# Laundry in hotel operations: process, costs and linen par levels

> How laundry in hotel operations works, step by step, whether to wash in-house or send it out (with a worked ₹ comparison), how much linen to stock and how to price and handle guest laundry.

- URL: https://guesthawk.com/guides/hotel-laundry-operations
- Category: Housekeeping
- Tags: Housekeeping, Staff, Pricing
- Published: 11 November 2026
- Updated: 11 November 2026
- Publisher: GuestHawk (https://guesthawk.com)

Laundry in hotel operations is one of the largest hidden costs a small property carries. Every departure room sends down three to four kilos of sheets, pillowcases and towels; every stayover sends down towels at least; and the restaurant adds napkins and table linen. Handle it badly and you pay twice: in linen that greys, tears or disappears, and in guests who find a stained pillowcase. This guide covers the process step by step, the choice between washing in-house and outsourcing (with an illustrative ₹ comparison), how much linen to stock, and how to run guest laundry.

## The laundry process in a hotel, step by step

Whether you wash in-house or send it out, the flow is the same. What changes is who does steps 4 to 8.

1. **Collection.** Room attendants strip linen into a bag on the trolley, never onto the floor or into the corridor. Wet towels go in a separate bag so they do not mildew the sheets.
2. **Counting.** Linen is counted by type when it leaves the floor. This one step is what stops linen from disappearing.
3. **Sorting.** Separate by item (sheets, towels, napkins), colour and level of soiling. Heavily stained or blood-soiled items go in a separate, marked bag.
4. **Pre-treatment.** Stains are treated before the wash, while they can still come out. A stain that goes through a hot dryer is usually permanent.
5. **Washing.** Load the machine to its rated capacity, not beyond. Use the programme, temperature and chemical doses your detergent supplier sets for each linen type.
6. **Extraction.** A high-speed spin removes water, which cuts drying time and power.
7. **Drying.** Tumble dry towels; sheets often go straight from extraction to the ironer or calender.
8. **Finishing.** Iron or calender sheets and pillowcases; fold towels the same way every time.
9. **Inspection.** Anything torn, stained or thin is pulled out, rewashed or condemned. Never let a stained sheet reach a room.
10. **Storage and issue.** Clean linen rests on shelves (cotton benefits from a day's rest before use) and is issued to each floor against the count that came down.

Write the count in and the count out every day. A simple register, or a sheet that the laundry and the housekeeping supervisor both sign, will show you within a week where linen is leaking.

## In-house or outsourced: an illustrative cost comparison

This is the big decision. An in-house laundry gives you control over quality and turnaround, but it needs capital, space, water, power and staff. An outside laundry needs none of those, but you pay per kilo or per piece, wait for the van, and accept more wear on your linen.

**Illustrative example.** A 30-room hotel runs at 70 per cent occupancy. Each day about 15 rooms need a linen change (departures plus stayovers on your change policy), at about 3.5 kg of linen each. That is roughly 52 kg a day, or about 1,575 kg a month. All figures below are illustrative; get quotes from your own suppliers.

| Monthly cost | Outsourced | In-house |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Laundry rate (₹35 per kg) | ₹55,125 |  |
| Equipment (₹6,00,000 over 5 years) |  | ₹10,000 |
| One laundry attendant |  | ₹15,000 |
| Power, water and chemicals (₹8 per kg) |  | ₹12,600 |
| Maintenance and spares |  | ₹2,500 |
| **Total** | **₹55,125** | **₹40,100** |

On these numbers the in-house laundry saves about ₹15,000 a month, and the ₹6,00,000 of equipment pays back in a little over three years. The break-even is worth working out too: in-house fixed costs here are ₹27,500 a month, and each kilo washed in-house saves ₹27 (₹35 less ₹8). So the laundry starts to pay at about 1,000 kg a month, around 35 kg a day.

Things the table does not show, and that often decide the matter:

- **Space and drainage.** A washer-extractor, dryer and ironing area need a dedicated room with proper drainage, ventilation and a power supply that can carry the load.
- **Water.** In cities with tanker water or rationing, a laundry can strain your supply. Check this before you buy machines.
- **Breakdowns.** When your only machine breaks on a Saturday, you need a backup laundry anyway.
- **Linen life.** Outside laundries that wash many hotels' linen together often use harsher chemicals and higher heat. Linen that lasts fewer washes is a hidden cost.

Many small properties take a middle path: towels and staff uniforms in-house in a smaller machine, sheets sent out for washing and pressing. Whatever you choose, keep a written agreement with an outside laundry that covers rates, turnaround time, lost and damaged items, and how counts are agreed at pickup and delivery.

## Linen par levels: how much to stock

Par is the number of complete sets of linen you hold for each bed or room. One par is one full set: the sheets, pillowcases, duvet cover and towels a room needs for one change.

A common pattern is **three par**: one set in the room, one in the laundry and one on the shelf. Properties that outsource laundry usually need **four or five par**, because linen is away for a day or two. Add a little more for the monsoon, when drying slows down.

**Illustrative par sheet for a 30-room hotel at four par** (double beds, two pillows each):

| Item | Per room | Par | Total to stock |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bedsheet (double) | 2 | 4 | 240 |
| Pillowcase | 2 | 4 | 240 |
| Duvet cover | 1 | 4 | 120 |
| Bath towel | 2 | 4 | 240 |
| Hand towel | 2 | 4 | 240 |
| Bath mat | 1 | 4 | 120 |

Plan to replace linen steadily, not all at once. Count the full stock every month, compare it with the par, and record what you condemned and why. If counts fall faster than condemnations explain, linen is going missing, and the counting at step 2 needs attention.

When you buy, buy in batches that match your par and mark each batch with the month it went into use, for example with a coloured thread or a laundry marker on the hem. When a batch starts to grey or thin, you will know how many washes it lasted, and you can compare suppliers on cost per wash rather than price per piece. A cheaper towel that lasts half as long is not cheaper.

Condemned linen does not have to be wasted. Torn sheets make good cleaning cloths; old towels can become rags for maintenance. Mark them clearly so they never go back into rooms.

## Guest laundry: services and pricing

Guest laundry is a useful service, especially for business travellers and long stays. It needs a clear process so that clothes are not lost and charges are not missed.

**The process.** The guest fills in a laundry list (name, room number, items, service type and any special instructions) and signs it. Housekeeping counts the items in front of the guest or on collection, checks pockets, and notes any existing stains or damage on the list. Clothes return on hangers or folded, with a copy of the list, and the charge is posted to the guest bill the same day.

**Pricing.** Start from your cost per piece, whether from your own laundry or the outside laundry's rate, then add handling and a margin. Publish a short price list in the room and on your guest messages. An illustrative list for a mid-range city hotel:

| Item | Wash and iron | Dry clean | Press only |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Shirt or top | ₹80 | ₹150 | ₹40 |
| Trousers | ₹90 | ₹160 | ₹40 |
| Kurta | ₹90 | ₹170 | ₹40 |
| Saree | ₹150 | ₹300 | ₹80 |
| Suit (2 piece) |  | ₹450 | ₹150 |
| Express (same day) | Normal rate plus 50 per cent |  |  |

Set a cut-off time for same-day service and print it on the list. Show tax on guest laundry as your CA advises, and make sure the charge is posted before checkout, not discovered during the [end-of-day close (night audit)](https://guesthawk.com/guides/night-audit-process). Our guide to the [hotel GST invoice format](https://guesthawk.com/guides/hotel-gst-invoice-format) covers how extra services appear on the bill.

## Stains, damage and lost items

Most disputes come from three causes: a stain that was already there, a delicate item that should not have been washed, and an item that went missing. Each has a prevention step.

- **Note existing stains and damage on the laundry list** at collection, and if possible take a photo. A guest who sees you note a stain will not blame you for it later.
- **Flag delicate items.** Silk, embroidery, sequins and items without care labels should be accepted only at the guest's risk, in writing, or sent to a specialist dry cleaner.
- **Count twice.** Count at collection and at return, and keep the signed list.
- **Have a damage policy.** Many hotels print a limit on the laundry list for compensation on damaged items. Have the wording checked by your lawyer, and train staff to apply it with courtesy.

When something does go wrong, act quickly. Apologise, photograph the item, check the signed list and settle the matter before the guest leaves. A fair settlement made at the desk costs far less than a one-star review.

For your own linen, keep a short stain guide in the laundry. Treat stains quickly and with the product your chemical supplier recommends for that stain; our guide to [housekeeping chemicals used in hotels](https://guesthawk.com/guides/housekeeping-chemicals-and-supplies) covers safe handling and dilution.

## Laundry costs you can control

The levers that cut laundry cost without hurting guests:

- **A clear linen change policy.** Change sheets on every departure and on a fixed cycle for stayovers (and whenever soiled), and tell guests about towel reuse. It reduces volume noticeably.
- **Full, not overloaded, machines.** Half loads waste water and power; overloaded machines do not clean properly and wear out.
- **Correct chemical doses.** Too much detergent damages fibres and needs extra rinses. Use the dosing your supplier sets, and ask them to check it.
- **Linen that suits the wash.** Poly-cotton blends dry faster and crease less than pure cotton; heavier towels feel better but cost more to wash and dry.
- **Counting and condemnation records.** Linen that walks out of the building is the most expensive kind of laundry cost.

## Bringing laundry into the daily routine

Laundry works when it is part of housekeeping, not a separate world in the basement. Tie the linen change to the [room cleaning checklist](https://guesthawk.com/guides/hotel-room-cleaning-checklist), count at every handover, and review par, condemnations and guest laundry revenue once a month.

GuestHawk's [housekeeping tools](https://guesthawk.com/platform#housekeeping) give the desk live room status and keep a record of every fault and fix; outside partners such as laundries can [accept and update jobs over WhatsApp](https://guesthawk.com/platform) without another app.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the laundry process in a hotel?

Collection of soiled linen, counting, sorting by type and soiling, pre-treating stains, washing, extraction, drying, ironing or calendering, folding and inspection, and storage and issue back to the floors. Each step has a count or a check so linen does not go missing.

### Should a small hotel run its own laundry or outsource it?

It depends on volume, space and water. In our illustrative example, an in-house laundry starts to pay for itself at roughly 1,000 kg of linen a month, about 35 kg a day. Below that, a reliable outside laundry is usually cheaper and simpler. Get real quotes and run the numbers with your own figures.

### What is linen par level in a hotel?

Par is the number of complete sets of linen you hold for each bed or room. One par is one full set. Many hotels hold three par (one in the room, one in the laundry, one in the store); properties that outsource laundry often hold four or five because of the turnaround time.

### How should a hotel price guest laundry?

Start from your cost per piece (in-house or the outside laundry's rate), add handling and a margin, and publish a clear price list with normal and express rates. Show tax as your CA advises, post the charge to the guest bill the same day and keep the signed laundry list.

### What happens if the hotel laundry damages a guest's clothes?

Apologise, document the item with photos and the signed laundry list, and agree a settlement quickly. Many hotels print a damage policy on the laundry list; have the wording checked by your lawyer, and train staff to refuse or flag delicate items at collection.