Workwear Laundering and Stain Removal: What You Need to Know When Entering the Laundry Business

Products from the well-known Italian manufacturer SUTTER are used as examples in this article.

Basics of Stain Removal

In addition to regular dirt, clothing often has small stains of various colors. They cannot always be removed by regular washing or dry cleaning, so each type of stain requires separate treatment.

Stain removal is a complex procedure full of risks. To avoid ruining an item when trying to clean it, you need to understand the nature of the stain and choose the right product for it.

Two Large Groups of Stains

• Non-greasy (water-soluble). They darken upon contact with water because they absorb it. These are stains from grass, fruit, and coffee.

• Greasy (water-insoluble). They do not change color upon contact with water because they repel it. These are oil, glue, and ink.

Classification by Composition and Nature

• Protein, or enzymatic — blood, sauces, eggs. Removed only with the help of special enzymes.

• Oxidizable — for example, rust. Consist of dyes, tannins, or metal oxides.

• Sweat and urine stains — sweat has both a non-greasy and a greasy component.

• Fat-soluble — ballpoint pen, glue, nail polish, lipstick. They do not dissolve in water and are removed with solvents.

Non-Greasy Stains

Such stains are easily removed with water and surfactants (surface-active agents). However, they may contain a colored component that is harder to remove: pigments, tannins, sugars.

Washing removes most non-greasy stains, except for their pigment part. Colored stains are recommended to be treated with a full-formula product that acts on the stain from multiple angles: anionic and non-ionic surfactants, sequestrants (water softeners), and enzymes.

Greasy Stains

Greasy stains usually consist of triglycerides, synthetic and natural oils, or fatty acids. They are removed with surfactants or degreasing solvents: in solvent-based dry cleaning or during the wet-cleaning process.

Wet cleaning requires pre-treatment with a high-concentration broad-spectrum product. The degreaser works on the greasy part, but a stain can also contain other components. If the product contains solvents (such as limonene), it will handle even stubborn stains.

Protein Stains

Protein stains consist of proteins. Upon denaturation — a change in protein structure under external influence — they become insoluble and permanently fixed to the fabric. Denaturation is caused by a highly acidic environment, heat, and chemical oxidation (for example, with sodium hypochlorite).

Therefore, stain removal is best started with the protein part, and only then should other components be removed. A product with a high concentration of surfactants and enzymes is suitable. The protease enzyme is mandatory; for a broader effect, amylase as well, which enhances the action of protease.

Blood Stains

Blood is a protein-based stain, and its red color is given by the protein hemoglobin. If it is denatured (for example, with hot water), it will permanently fix the red stain onto the fabric.

Products with a high concentration of surfactants and enzymes, specifically containing protease, are used for removal. Afterward, the fabric is treated with a strong disinfectant or oxidizer: peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, or sodium hypochlorite.

Oxidizable Stains

Oxidizable stains are usually bright, ranging in color from red to yellow. The color is provided by metal oxides (such as rust) or colored photoactive compounds.

Rust is iron oxide (Fe2O3), which is dissolved only by highly acidic compositions and special substances. There are two main types of rust stain removers on the market:

• based on hydrofluoric acid or its salts — the fastest and most effective, but extremely toxic and dangerous; they must be handled with extreme caution;

• based on phosphoric or oxalic acid — they act a bit slower (a difference of tens of seconds), but are much safer.

For other oxidizable stains, aside from rust, a strong oxidizer is recommended — hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid.

Wine Stains

Wine also belongs to oxidizable stains. The dye fixes onto the fabric due to tannins. These are polyphenols that plants produce to protect themselves from pests; in the past, they were used as dyes.

You can proceed in two ways:

• if there are many items with large stains — add a strong peroxide- or hypochlorite-based oxidizer directly to the wash;

• for local stains — use a special stain remover that combines a surfactant and an oxidizer (usually peroxide-based).

Fat-Soluble Stains

These are stains removed by a solvent: ballpoint pen, lipstick, wax, dyes. They do not dissolve in water, so a special stain remover is needed. It must remove both the part that responds to the solvent and the pigment, which would otherwise leave a colored halo.

Solvent-based products (acetates, esters, ketones, glycols) with non-ionic surfactants and a balanced formula are recommended — this way a single product can handle various stains.

Workwear Laundering in Industrial Settings

Washing workwear in industrial settings, especially food production, differs noticeably from domestic laundry. The soils here are more complex, hygiene requirements are higher, and a mistake in choosing a product or mode costs money: ruined fabric, re-washing, and excessive chemical consumption. Below are the basic principles that will help establish the process correctly from the very beginning.

What Requirements Professional Chemicals Must Meet

Workwear detergents must:

• effectively wash clothing made of all fabric types without damaging them;

• operate at temperatures of 30, 60, and 90 °C;

• remove all types of soils;

• rinse out completely after washing;

• not harm the washing machine;

• include a disinfectant in the product line.

Sutter Professional chemical products for washing deliver consistently high-quality results and cost control. The brand offers a complete line of detergents and additives for automatic and manual washing systems. Formulations are tailored to different cycles, water hardness, and soil types, including solutions that are gentle on fabrics.

A strong point of the professional line is specialized products for complex tasks. For example, products for difficult soils in restaurant and spa textiles, for multi-component soils in food enterprise workwear, and for pristine whiteness in hotel linen. They also extend the lifespan of textiles.

Types of Soils and How to Handle Them

In the food industry, there are mainly five types of soils: proteins, fats, colored stains, technical oils, and general dirt. Each requires its own combination of products.

It is important to observe the temperature regime: it must be suitable for both the fabric type and the soil type.

Two-Bath Washing — For Heavily Soiled Workwear

The best result on heavily soiled workwear is provided by so-called two-bath washing. In the first phase of the cycle, without heating, the laundry is soaked in special products. Then the dirty water is drained, and the laundry is lightly spun.

Next comes the heating stage up to 40, 60, or 90 °C, depending on the selected program. This sequence prevents protein and fat soils from "cooking" into the fabric at the beginning of the wash.

Automatic Dosing

The best results are provided by professional chemicals with automatic feeding via a dispenser (such as Smart manufactured by Seko). The dispenser ensures:

• precise dosage;

• product delivery at the correct cycle phase;

• staff safety — employees do not come into direct contact with detergents;

• accounting for detergent consumption, including for bookkeeping.

The Main Thing Is Sequence

For safe stain removal, you must strictly follow the product instructions. The correct sequence is everything: stains are rarely of a "single type," and they have to be removed in stages, preventing fixation.

This is precisely why stain removal is a job for experienced specialists who know how to determine the nature of a stain and choose the right sequence. For an entrepreneur entering the laundry business, this means one thing: investments in staff training and professional chemicals pay off through preserved textiles and satisfied customers.