How to Cool a Commercial Laundry or Dry Cleaners During a Heatwave

If you operate a commercial laundry, a hotel linen service, or an industrial dry cleaner, your staff are working in one of the most physically punishing indoor environments possible.

You are running massive industrial washing extractors, multi-roll ironers, and steam presses continuously. These machines require massive boilers, which dump huge amounts of ambient heat into the building. When a UK summer heatwave hits, the internal temperature of a commercial laundry can rapidly escalate to dangerous levels.

But the heat is only half the problem. The real danger to your workforce is the steam. Here is how to manage the extreme thermal load and keep your staff safe from heat exhaustion.

The "Wet Bulb" Threat

In a dry warehouse, human bodies cope with 35°C heat by sweating. The sweat evaporates, pulling heat away from the skin and cooling the body down.

A commercial laundry, however, is a high-humidity environment. Constant washing and steam pressing pump massive amounts of moisture into the air. When the humidity approaches 80% to 100%, sweat physically cannot evaporate. The body's natural cooling system completely shuts down. This creates what meteorologists call a "high wet-bulb temperature"—which can trigger rapid, severe heat stroke even if the thermometer doesn't look extreme.

You must attack the humidity just as aggressively as the heat.

1. Aggressive Dehumidification

You cannot cool a room filled with steam using standard fans. You have to pull the moisture out of the air.

Deploy heavy-duty commercial dehumidifiers in the primary washing and pressing zones. These industrial units can pull dozens of litres of water out of the air per day. By dropping the relative humidity, you immediately allow your staff's sweat to start evaporating again, naturally lowering their core body temperatures.

2. Spot Cool the Pressing Stations

The staff operating the steam presses and rotary ironers are taking the brunt of the heat. Because these machines require staff to stand in one spot for hours, they are the perfect candidates for targeted spot cooling.

Deploy industrial portable air conditioners (spot coolers) next to the finishing stations. Aim the flexible exhaust nozzles directly at the operators. This blasts a continuous stream of refrigerated air onto the workers, cutting through the radiant heat of the presses without disrupting the machinery itself.

3. High-Velocity Circulation for Folding and Dispatch

Once the linens are dried, pressed, and moved to the folding and dispatch tables, the humidity drops, but the ambient heat remains.

Use heavy-duty industrial drum fans in these dispatch zones. Because the linens are already processed, you do not have to worry as much about steam disruption. A massive column of high-speed air will sweep the stagnant heat out of the folding area, keeping the air fresh and accelerating your dispatch speeds.

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