Lion has invested in a state-of-the-art laundry system that will decontaminate garments to the point of being sterile, whilst at the same time reducing turnaround times for customers.
The company has introduced a new ozone laundry system at its maintenance and distribution centre in Uxbridge that delivers previously unheard of levels of cleanliness in PPE garments.
The new system works at considerably lower temperatures than previously required and dispenses with the need for pre-treatment and rewashing of heavily-soiled garments.
The new benefits are achieved as a result of a combination of three processes: ozone, mechanical action, and detergent.
During the cleaning cycle, tiny bubbles of ozone are fed into each washing machine. Ozone, which is oxygen with an extra atom added to it, penetrates the weave of the material and removes oil and carbon-based particles that cling to it. Because of the effectiveness of the ozone stage of the process, the mechanical washing stage can be undertaken at a much lower temperature – 25 degrees, as opposed to the previous 40 degrees. The detergents that are used in the Lion laundry process have been developed specifically to deal with the type of contamination, such as smoke damage, that the garments will be exposed to.
The benefit of garments that are sterile is obvious. However, Lion’s customers are seeing significant secondary benefits. Even with the most heavily-contaminated garments, very few require rewashing, so the turnaround time is greatly reduced.