In support of British Science Week, Liz Kildunne, technical manager at hygiene chemicals specialist Christeyns talks about the importance of science in today’s laundry industry.

We may not instantly link laundry to science but the lab team at Christeyns is constantly researching into how science and chemical combinations can improve wash outcomes, and more recently, do so with minimal effect on the environment.

Over the last decade Christeyns has been looking into ways in which chemical formulations can be rebalanced to reduce the damage to the environment whilst cutting down on operating costs, i.e. energy and water consumption but also, and here is the biggest challenge, keeping the quality of the wash high, if not improved.

Christeyns set out to develop a process that would extend the usable life of textiles, which had to provide both a gentle and flexible approach, for use with temperatures from 400C and deliver improved wash results. Following extensive research and scientific trials, the result was ‘Cool Chemistry’.

Launched in 2014, Cool Chemistry’s patented innovative approach is able to deliver improved whiteness, even when operating at a neutral pH and reduced temperatures and allows less water to be used for rinsing.

The conventional wash process uses high pH chemistry whereas ‘Cool Chemistry’ uses a blend of enzymes and super-wetting surfactants that give greater soil-suspension. This approach provides two benefits: It allows us to wash in a neutral pH so the soil stays suspended in the wash water as opposed to on the linen, and is then released with the water leaving the machine. Secondly the neutral pH chemistry leads to less chemical damage to the textiles thus extending linen life.

Most recently developments in science has allowed for the wider use of the gas ozone in the commercial laundry arena. The ability to replicate ozone production in a specially engineered cabinet is helping laundries to further improve their environmental credentials by washing in cold water whilst the ozone, once used, reverts to oxygen. New chemical combinations have led to the development of products such as SmartShield, which neutralises the positive charge of the polyquaternium-7 molecule and thus protects towels from shampoo and shower gel stains, and Mulan Solar, a degreaser for sunscreen stains on towels and linen.

Science will always play an important role in innovation in the laundry business. Continual research into chemical combination pushes the boundaries of conventional laundry and enables the industry to keep moving forward.

Christeyns’ unrelenting focus on the environment and the challenges of producing innovative solutions both chemical and technical, keeps the company at the cutting edge of the business sectors in which it operates. It offers real improvements and value for money for its customers in the laundry industry across the UK and Ireland.