dads are busy? Toys, games, a small table and chairs, and even television may be all you need to make your facility work for all ages.

Wear a smile.

Excellent customer service make or break any business, even a laundromat. A friendly welcome, a cork wall for community flyers, and other ways to connect personally with your customers keep them coming back to your facility.

FMB Laundry has the equipment and technological solutions for your hospital, multi-family, college, or other commercial facilities. Contact FMB Laundry at 410-324-3654 or send an email to FMB Laundry to see how we can help you make your laundromat successful.

How to properly load a washer-extractor

Posted on September 21, 2018August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

Using Your Community’s Laundry Room Equipment

Welcome to another FMB Laundry How To Video! This video teaches residents, guests, and anyone else using your laundry room’s equipment the proper way to load a washer-extractor!

Property and community managers, please feel free to share this informational video with your residents and let them know they can contact FMB Laundry with any questions about how to best use their laundry equipment.

Step By Step Instructions

Video not working properly? Here’s how to properly load a washer-extractor:

Open the door and fully load the machine with like items. Mixing weights may cause an unbalanced condition.

The machine may look fully loaded, but there will be a void at the top of the basket.

Fill this void with additional laundry so that the machine is completely full, and close the door.

Add the recommended amount of detergent, softener, and/or bleach as needed.

Choose the proper cycle based on items loaded into the machine and press “Start” to begin the wash cycle.

While it seems easy and obvious, many people still overload their laundry room’s washer-extractor.

Why Residents Need to Know How to properly load a washer-extractor

Due to the way washing machines work, proper loading of clothes is crucially important. This is especially relevant in community laundry rooms where washers are heavily used. Here are a few of the potential problems caused by overloading.

Clothes Remain Dirty

As a result of overloading a washer, clothes can actually be just as dirty as they were before the wash cycle. This is because they do not soak, spin, and rinse properly, meaning the clothes are not actually being cleaned. Another reason clothes remain dirty is that bigger loads require more detergent. Clothes can actually come out smelling just as bad, or worse, than when they went in the washing machine!

Damage to Machines

Since washers are designed to handle certain sized loads, overloading puts undue stress on the machine’s components. Over time, this can lead to damage and even motor failure. To dispel a common myth, socks do not disappear from washing machines. They do, however, get stuck in washing machine drains due to overloading. This can ultimately cause machines to overflow, flood the laundry room, and break. Avoiding overloading is a surefire to keep your machines working.

Unnecessary Resident Complaints

When a property’s laundry equipment isn’t working correctly, it typically causes a flurry of resident complaints. Since overloading leads to dirty clothes and broken machines, it also leads to resident complaints. When resident’s do not overload machines, they indirectly reduce the amount of laundry room related complaints in the property management office!

When resident’s know how to properly load a washer-extractor, it keeps their clothes cleaner and means less broken machines in the community laundry room.

Using Other Laundry Room Equipment

While knowing how to properly load a washer-extractor is important, it is just one of many important steps in properly using your laundry room’s equipment. Ready to learn how to best use your laundry room’s other equipment? Check out all of our How To Video Posts!

This video was provided by Alliance Laundry Systems, the world wide leader in commercial laundry equipment and exclusive manufacturer of Speed Queen Washers and Dryers.

How to properly load a front load washing machine

Posted on August 14, 2018August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

Using Your Community’s Laundry Room Equipment

Welcome to another FMB Laundry How To Video! This video teaches residents, guests, and anyone else using your laundry room’s equipment the proper way to load a front load washing machine!

Step By Step Instructions

Video not working properly? Here’s how to properly load your front load washing machines:

Load the machine with like items until the tub in roughly 3/4 of the way full

Add the recommended amount of detergent, softener and/or bleach as needed

Choose the proper cycle based on items loaded into the machine

Press start to begin the wash cycle

While it seems easy and obvious, many people still overload their laundry room’s front load washers.

Guidelines to Keep in Mind When Using Front Load Washers

If your community recently installed front-loading washing machines, this can be a small step toward efficient energy savings. However, there are differences between top-loaders and front-loaders you should know. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when using front load washers.

Consider Cutting Your Drying Time

Wash cycles are longer in a front-loader, but typically spin faster which can save you drying time. It is important to not just assume this every time, however, as many front load washers handle more clothes than a top loader. In this case, your dry time could be lengthened.

Keep the Door Open Between Loads

Front load washers are prone to mold and can result in laundry that smells bad. Luckily, keeping the door open between loads can be extremely beneficial and assure the machine dries correctly.

Maintain Cleanliness of the Machines

It is recommended to clean out your machines as often as possible. You can either wipe down the machine with watered down bleach, or run a wash with vinegar and baking soda every month. This will get rid of extra residue and help reduce the possibility of mildew. Since front-loaders have been known to have a noxious smell, make sure to clean those folds of rubber gasket on the doors.

If you have a front-load washing machine at your community, consider posting these guidelines in your community laundry room so that your residents know how to properly use the machines.

Using Other Laundry Room Equipment

While knowing how to properly load a front load washing machine is important, it is just one of many important steps in properly using your laundry room’s equipment. Ready to learn how to best use your laundry room’s other equipment? Check out all of our How To Video Posts!

This video was provided by Alliance Laundry Systems, the world wide leader in commercial laundry equipment and exclusive manufacturer of Speed Queen Washers and Dryers.

How to Overcome Oversudsing Frontload Washers

Posted on June 19, 2018August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

Using Your Community’s Laundry Room Equipment

Welcome to another FMB Laundry How To Video! This video teaches residents, guests, and anyone else using your laundry room’s equipment how to overcome oversudsing frontload washers!

Steps to Overcome Oversudsing Frontload Washers

If you’ve received a message informing you there are too many suds in your machine, you have a problem that should be fixed soon. If not, you will have a machine that doesn’t work and may need repair. Follow these steps to ensure you won’t damage your washer the next time you use it.

1. Check for Oversudsing

Follow machine instructions for the proper amount of detergent to use.

High efficiency detergent is recommended for best performance. When using non-high efficiency detergent, avoid oversudsing by using only 1/2 the machine’s recommended amount. If high efficiency detergent is not used, or the machine instructions are not followed, oversudsing can occur. If suds rise to the halfway point between the handle and the bottom of the tub window, you have an oversudsing situation.

Oversudsing can create a sudslock condition which prevents the machine from draining properly, water and suds coming from the overflow hose on the back of the machine, and/or damage to the machine or textiles.

2. Run Cycle Until Drain Closes

Before you can correct an oversudsing condition, the machine must be in an active cycle with the drain closed.

3. Dilute Suds

Next, to dilute the suds, pour one cap full of liquid fabric softener into the soap dispenser drawer. Flush the fabric softener with water.

4. Continue to Run Cycle

Finally, continue to run the machine through the wash cycle until the suds have dissipated and all water has drained from the tub. It is recommended to run the textiles through an additional full cycle without adding any detergent. This will remove any excess chemicals from the load.

Using Other Laundry Room Equipment

While knowing how to overcome oversudsing frontload washers is important, it is just one of many important steps in properly using your laundry room’s equipment. Ready to learn how to best use your laundry room’s other equipment? Check out all of our How To Video Posts!

This video was provided by Alliance Laundry Systems, the world wide leader in commercial laundry equipment and exclusive manufacturer of Speed Queen Washers and Dryers.

How to properly load a top load washing machine

Posted on May 4, 2018August 24, 2022 by FMB Laundry

Using Your Community’s Laundry Room Equipment

Welcome to another FMB Laundry How To Video! This video teaches residents, guests, and anyone else using your laundry room’s equipment the proper way to load a top load washing machine!

Step By Step Instructions

Video not working properly? Here’s how to properly load your top load washing machines:

Always load the washing machine tub with like items such as linens, towels, darks, whites, or colors

Loosely load items until the second row of perforations from the top of the tub

Avoid overloading your washing machines in order to ensure proper operation

Add detergent and fabric softeners based on the package directions

Close the lid and select the appropriate wash cycle for your items

While it seems easy and obvious, many people still overload their laundry room’s top load washers.

Why Residents Need to Know How to properly load a top load washing machine

Clothes Remain Dirty

Damage to Machines

Since washers are designed to handle certain sized loads, overloading puts undue stress on the machine’s components. Over time, this can lead to damage and even motor failure. To dispel a common myth, socks do not disappear from washing machines. They do, however, get stuck in washing machine drains due to overloading. This can ultimately cause machines overflow, flood the laundry room, and break. Avoiding overloading is a surefire to keep your washing machines working.

Unnecessary Resident Complaints

When a property’s laundry equipment isn’t working it typically causes a flurry of resident complaints. Since overloading leads to dirty clothes and broken machines, it also leads to resident complaints. When resident’s do not overload machines, they indirectly reduce the amount of laundry room related complaints in the property management office!

When resident’s know how to properly load a top load washing machine it keeps their clothes cleaner and means less broken machines in the community laundry room.

Using Other Laundry Room Equipment

While knowing how to properly load a top load washing machine is important, it is just one of many important steps in properly using your laundry room’s equipment. Ready to learn how to best use your laundry room’s other equipment? Check out all of our How To Video Posts!

This video was provided by Alliance Laundry Systems, the world wide leader in commercial laundry equipment and exclusive manufacturer of Speed Queen Washers and Dryers.