About the Author: Kelvin Moreno is the director of volunteer services at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown.
The Environmental Services Department is always looking for innovative ways in improving current operations in housekeeping and laundry services. One of the most recent innovations has been the introduction of the new Ozone Laundry System at the Masonic Health Care Center.
Currently the Laundry Department launders 1.5 million pounds of laundry a year, making the operations a critical component in maintaining personal clothing and linen throughout campus. The large amount of poundage led to an overview of the process to develop an efficient and environmental-friendly way of conducting operations. This led to the introduction of the new ozone system.
The system generates ozone gases by using electrical energy to break apart oxygen molecules developing a powerful sanitizer. Due to the powerful sanitizer, wash cycles can be conducted using cold water, a reduction of detergent, and shorter rinse cycles, leading to increased linen life. With this in mind, savings are then accumulated through minimal use of heat energy, water consumption, chemical costs, and most important, the positive environmental impact. The system has proven to be effective as the reduction in chemicals, temperature, and increased linen life is evident since the installation of the system.
We continue to monitor the system and look forward to the future of the program and new innovative ways of using modern technology to make a positive impact within our organization and environment.
