At Northern Uniform, our utmost priority is making sure our clients are satisfied. One way we do this is by enforcing the best possible laundering process to make sure your uniforms are safely picked up, thoroughly washed and sanitized, and packaged for delivery.

Keep reading to learn how we execute our laundering process, from start to finish, for our uniform clients. 

Pick-Up

The process begins when one of our trained service specialists picks up the soiled garments from the client, then carts them away for proper laundering at Northern’s facility. 

Avoiding cross-contamination is our number one priority from the get-go, so our specialists ensure physical separation on the truck and are always equipped with personal protective gear from head-to-toe.

Washing 

Our uniforms are washed at 160°F in our brand new, open-pocket washers, then dried to 285°F.  The final finishing temperatures not only relax and improve the appearance of the uniforms, but also ensure a final kill-step after handling.

On top of thorough washing of our uniforms, we also inspect each garment and repair as needed.  To put it in perspective, we often replace over 400 zippers in a week!  This doesn’t include the numerous broken buttons, snaps, tears, seams, hems, emblems, cuffs or holes that we fix; all included as a part of a quality rental program.

Sanitization 

The equipment in our facility contains automated alarm monitoring on formula steps, temperatures, computerized chemical injections, and pH verification at regular intervals. 

Through these multi-layered phases of verification, we can guarantee proper sanitization.

Thorough Documenting

When processing tens of thousands of uniforms per day, organization is of critical concern. That’s why we’re proud to be the first company in North America to utilize the Metri-Q automated hanger loading system, just added to our Jensen Metricon sortation system in October! 

Through the use of RFID chips, we’re able to track and have a record of every uniform throughout the whole process. This ensures they are sent to the right locations, perform the appropriate work, and returned in order and on time.

From start to finish, we follow our ISO (International Organization for Standardization) procedures for documented consistency you can count on. We confirm and record product integrity at each step, through a chain-of-custody process to that ensures nothing is compromised.

Packaging 

A critical step after the final sortation for PASS|Food (Food Safety) customers is to swab sample garments before batches are sealed for transport. Then, we load the Food Safety garments into plastic-lined carts, which are sealed until the customer receives them. 

Similarly, we load mining and industrial garments either on trollies for transportation, or pass them through our state-of-the-art automatic folding machine; after which they’re stacked and bound for delivery to lockers. 

Distributing

Once cleaning, processing, sortation and packaging is completed, the trollies, carts or lined containers are transported to depots for transfer, or loaded directly onto properly cleaned trucks for distribution. 

The uniforms arrive at customer locations clean, organized and ready for use. 

Go Northern for Clean, Repaired Garments – every time

Want more information about our laundering process or how you can switch your uniform rental service to Northern? Contact us today to speak with a Northern representative!