Oakham School now has new washing and drying machines to help cope with laundry volumes that are around 200 times the UK's average household.

Half of the school's 1,000 pupils are boarders and whether it's turning around sports kits after busy weekends, or keeping vast quantities of bedding or uniforms clean, laundry staff wash and dry more than 2,000 items belonging to pupils every week.

That figure often rises to 6,000 when matrons ask reluctant pupils to put overdue dirty items in the wash.

The high, and sometimes unpredictable, rate of items that need laundering continually make it a challenge for staff to clean items at the speed required.

Recently the school decided its 11 washing machines and tumble dryers were not adequate to cope with the mounting daily laundry volumes.

School cleaning co-ordinator Zoe Holford turned to local Miele partner, Hughes Pro Leicester, which was able to install five Miele commercial washing machines and six tumble dryers - and show staff how they worked - in just one day to avoid creating a laundry backlog.

Oakham School's laundry processes are now at the speed and standard required for the school's busy day-to-day functions and activities.

All sports kits used on a Saturday now get washed and dried on a Monday. Other items, including bedding and uniforms, can be washed, dried, pressed and returned to students within a day.

Despite laundry staff using the same detergent as they did when the previous machines were installed, items are now cleaner and smell fresher too. And, with an expansive range of washing programmes, items can be cleaned according to their material and how dirty they are.

Zoe says: "Miele's machines provide us with quality washes and also quick cycle, without comprising on either factor which are both vital to us.

"They have enabled our laundry staff to keep on top of items that need washing, drying and pressed, allowing this aspect of the school to run much more efficiently."

Photo courtesy of Miele