Hangzhou Black Laundry Factory uses strong alkali detergent

Recently, CCTV exposed a black-market washing machine factory in Dalian, revealing the washing process of these small illegal laundries, which use self-made detergents for cleaning. Media have also investigated the hygiene status of hotel textiles in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, with results showing that over 80% of hotel textiles have severely excessive PH values.

Reporters then investigated the laundry industry in Hangzhou city and found a large number of laundries without proper licenses. Some manufacturers even add illegal strong alkalis for washing, causing widespread chaos in the laundry industry.

Laundry products are difficult to regulate, and textile washing has gray areas.

Towels, bath towels, bed sheets, quilts, pillowcases, etc., used in hotel guest rooms are collectively called "textiles" in the hotel industry. Industry insiders say that the reason for the severe PH value excess in these hotels is that most economy hotels in China do not have their own laundries. Except for some high-end hotels and a few private inns, many send their textiles to specialized laundries for cleaning.

Reporters found a laundry factory called Shengjie on Kangqiao Road in Hangzhou. Next to the washing machines were several plastic buckets containing white and yellow powders, with no product information labeled outside. Laundry workers told reporters that the washing process here is as follows:

【Washing 1】(What is this) alkaline washing powder, (alkaline washing powder, what about that one?) all alkaline, (all alkaline washing powder, first alkaline then acid?) acid is last, (acid is last).

At another laundry factory on Kangqiao Road, a boss surnamed Xie told reporters that these laundry products are not very standardized.

According to the information on the packaging of Zhengxing detergent used by Shengjie Laundry, reporters went to No. 596 Jiaogong Road and found that a building was almost completely emptied and desolate. Only a small office belonged to Zhengxing Detergent Factory, with the main door tightly closed. Reporters called the contact number on the product, and the other party told reporters that their detergents are formulated using industrial washing formulas:

【Washing 2】Prepared washing powder, alkaline washing powder, (what do you use to make this?) specially made with chemical products, chemical raw materials, (the formula is some industrial detergents?) yes, yes, exactly.

Among the laundries visited by reporters, many factory owners said they generally only accept large hotels. Small inns with only twenty or thirty rooms are usually not accepted because the quantity of textiles is small and the costs of transportation and labor are high. The destination of textile washing for these small inns has become a well-known gray area in the industry. Boss Xie said:

【Washing 3】Those small ones are generally handled by small workshops, (where are the small workshops?) There are many around Gouzhuang, a shed next to a farmer's house, a semi-automatic washing machine nearby, drying with coal burning, (do they have any licenses?) family workshops, what licenses? Two or three people working there, many scattered around Gouzhuang and Liangzhu, also near Jianqiao, now moving towards Qiaosi, inside farmer houses and villages, very remote places.

Black laundry workshops are spread around Hangzhou, mixing in strong alkalis for washing.

After undercover investigations in villages such as Jianqiao, Jiubao, and Qiaosi, reporters found that this phenomenon is indeed widespread. Starting from Qiaosi subway station, taking a bus for three kilometers, then a tricycle, reporters finally found a laundry factory in Yongxi Village, Yunjiaqiao. The factory owner told reporters that many hotels and foot massage shops in Jiubao Districts 2 and 3 wash their textiles here, and they have been in this business for many years. Reporters saw a gray-blue plastic barrel next to the washing machine containing a grayish turbid liquid. Workers stirred it with a wooden stick and told reporters that this is a detergent made by mixing seven or eight raw materials:

【Washing 4】(Is this mixed washing powder?) This is not just washing powder, seven or eight kinds mixed together, (seven or eight kinds mixed together and put in for washing) yes.

Industry insiders revealed that to reduce costs and make textiles washed faster and whiter, some laundry workshops mix illegal chemicals such as caustic soda into detergents, profiting at the expense of damaging textiles and harming human health:

【Washing 5】Strong alkalis and whiteners, the washing effect is better, costs are low and effects are good; using caustic soda and acids mixed, if used improperly or for a long time, it will cause aging.

In a laundry factory inside a rented house in Binhe District 1, Jianqiao Town, reporters saw that the entire factory was only about twenty square meters. Two plastic buckets in a towel delivery truck by the roadside were filled with turbid liquid, and textiles were piled messily on one side. The boss told reporters that they do textile washing business mainly for Jianggan District, recently focusing on washing fabrics from barbershops and others. The washing methods were shocking:

【Washing 6】This is alkali, the bleach for washing clothes. Pour water in, wet it, then pour in the bleach, the alkali, this is strong alkali (strong alkali), after mixing with water evenly, because the mixture is very hot, the temperature is high, you pour it in, then add washing powder and detergent.

Adding strong alkali for washing causes significant damage to textiles. An industry insider showed reporters two bed sheets, one washed with alkali and one without. The alkali-washed sheet tore easily at the edges, while the one without alkali washing remained very sturdy.

Besides the damage to the textiles themselves, because harmful substances may remain after adding alkali and the acid-base value is high, these textiles cause a burning sensation when in direct contact with skin, harming the skin, causing itching, redness, and even allergic reactions.

Proper washing involves pre-washing, main washing, dehydration, water addition, and finally neutralization and deacidification. Shen Yongliang, vice president of the Hangzhou Laundry Industry Association, said that the best pH for human skin contact is around 5.5 to 6, so neutralization is necessary:

[Washing 7] After rinsing, acid agents and softeners must be added for neutralization. Towels also need acid agents and softeners because the best pH for human skin contact is around 5.5 to 6.

Reporters found that many manufacturers not only use illegal strong alkaline detergents but also do not neutralize afterward, just rinsing with water and leaving it at that:

[Washing 8] (Is neutralization necessary?) Neutralize what? (If you use alkali at first, shouldn't you neutralize with acid?) You just rinse it off with water and it's fine.

In Tongxin Village next to Banghe Village, there are also several small private laundry factories. These laundries almost all lack factory name signs. According to relevant regulations, laundry factories need business licenses, environmental assessment reports, pollution discharge permits, etc., most of which these manufacturers either do not have or are incomplete:

[Washing 9] (What is the name of your factory?) Our business license is still being processed. (Your business license is still being processed?) We had one before, but the factory is too small now and will be moving soon.

Surprisingly, among the customers of these irregular, unhygienic, and unqualified unscrupulous laundries, there are some well-known budget hotel chains. Laundry worker:

[Washing 10] Look, look here, this is from a big hotel, a big hotel, GreenTree Inn's. (GreenTree Inn's, how many rooms do they have?) They have seventy or eighty sets. (Do you also wash for Home Inn?) Yes, some.

Why do these well-known hotels also use these irregular laundries? According to Zhejiang Voice reporters' investigation, based on prices of "1.5 yuan for duvet covers, 1.3 yuan for sheets, 0.9 yuan for bath towels, 0.4 yuan for towels, 0.5 yuan for pillowcases," these black laundries charge only 4.6 yuan per bed for laundry, while regular large factories charge about 7 yuan. For a hotel with 100 beds, monthly costs are 21,000 yuan at regular factories, but only 13,800 yuan at 5-yuan small factories, saving nearly 90,000 yuan annually. This is why some budget hotels and guesthouses choose small black laundries. Cai Wenlei, secretary-general of Hangzhou Laundry Industry Association:

[Washing 11] Because they push prices extremely low, if washed according to our regular factory processes, it would be at a loss, so they might look for some smaller ones.

Cai Wenlei said that the laundry industry involves multiple departments such as commerce, health, and quality supervision. Although the Ministry of Commerce issued the "Laundry Industry Management Measures," it does not include penalty clauses, so management of the laundry industry mainly relies on guidance and self-discipline:

[Washing 12] This management measure issued by multiple departments sets certain washing requirements for textiles, but the problem is that if these cannot be met, there is no specific enforcement department. So our industry hopes there will be a specific regulatory department for these irregularities.

Through reporter investigations and disclosures from many industry insiders, villages such as Gouzhuang, Jianqiao, Qiaosi, and Xiaoshan in Hangzhou have many black laundries with incomplete licenses, poor hygiene, and use of strong alkali to mix detergents. How large are these laundries? How many hotels in the city are involved? What is the extent of the harm? Wang Ping from the Provincial Academy of Social Sciences believes relevant departments should unite to investigate and rectify:

[Washing 13] There is still a regulatory gap or loophole. Under the main role of the commerce department, coordinating with several departments for surprise inspections could let everyone see the situation behind this issue.

Relevant experts suggest making clear regulations and restrictions on washing products and technical methods used in different fields, strengthening supervision, and accelerating legal improvements. Only in an environment with "laws to follow" can the bad practices in the laundry industry be fundamentally resolved.

Currently, Zhejiang Voice reporters have reported the situation to the Hangzhou commerce department, and Zhejiang Voice will continue to follow up on subsequent developments.