Learn Your Laundry
by Nilma Dole
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Galadari Hotel’s Laundrette
Manager Suneth Wijesekera |
Cleaning laundry is not really ‘dirty business’ but when it comes to
making visiting dignitaries look their ‘Sunday best’ and hotel linen to
be crisp clean, this job is definitely worth the detergent.
In 1984, the Galadari Hotel’s laundry department, formerly called the
Meridian was the first to open its doors to the public in addition to
serving their hotel guests. Under the supervision of the then Laundry
Manager Jasly Wahid, they managed to carve a niche in the laundry
service industry.
Today, we spoke to the present Laundry Manager Sarath Wijesekera who
enlightened about laundry essentials and functions.
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Washing clothes in a normal cycle |
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Dry cleaning machine in progress/ |
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Removing stains with chemicals |
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Steam ironing trousers with neat pleats |
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Steam ironing shirts |
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Steam ironing the waist properly |
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Heavy wash of towels and sheets |
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Sheet is folded after dry cleaning |
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Dry cleaning tablecloth and delicate sheets |
“People should know what type of clothes they purchase and the
manufacturer’s instructions on the label”, he said. Mentioning that even
today, many do not know how to accurately control the washing machine.
He said that every time we change the type, the settings should change
accordingly.
“They come to us when a mistake is made hoping that we can rectify
it”, he commented. Also, he pointed out little as five to six grams of
detergent should be used when washing one load of clothes.
Wijesekera related some of their laundry horror stories where many
experiences put them in a spot. “Recently, a hotel guest purchased a
pair of trousers from a leading departmental store and when we washed
it, the label pulled off”, he explained. When they confronted the store
with regard to the manufacturer of the material, they kept mum about it
for they themselves didn’t know what kind of material it was.
Yet others come to them with a small problem after keeping certain
‘memorable’ clothes in the cupboard for many years.
“Some who want to clean such clothes should keep in mind that such
kind of material thins and fades as time goes by and taking it to the
laundry all of a sudden is unadvisable”, he emphasised. They have had to
endure learning the difficult way because the laundry industry at that
time was still in the stages of development.
Today, the International Fabric Care Institute in U.S.A. quickly
informs when a new brand of clothing is produced and methods on how to
wash it. The Galadari Hotel’s laundry uses chemicals like ‘pechloro
ethylene’ that is not harmful to the environment and has a efficient
waste disposal system.
Pix by Chintaka Kumarasinghe |
