The Industrial Laundry Monitor

Wear measurement with the Industrial Laundry Monitor (ILM)

Why measure wear and tear?

omaturing the laundry process, textile wear and tear can occur unnoticed, leading to higher costs because the textile has to be replaced faster and more dust in your laundromat, resulting in extra cleaning costs and/or risks of fire in the laundromdat. To control wear and tear, it is necessary to measure it. The Industrial Laundry Monitor (ILM) is specifically designed to provide insight into wear and tear during the laundry process. In addition to measuring total wear (mechanical and chemical), the ILM can also analyze ash content and whiteness under artificial and daylight conditions.

Total and chemical wear

Total wear is measured by loss of tensile strength. This combines mechanical and chemical wear and tear. High total wear can be caused, for example, by too low a water level, causing additional mechanical load and unexpectedly higher chemical concentrations – and thus often wear – in the wash water. Improper preconditions, such as excessive iron or manganese content in the water, can also result in increased chemical wear. Because there are many factors that can affect total wear, CCD always reports both total wear and individual chemical wear.

Ash content

Increased ash content often results from washing with hard water or insufficient rinsing. This can lead to graying of textiles and increased wear and tear during use. Possible causes include a malfunctioning water softener or rinsing. Measuring ash content helps detect these problems.

Whiteness in artificial and daylight

The whiteness in artificial light, also called base whiteness, is determined without the influence of UV light. A low basic whiteness usually indicates graying due to insufficient rinsing or staining, for example. For whiteness in daylight, the UV component is also measured. Optical brighteners in the washing process convert UV light into visible light, which provides a bright, white appearance.

Description of the ILM monitor

How does it work?

The ILM monitor is made of standardized cotton, divided into strips by interwoven colored threads. These strips are needed for the various analyses. The monitor is washed 25 times with the same washing process and similar loading. In between, the cloth is allowed to air dry, but not to be mangled or put in the dryer. The number of washes is recorded on an enclosed form. Upon completion, return the monitor to CCD for comprehensive analysis.

Packaging and delivery

The ILM monitor comes in an airtight sealed package that protects from light and the ensures that the quality of the ILM monitor is maintained. The kit includes an instruction manual, work instructions and a entry form. After testing, send the washed and dried ILM monitor along with the form to CCD for review.

Special versions for polyester/cotton

With the increase in polyester/cotton blended fabrics instead of 100% cotton, CCD also offers a modified version of the ILM monitor. This allows objective determination of wear, ash content and whiteness specific to these blended fabrics. Please keep in mind the extra delivery time and minimum order quantity.

RAL Standards

The measurement results of the ILM are compared with standards from RAL GZ 992/2 (healthcare sector) and RAL GZ 992/3 (food industry), so that you always know objectively how you score in relation to the quality standards set.

With the ILM, CCD offers a practical solution to understand and improve the wear and tear and effects on the tint of your washing process.