Avoid Chemical Damage of Your Sheets and Towels

As cleaning protocols and procedures for hospitality continue to evolve, so do the unforeseen challenges that come as a result. Recently, our technical affairs and hospitality teams have received questions from our hotel partners about a unique type of damage impacting their sheeting and terry. It’s usually straightforward and easy to tell if linen damage is being caused by ripping or overuse. But the holes appearing in some customers’ items have been a different kind of damage than they might otherwise see. The culprit? Chemical damage.

Housekeeping and laundry teams are working diligently to ensure top-notch standards for cleanliness. With that, many are using harsher chemicals on linens more than ever before, at times stronger than necessary.

Prevent Chemical Damage to Hotel Sheeting & Terry

Here is an example of what we’re seeing from some customers who utilize products with Centium Core Technology^® :

Chemical Damage Centium Core^® Sheet: Cotton fibers damaged, Centium Core^® fibers not damaged.

Chemical Damage Centium Core^® Towel: Cotton fibers damaged, Centium Core^® fibers not damaged.

Check out other examples of chemical damage to 100% cotton and cotton-poly blend sheets and towels.

As you can see in the photos, only the Centium Core^® fibers remain. There are two key reasons as to why this occurs:

1. Overuse of Stain Treatment: Stain removers contain strong chemicals. If your team sprays too much, the harsh chemicals can eat away at the cotton fibers. Make sure you are using chemical treatments according to instructions or as advised by your laundry chemical provider.
2. Waiting Too Long to Launder: Even if the correct amount of stain remover is applied, if the chemicals sit in the laundry too long without processing, similar damaging issues can occur.

Applying the proper amount of stain treatment and laundering the items quickly will minimize the potential for chemical damage. If you’re still having issues treating stains, check out these articles on how to tackle cosmetic stains and our 8-part series on laundering tips.

Use the Right Cleaning Cloths for Your Hotel’s Rooms

Aside from modifying your stain treatment procedures, it’s also important to make sure you’re using the correct cleaning supplies for your rooms.

We strongly recommend that housekeepers do not repurpose sheets and towels still within their service-life for cleaning. When a washcloth or other linen product is used to clean, it significantly reduces its useful life. It’s nearly impossible to remove stains from an item soiled from cleaning, then use it again in room.

If you choose to use old terry or sheeting as a rag, we recommend you always dye it a different color to easily distinguish cleaning rags from linens for a guest room. Alternatively, microfiber cleaning cloths offer an excellent addition to your room cleaning tools. Bonus to using microfiber is that you can select a different color for different usages to avoid any potential cross-contamination.

Technical Affairs at Standard Textile

Be careful not to overdo the chemicals utilized on your linens—and make sure you’re washing your linens right away. If you’re still experiencing challenges with damage to your hotel linens, don’t hesitate to reach out to your consultant or our technical affairs team.

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