Caster Maintenance
Keeping your laundromat clean and tidy shows customers that you are concerned about their positive laundry experience. Your customers use your laundry carts as much as, or more than, your washers and dryers. Customers also expect all of your equipment to be in top-notch shape. This helps bring customers back and creates ongoing revenue!
Just like all other laundromat equipment, laundry carts need to be maintained too. Taking care of your laundry carts shows your customers that you care. Taking the time to clean your carts and wipe them down routinely with a cleaning agent or damp cloth works nicely. This goes for the rack, basket, base and casters. Be sure to wipe the carts down immediately with a dry cloth to remove the moisture and debris – keeping your carts bright and dry. Your customers will notice and appreciate this routine maintenance.
The trickiest part of this maintenance process is taking care of the casters – the only moving parts on a laundry cart. The raceway, which allows the caster to swivel, and the internal precision bearings, which allow the caster to roll, are the two “Achilles Heels” of a caster. This is due to the fact that these two components tend to attract hair, lint and other debris, causing the caster to make noise, not roll smoothly or even lock up. Think about the last time you were at the supermarket and the shopping cart you were pushing had a jammed wheel full of hair, lint and other debris – not a pleasant experience!
Here are two options you have to solve this caster maintenance problem, depending on the casters you have.Non-R&B Casters
- If necessary you can open the raceway to clean the bearings and repack them with grease. Ultimately, an open raceway will yield the same problem again and again. Avoid using a degreaser lubricant (like WD-40) as this will be counter-productive.
- Next, remove the axle bolt and nut from the caster to remove the debris that has wound around the axle nut and bolt.
- Once you have removed the nut and bolt, clean the inside of the caster as much as possible. Clean the nut, bolt and center axle as much as possible with a clean rag. You will likely find that the bearings inside need to be removed and cleaned.
- Replace the nut and bolt until properly tightened. Your customers depend on your carts and expect them to function properly. Depending on how much traffic your laundromat gets, you may have to clean the casters every month. Poorly functioning carts can cost you customers!
R&B's "Clean Wheel System" Casters
R&B Wire’s patented "Clean Wheel System" casters, come standard on all of our laundry carts. These 5" casters are equipped with our proprietary "Clean Wheel System", featuring our plastic raceway cover and Thread Guard, both designed to minimize any debris pick up. If they ever do pick up any debris, it should be easily removed. We are proud to say that these casters are designed to be virtually maintenance free!