Abstract: A method for treating laundry and an inline washing machine that makes provision for water to be removed from the laundry selectively only in a water-removal press or in a water-removal press and a laundry centrifuge. Delicate items of laundry are subjected only to preliminary pressing in the water-removal press while water is then completely removed in the laundry centrifuge. In this way, a water-removal press can always be permanently arranged downstream of the washing machine and all the laundry, including delicate laundry, can pass through the water-removal press.

Abstract: Belt mangles, in which a revolvingly driven mangle belt runs along on the outside of the mangle body which is curved in a trough-like manner, convey in an entrained manner laundry items to be mangled along a smooth flattening face of the mangle body. Slippage between the mangle belt and the laundry items, which causes the quality of mangling to suffer, can occur. A mangle belt is provided with a structured outer face to bear on the laundry items to be entrained. The outer face is formed from a needled felt from highly temperature-resistant man-made fibers. On account of the structuring of the outer face of the mangle belt, a rough entrainment face or adhesion face, respectively, for the laundry items, that ensures slippage-free entrainment of the laundry items by the mangle belt while conveying the laundry items along the flattening face of the mangle body, is created.

Abstract: A method that makes provision for a volume of a batch of laundry to be ascertained in a water-removal press downstream of the washing machine. The volume of the batch of laundry can be reliably determined in a simple manner in the water-removal press, without the performance of the washing machine being adversely affected as a result. On the basis of the subsequently ascertained volume of the batch of laundry, the weight of the batches of laundry with which the washing machine is then to be loaded can be corrected such that the said batches of laundry and also subsequent batches of laundry have a volume which at least approximately corresponds to the receiving volume of the washing machine.

Abstract: Washed laundry that has been rinsed still contains bound acidic or basic rinsing liquid. In many cases this must be neutralized. This used to be conducted on the basis of values gained from experience, which generally resulted in only partial neutralization. Herein, sample liquid is taken continuously from the neutralization chamber (18) and, after the fine filtration of same, the pH value of the sample liquid is continuously measured by a pH value measurement device (31). In this manner a pH value control system is possible which ensures an automatic and complete neutralization of the rinse liquid still bound in the laundry after rinsing.

Abstract: An inline washing system to be formed from a tunnel-type washing machine (10) which both rinses and removes water from the items of laundry. However, rinsing and simultaneously also water removal can also be performed in the downstream spin-dryer (18) or water-removal press. It has been found that the rinsing performance is better and fresh water can be saved on account of the invention. By virtue of the invention, it is possible to wash relatively small amounts of laundry using a tunnel-type washing machine (10) in an economical manner. The tunnel-type washing machine (10) can be designed to be shorter and also simpler if it is designed without a rinse zone.

Abstract: An inline washing system to be formed from a tunnel-type washing machine (10) which both rinses and removes water from the items of laundry. However, rinsing and simultaneously also water removal can also be performed in the downstream spin-dryer (18) or water-removal press. It has been found that the rinsing performance is better and fresh water can be saved on account of the invention. By virtue of the invention, it is possible to wash relatively small amounts of laundry using a tunnel-type washing machine (10) in an economical manner. The tunnel-type washing machine (10) can be designed to be shorter and also simpler if it is designed without a rinse zone.

Abstract: A spiral wrapping for an ironer roller for a chest ironer. Chest ironers have at least one rotatably drivable ironer roller, the lower half of which is surrounded by a stationary ironer bed. The ironer roller is surrounded by an outer spiral wrapping which comes into contact with the item of laundry to be treated. The spiral wrapping is provided with an outer layer produced from a coarse woven fabric which has a higher coefficient of friction. The coefficient of friction of the coarse woven fabric does not alter as the age of the spiral wrapping increases. This means that even in the case of older spiral wrappings, there is sufficient frictional engagement between the spiral wrapping, namely the outer layer, and the item of laundry to be smoothed out.

Abstract: Humid waste air is produced in heated laundry machines. This humid waste air has a still relatively high temperature. In order for the energy contained in the humid waste air to be recovered, at least in part, the humid waste air is directed through a heat exchanger (12). Condensate is produced in the heat exchanger (12), and it has proven difficult, in the case of known heat exchangers (12), for this condensate to be directed away. Moreover, the humid waste air contains accompanying substances, for example fluff from the treated laundry. These accompanying substances are deposited in known heat exchangers (12), which adversely affect the efficiency of the heat exchanger (12) over time. The invention makes provision for the heat exchanger (12) to be equipped with upright heat-exchanger plates (13), from which the condensate can run off. The condensate can then be discharged in a specific manner out of the heat exchanger (12).

Abstract: A method for providing fresh air fed through a fan to a burner of a dryer, thereby charging the burner, when the dryer is operated with recirculating air. In commercial dryers in which the drying air is heated by a burner, it is customary to reuse the moist air leaving a drum containing the laundry to be dried as recirculating air. The recirculating air component is increased with increasing drying of the laundry. At the end of the drying operation, when the moist air no longer contains as much moisture as at the start, the moist air is used as recirculating air. The burner then no longer gets enough combustion air, which leads to an incomplete combustion. The dryer can be operated with a higher recirculating air component, an optimal combustion being guaranteed through the charging of the burner with fresh air. The invention permits more economical drying.

Abstract: A method for the effective recovery of as large a portion as possible of the energy in the waste heat of a trough mangle (10) or other launderette machines. To this end, provision is made for a portion of the energy contained in the waste heat to be recovered by cooling the waste heat in a heat exchanger (14), with the waste heat being cooled to such an extent that it falls below the dew point and condenses, with the result that the energy released during condensation and at least a large portion of the energy from the condensate can also be recovered. In this way, it is possible for up to half the residual energy in the moist waste air from a trough mangle (10) and the waste gas from a heating device to be recovered and reused again.

Abstract: When treatment liquid is re-used for washing objects, first of all there has to be a test as to whether the concentration of the at least one treatment additive in the used treatment liquid is sufficient. Up to now all the treatment liquid to be re-used has been measured for this purpose. If it is necessary for the measuring to filter solids, which influence the measuring, out of the treatment liquid beforehand, all the treatment liquid to be re-used has to be filtered. This requires a correspondingly efficient filter. The invention provides for branching off a small amount from the treatment liquid to be re-used as a sample and only measuring said sample with regard to the concentration of at least one treatment additive still present in the used treatment liquid. Only a small part of the treatment liquid to be re-used serving as a sample has then to be filtered prior to the measuring process. Only a relatively small filter is necessary for this purpose.

Abstract: A method that makes provision for a volume of a batch of laundry to be ascertained in a water-removal press downstream of the washing machine. The volume of the batch of laundry can be reliably determined in a simple manner in the water-removal press, without the performance of the washing machine being adversely affected as a result. On the basis of the subsequently ascertained volume of the batch of laundry, the weight of the batches of laundry with which the washing machine is then to be loaded can be corrected such that the said batches of laundry and also subsequent batches of laundry have a volume which at least approximately corresponds to the receiving volume of the washing machine.

Abstract: The invention makes provision for the final wash liquid from the washing device to be separated from the items of laundry in a water-removal device, specifically together with a large portion of the final wash liquid bound in the items of laundry. The items of laundry are then rinsed in the water-removal device. Following this, the rinse liquid is routed away from the items of laundry. The final wash liquid and the rinse liquid are temporarily stored in separate storage tanks and returned to the subsequent wash process in a deliberate manner. A mixture of at least a portion of the final wash liquid and the rinse liquid is fed particularly to the prewash zone in order to prewash the next batch of items of laundry.

Abstract: The use of at least one central heat exchanger to extract and dry the heat energy released by laundry machines, in particular their gland steam. The energy thus recovered can be fed back to the laundry machines as hot air or hot water. This represents a significant reduction in the energy requirements of laundry machines as laundry machines discharge a great amount of unused energy into the environment, which, particularly in light of rising energy prices, represents an unnecessary operational cost for a laundry.

Abstract: A method for treating laundry and an inline washing machine that makes provision for water to be removed from the laundry selectively only in a water-removal press or in a water-removal press and a laundry centrifuge. Delicate items of laundry are subjected only to preliminary pressing in the water-removal press while water is then completely removed in the laundry centrifuge. In this way, a water-removal press can always be permanently arranged downstream of the washing machine and all the laundry, including delicate laundry, can pass through the water-removal press.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for washing items of laundry that makes provision to continuously filter the treatment liquid during the washing operation. As a result, interfering attendant materials in and on the treatment liquid are successively removed during the washing operation, which increases the efficacy of the washing operation. Provision is preferably made to remove both lighter constituents, such as foam and lint, from the treatment liquid and also to filter heavier constituents, such as impurities washed out of the items of laundry, from the treatment liquid using the same filter. The same filter can also be used, after the end of the washing operation, to filter the treatment liquid to be let out and to temporarily store the treatment liquid in a collecting tank before the filtered treatment liquid is reused. The invention thus permits multiple functions of the filter.

Abstract: A spiral wrapping for an ironer roller for a chest ironer. Chest ironers have at least one rotatably drivable ironer roller, the lower half of which is surrounded by a stationary ironer bed. The ironer roller is surrounded by an outer spiral wrapping which comes into contact with the item of laundry to be treated. The spiral wrapping is provided with an outer layer produced from a coarse woven fabric which has a higher coefficient of friction. The coefficient of friction of the coarse woven fabric does not alter as the age of the spiral wrapping increases. This means that even in the case of older spiral wrappings, there is sufficient frictional engagement between the spiral wrapping, namely the outer layer, and the item of laundry to be smoothed out.

Abstract: The invention makes provision for the final wash liquid from the washing device to be separated from the items of laundry in a water-removal device, specifically together with a large portion of the final wash liquid bound in the items of laundry. The items of laundry are then rinsed in the water-removal device. Following this, the rinse liquid is routed away from the items of laundry. The final wash liquid and the rinse liquid are temporarily stored in separate storage tanks and returned to the subsequent wash process in a deliberate manner. A mixture of at least a portion of the final wash liquid and the rinse liquid is fed particularly to the prewash zone in order to prewash the next batch of items of laundry.

Abstract: An inline washing system to be formed from a tunnel-type washing machine (10) which only washes the items of laundry is described. Rinsing and also water removal are then performed in the downstream water-removal press (18). It has been found that the rinsing performance is better and fresh water can be saved as a result of this. It is therefore also possible to wash relatively small amounts of laundry using a tunnel-type washing machine (10) in an economical manner because the tunnel-type washing machine (10) can be designed without a rinse zone.

Abstract: An inline washing system to be formed from a tunnel-type washing machine (10) which both rinses and removes water from the items of laundry. However, rinsing and simultaneously also water removal can also be performed in the downstream spin-dryer (18) or water-removal press. It has been found that the rinsing performance is better and fresh water can be saved on account of the invention. By virtue of the invention, it is possible to wash relatively small amounts of laundry using a tunnel-type washing machine (10) in an economical manner. The tunnel-type washing machine (10) can be designed to be shorter and also simpler if it is designed without a rinse zone.