DAMAGE TO LAUNDERED ITEMS

As the laundry supervisor, familiarize yourself with the causes of clothing damage and take preventive measures to eliminate these causes. Careful attention to detail will eliminate claims for damage to clothing in the laundry. Many reasons why clothing is damaged in the laundry are listed below: 

know you are preparing a new laundry schedule and that you will need to know the total number of personnel in each division. Give them a deadline for giving you this information so time won't be wasted. The divisional laundry petty officer may obtain the total number of personnel in each division from the divisional mustering petty officer.

Once you receive the information from all the divisional laundry petty officers, list the divisions and the number of personnel in each division as shown in figure 7-6. Multiply the number of personnel in each division by 24 and this will give you an estimate of the total pounds of laundry you will receive from that division per week. Beginning with Monday, insert a combination of bulk and individual lots until you come close to your daily workload of 7,200. Since officer and CPO laundry is delivered twice a week, you will multiply the number of officers or CPOs by 12 instead of 24 as shown in figure 7-6. Divisional laundry can be done in this fashion also. Look at Division F in figure 7-6. Notice how Division F's laundry is delivered twice a week instead of once. In this case, multiply the total number of personnel in Division F by 12 instead of 24 on the days they will deliver their laundry. Continue the process of inserting divisions in one of the days until all bulk and individual lots are accounted for and you have your laundry schedule.

Your laundry schedule should show such things as (1) type of lot, (2) individuals and groups to whom the lots belong, (3) personnel who deliver the lots, (4) day and hour of delivery, and (5) hour of pickup. Your schedule should also include accompanying instructions showing method of delivery, services rendered, and any other information necessary.

Aboard ship in port, you can normally expect a workload that is equal to one-half of your l l l l l l l l l l l l l DAMAGE TO CLOTHING DURING THE RECEIVING PROCESS During the receiving process many problem areas can be identified and corrected before routing lots to the wash deck. After properly identifying all clothing as discussed in Ship's Serviceman Third Class, NAVEDTRA 10176, you should quickly check all pockets of the shirts and Not conforming to the Navy wash formulas Using the washer extractor in manual mode instead of automatic Overloading washers and dryers Not sorting clothes properly Overextracting clothing in the washer/ extractor Water temperature set too high Water levels too low Overdrying Items such as pens, gum, and so forth, left in pockets of shirts or pants Burning or scorching clothing on presses Pressing clothing that is too wet Dryer fires Improper padding of presses trousers for foreign objects. Although it is the responsibility of the crew member to remove all foreign objects from the pockets, some may forget to check. An ink pen left in a pair of trousers can cause havoc in a washer or dryer and result in a large laundry claim. Conducting this inspection on individual lots may be practical but, due to time constraints and lack of manpower, it is impractical for laundry personnel to check every piece of clothing in larger bulk lots. A note should be placed in the Plan of the Day (POD) aboard ship asking crew members to check their pockets carefully for foreign objects before sending their clothes to the laundry to eliminate chances of damage during the laundering process. This note should be inserted in the Plan of the Day periodically to remind crew members.

The receiving laundryman is also tasked with the job of classifying all clothing according to color, fiber content, and degree of soiling. He or she should separate colors from whites to prevent color transfer, and always separate heavily soiled items from lightly soiled items to prevent the further deposition of soil on garments, causing them to look gray or dull. Laundry personnel should also check all individual lots and make sure there are no colored items mixed with whites in the laundry net bags. Laundry net bags should not be overstuffed or they will not wash properly due to lack of mechanical action. Net bags delivered to the laundry overstuffed should be split into two laundry net bags.

DAMAGE TO CLOTHING ON THE WASH DECK

The majority of clothing damage occurs on the wash deck; however, with proper receiving procedures many of these problems can be eliminated. Navy wash formulas must be posted on the wash deck and followed. The Navy wash formulas I through III are shown in figures 7-7 through 7-9. The proper use of these formulas will eliminate the majority of the problems on the wash deck.

Although the washer extractor can operate in the manual mode, always use it in the automatic mode. The Navy wash formulas and washer extractor were designed for operating in the automatic mode and not manual mode. Manual operation leads to an unsanitary wash and poor quality of the finished product. Mechanical problems may also occur during the manual mode when the extractor motor is energized before all the water is drained from the wash drum.

If the washer extractor is extracting properly, it removes all water from clothing except for an amount equal to 55 percent of the dry weight of the laundry. If the clothing is underextracted, there will be an increase in drying time and work backlog will occur. On the other hand, overextraction causes severe wrinkling in clothes that will make pressing difficult.

NOTE: Laundry supervisors should make sure operating instructions for the washer extractor in automatic mode are posted on the wash deck for all personnel to read and follow.

Do not exceed the manufacturers' load limits for equipment. An overloaded washer extractor will not wash or extract properly. Washer extractors with three pockets should be loaded to make sure equal weight is distributed in each pocket. Clothes should be weighed properly before reaching the wash deck to eliminate any problems in loading. Synthetic, synthetic blends, and certified Navy twill should be loaded at rated capacity of the washer extractor. This will improve mechanical action for a better wash and help to avoid wrinkling.

Two-Shot Detergent

The new two-shot detergent consists of a detergent and oxygen-based bleach. Since it comes premixed the laundryman does not have to measure chemicals. The two-shot detergent is safe for use on all fabrics, finishes, or colors. At the time of the writing of this manual, limited information was available on the effects of the two-shot detergent in the laundering process. As information is released and military specifications are prepared, new information will be available.

Sour

Sour is used to brighten and freshen the clothes. Sour does this by neutralizing remaining alkalies and dissolving iron and other metallic salts that cause rust or a yellow discoloration. If you omit sour from your wash load, the clothes may become yellow or dull looking when you dry or iron them. Undersouring gives incomplete neutralization of the alkali; oversouring can cause clothing to stick to press heads and flatwork ironers.

Souring on the last rinse removes sodium bicarbonate, which the rinse water normally contains. Sour usually does not injure the fabric.

Figure 7-7.-Navy wash formula I.

Figure 7-8.-Navy Wash formula II.

Figure 7-9.-Navy wash formula III.

However, when subject to the heat of presses or the flatwork ironer, sour is converted to sodium carbonate that causes damage to the clothing. Do not rinse the clothes after you use sour.

Starch

Starch is designed to give body to and improve the feel of the fabric. It is used on cotton fabrics, but it should never be used on synthetics, synthetic blends, or certified Navy twills (CNTs). The Navy wash formula should show the amount of starch to use on clothing. Do not overuse or underuse starch. If overstarched, clothing will become too stiff. If understarched, clothes will look wrinkled after they are pressed. Overusing starch also causes spotting during pressing. Always drain starch out of the washer extractor while it is running to prevent starch from settling on the top of the load.

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