Necessary precautions one should take during the lockdown period on how to look after their cars and bikes:

I am a mechanical engineering graduate, thought the below tips will be very useful for everyone and hence sharing.

This lock down period is not only frustrating to us but it is also frustrating to are dear one’s i.e., our cars and bikes.

We all know how much importance we give to automobiles in our lives. They help us transport people, goods from place to place within no time. They save our energy and mostly importantly time. Leaving vehicles unused for long duration of time is usually bad for them.

So, here are a few tips on how to look after them during this lock down period-

Four-Wheelers:

• Make sure that your car is parked in a safe area. If you are parking it in the open, ensure that your car is completely covered. This will protect it from excessive sunlight which can otherwise damage the paint
• Do not leave any junk things inside the car. This will lead to bad odor and it might also attract some rodents
• Avoid parking the car by engaging the handbrake/parking brake. When you leave the car idle for a long time the parking brake might get jammed. Try the old school method of parking your car by using some bricks or wood pieces to see that the car doesn’t roll over
• Disconnect the car battery if it is not in use for a very long time. This will ensure that the battery doesn’t get discharged. Also start the car once in 3-4 days and let it idle for some 15-20 minutes this will also keep the battery away from getting discharged
• Lastly make sure that the tyres are inflated at correct pressure. When kept idle for a long period of time they also start losing the pressure. It is better to move the car forward and backward so that the flat spots can be covered

Two-Wheelers:

• Make sure that your bike is parked in a safe area. If you are parking it in the open, ensure that your bike is completely covered. This will protect it from excessive sunlight which can otherwise damage the paint. In addition to this, covering your bike ensure that some parts will not catch rust
• Run the engine at least twice a week during the lockdown period
• Park your bike using the center stand. It will help in maintaining the fluids in your bike at a balanced level
• Also check that the chains, springs, cables are lubricated. If not, lubricate them once a week
• Disconnect the bike battery if it is not in use for a very long time. This will ensure that the battery doesn’t get discharged. Also start the bike once in 3-4 days and let it idle for some 15-20 minutes this will also keep the battery away from getting discharged

Don’t worry about your maintenance. As many automobile companies have announced an extension of warranty and free service by a few months once the conditions are normalized. Therefore if you have any free services dew, don’t worry they are extended.

Follow the above tips and keep your vehicles safe by the time the quarantine ends.

#StayHomeStayHappy

PK

You can get in touch with me via- LinkedIN, Facebook, Instagram.

54,000 Residents Placed Under Home Quarantine in Surat After Laundry Service Owner Tests Positive

Surat: Around 54,000 people across nearly 16,800 homes have been placed under home quarantine in Rander zone of the city after a man who ran laundry service in the area tested positive for Covid-19. The authorities have also sanitized the entire zone, which includes 12 hospitals, 23 mosques, 22 main roads and 82 internal roads. Around 55 teams conducted a massive door-to-door survey after which 54,003 people were home quarantined. All the houses in the densely populated zone have been sanitized by the municipal corporation. Barricades have also been put up along a one-kilometer radius from the laundry shop.

The 67-year-old man who tested positive has been placed in isolation, while his wife, nephew, brother-in-law and a member of his staff have been quarantined.

The point which people should understand is that everybody is in the same situation and the virus doesn’t know if he is a rich guy or a poor guy. 

As this is a never before situation which no one has experienced till date, there is no blueprint on the rules we should follow. It’s the responsibility of each and every one living on this planet to be compassionate and follow advices of experts.

There are tens of thousands of mechanized laundries in India and everybody is facing the heat. Everyone is in a dilemma on what to do next.

"A small mistake of a business man in the run of money can cost life of elders and children of his own family and his customers. So please be aware that actual pain is not when you suffer by some disease but looking at your loved ones suffering"

https://www.news18.com/news/india/54000-residents-placed-under-home-quarantine-in-surat-after-laundry-service-owner-tests-positive-2563187.html

People who are working for hospitals and medical institutions should follow the following points-

PPE(Personal Protective Equipment):

Use PPE, Hand Gloves, Face Masks, Hand Sanitizers, Hot Water and Right amount of Chemicals for processing the linen. If the cost doesn’t work then stop working completely or make your client(mostly hospitals in this situation) understand the efforts you are putting in for getting the work done. 

Think from all the directions while you take a decision and don’t jump the gun. The situation will become harsher with even a small mistake from someone who is operating from some remote location without following the guidelines.

As India has very large population a small error can bring everything down. The government has made so much effort to keep the spread of this deadly virus under check. So, it is better to resist ourselves from doing anything silly as a small mistake can affect 130 crore people.

We are all in this situation together. The conditions will surely improve and it is in our hands to see that this doesn’t get out of our hands. The Indian government along with Doctors, Support Staff, Bureaucrats, and the Home Ministry is doing a fantastic job and we 130crore people should at least respect the work they are doing and support them in every way we can.

My only suggestion to the laundry companies in India, in case if someone is working take full precautions, follow the government guidelines and have strict rules and regulationsfor your working staff. Don’t take any decisions in haste. Be thoughtful of your actions as they are very important at the moment. Money will definitely come to us if we have patience. Stay home, be safe and make your family members be safe  

In line with our Hon'ble Prime Minister's speech’s we will continue to be in lock down till everything becomes normal and do our bit to contain the spread of this deadly virus.

As there is a saying-

“Don’t ruin your life for a small mistake, because the BEST version is yet to come”

PK

PK Enterprises

According to the current market demographics do people actually require a Laundry/Dry-cleaning service?

Like food, milk and groceries Laundry and Dry-cleaning (here after referred to as LDC) business is also becoming an essential service for people across the globe. Laundry industry in India is around 2.2L crore and out of this only 5% is organized and the rest 95% is unorganized. Therefore by this stat we can understand that there is huge scope for a LDC company if the processes are implemented correctly on a day-to-day basis. Therefore let us first understand what are the different verticals in a LDC business and you shall get to know how this is a very essential service.

In a broader view a LDC business is divided into 2 segments-

• B2B(Business to Business)
• B2C(Business to Customer)

B2B:

In this segment there are again different verticals where one can venture into-

• Hotel laundry
• Hospital laundry
• Transportation laundry(Buses, Trains, Airplanes) etc.,

Hotel Laundry:

Be it 5 star or budget hotel, linen is the backbone for any one. The person or company who is washing this linen should be very careful so that life of the linen can last long. Many of the 5 star hotels will have an in-house laundry setup. Coming to 3 star and budget hotels which are mostly managed by OYO Rooms, Treebo Hotels, FAB Hotels, MakeMyTrip, Goibio etc., they will outsource their laundry rather than having an in-house laundry setup. The main KPI(Key Performance Indicator) for any hotel is guest reception and satisfaction.

For Example: A laundry company’s main KPI is to wash clothes, for washing these clothes they will use chemicals every day. For this very reason they will not start a separate setup for manufacturing chemicals. Likewise a hotel’s main KPI is guest reception and satisfaction and not washing of the linen

The linen in a hotel sector is divided into the following categories-

• Bed Linen
• Bath Linen
• F&B Linen
• Guest Laundry
• Staff Laundry

In Hyderabad there are approximately-

20%- 5 star hotels 

80%- 3 star and budget hotels 

This shows that there is a lot of scope for B2B and the same is applicable for Hospital as well as Transportation laundry

B2C:

This segment is the most common which many people know. The two main services which a LDC service provider can provide are-

• Wash and Iron
• Dry cleaning

90% of the households have a washing machine at home and they actually don’t need a service like this. But on the contrary, in today’s millennial’s generation where both husband and wife should compulsorily work so that they can lead a happy life style. Keeping in mind all this, laundry seems to be a very tedious task and it requires lots of time to complete the task. So, seeing this as an opportunity there are various segments in which a B2C LDC company can be started. Some of them are-

• Laundromat
• Free pickup and delivery service
• Store
• Instant washing 

Dry-cleaning:

Dry-cleaning should anyways be given to the experts and there is no other question on that. Dry-cleaning as a service is a bit costlier when compared to laundry. Dry-cleaning machinery is costlier when compared to laundry machinery and also it requires skilled manpower who have the ability of removing stains. The major revenues for B2C segment come from the Dry-Cleaning.

Therefore as discussed, as long as a there are human beings on this planet people keep wearing clothes. Once clothes come into picture, there is no dearth for this business. It’s upon the service providers on how they capture the market and make customers feel happy with the service they provide.

*LDC- Laundry and Dry Cleaning

*KPI- Key Performance Indicator

Also if anybody has any queries apart from the above, you are always free to ask.

PK.

You can get in touch with me via- LinkedIN, Facebook, Instagram.

FAQ's to a Laundry Consultant...

Consulting: “engaged in the business of giving expert advice to people working in a specific field.” In other words, a consultant is somebody who gives advice to a specific group of people.

A few lines about myself:

I am, PK (Premanth Kundurthi) into the laundry industry with experience of more than 5-years in successfully-

1. Commissioning laundry units across INDIA
2. Revamping sick units
3. Helping laundry units control their inventory
4. Advisory services for laundry units on type of machinery to install, type of chemicals to use, type of clients to choose etc.,
5. According to the current market demographics do people actually require a Laundry/Dry-cleaning service?
6. Why are many Laundry/Dry-cleaning companies shutting down?
7. Is a Laundry/Dry-cleaning business profitable?
8. To actually start a Laundry/Dry-cleaning business what is the market research one should do?
9. If we already have a type of laundry machinery setup, can we get business from any very vertical?
10. What are the various challenges in a Laundry/Dry-cleaning business?
11. There are so many chemical distributors in the market. Which one is best suitable for a my company?
12. There are so many different type of Laundry/Dry-Cleaning machinery manufacturing companies in the market, which one we should I chose?
13. What is the difference between a Local dhobi/Laundromat/Machinzed Laundry
14. Is starting an online Laundry/Dry-cleaning business profitable or loss       making?
15. How to control the misplacement, replacement of clothes in a Laundry/Dry-cleaning company?
16. Why is manpower the most important category in a Laundry/Dry-cleaning company?
17. Offline or Online, which one is a better sales channel for a Laundry/Dry-cleaning business?
18. What are the pre requisites for a person to venture into Laundry/Dry-cleaning business?

I also own a company- PKC Laundries. It is the first online laundry services company based out of Hyderabad.

Here, I want to discuss some of the questions which generally come across a person’s mind if he/she wants to get into the laundry industry-

Keep following this space, will post answers to the above.

Also if anybody has any queries apart from the above, you are always free to ask.

Want to leave with a quote- 

“In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. My experience in laundry industry is what I want to share with people.”

Do what your heart says,

PK.

You can get in touch with me via- LinkedIN, Facebook, Instagram.

What are delicates, how are they processed?

What are delicates, how are they processed?

Delicates are classified as inner wear and anything with lace, or silk. If you want to properly protect your delicates you should use a netted bag. Stuff all these into the netted bag, zip it and put it into the washing machine with other clothes So, wash your delicates with utmost care otherwise they can easily get damaged. Usually delicates are air dried for longer life.

If you have other garments like the wedding gowns, expensive lehengas it is better to give them to a professional drycleaner.

#PK

PKC Laundries

What’s the best way to clean a bulky comforter?

What’s the best way to clean a bulky comforter?

• Most comforters are machine washable, but it is advisable to get it done at a professional dry-cleaner. As a smaller household washer could compress and distort the filler.

• Wash the comforter with the machine set on the gentle or delicate cycle, using cool or warm water. Since every comforter is a bit different, check the care tag or contact the manufacturer for detergent suggestions. Then dry the comforter on low heat.

• The filler in the comforter is the important component. So, care should be taken to see that it doesn’t get distorted or out of shape with our washing techniques.

PK

www.pkcdrycleaners.com

Do you want your white garments to stay white a little more longer than their usual life? Then follow these steps.

Do you want your white garments to stay white a little more longer than their usual life? Then follow these steps.

With time, white color clothes become dull from redeposited soil, missed stains, and dye transfer from other garments. 

1. Washing whites separately will definitely help.

2. You should also opt for hot water, which works better to remove grime and body oils, and make sure you’re not overloading the machine. If the white garments are packed too tightly, the loosened soil will reattach to the fibers rather than getting flushed away. 

3. After that, use a detergent that has optical brighteners, which helps the garment to shine brighter. 

4. When you move whites to the dryer, skip the fabric-softener sheets and pick the lowest heat setting. Too much heat can cause any stains or residual soil to yellow.

These steps will help your white garments to stay bright a little longer than usual.

#PK

#PKCLaundries