News & Innovations

Fire, Water, Earth, and Air: Clean and Dry through All Four Elements

“We use methods that are very environmentally friendly and specifically developed for the textiles, and which we are continually refining and improving,” says Axel Meyer, Managing Director of MeyerundKuhl Spezialwäschen GmbH. After quickly and successfully establishing itself on the German and Austrian markets in the washing and waterproofing of functional clothing, the specialist company has set a course to expand into other European countries. MeyerundKuhl has a diversified market approach, enabling customers to access their services through various different channels: via specialist shops, via the stores, outlets, and online shops of the manufacturers, and via their own online shop. Customers can use DHL to send in their clothing, which they receive back within just a few days, fully cleaned and waterproofed. Just a single Sprinter van is all that is needed to serve 1000 customers. Everything else is done by post or via the company’s own delivery and collection point.

A Successful Spin-off for Almost 10 Years
The company was founded by Axel Meyer and Dr. Jochen Kuhl in 2014 as a spin-off of the laundry company Wäscherei Meyer and Dr. Kuhl Consulting GmbH & Co. KG in the small town of Hardegsen near Göttingen, Lower Saxony. Axel Meyer is a proven expert in the treatment and cleaning of specialist clothing with over 20 years of industry experience. Dr. Jochen Kuhl is a consultant who specializes in optimizing and digitalizing business processes in medium-sized companies, and it is thanks to his expertise that the entire process runs like clockwork, from order placement to delivering the washed and waterproofed clothing back to the customers.

Functional Clothing That Braves All of the Elements
Outdoor and functional textiles should protect the wearer from wind and moisture for as long as possible, but at the same time be comfortable to wear and allow the body to breathe. The more functional textiles are worn and washed, the more the waterproof coating fades and with it the ability for water and dirt to “bead up.” This type of clothing requires specialist care in order to retain the water-repelling and breathable properties, or to reactivate these after a longer period of use. MeyerundKuhl use unique washing and waterproofing methods that ensure the clothing is returned to the customer with the highest level of cleanliness and hygiene, and the waterproofing quality is restored to its original condition. No environmentally harmful polyfluorinated or perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are used in the treatment of outdoor clothing. 

“Our list of partners includes several renowned German and international outdoor, motorcycle, and firefighter clothing brands, such as Jack Wolfskin, VAUDE, Mammut, Kjus, Bergans, Schöffel, Rosenbauer, and S-GARD,” says Jochen Kuhl. “Our operations are incorporated into their specialist retail shops, so if someone hands in their functional jacket at a Jack Wolfskin store in Oberstdorf, they can pick it up again at their local Jack Wolfskin store in their hometown once it has been cleaned and treated by us. We think this is a great service.”

The two managing directors’ own passion for motorbike riding inspired the next chapter in the company’s portfolio: the washing and waterproofing of motorbike clothing.

Riding Dry through Wind and Weather
In addition to the wind and weather taking a heavy toll on motorbike clothing, this type of gear tends to be expensive. As passionate motorbike riders, the two managing directors, Axel Meyer and Jochen Kuhl, understand their customers’ needs: riding dry through wind and weather. Motorbike clothing therefore needs the right kind of care in order to maintain the protective function and quality of the textiles. Using washing processes, products, and machines that are specifically designed for motorbike clothing ensures the optimum level of care, one that is far superior than can be provided by conventional cleaning and washing systems. 

“We Understand Washing and Firefighting”
MeyerundKuhl also provide a cleaning and waterproofing service for firefighter clothing for small or large fire brigades. Axel Meyer’s eyes light up when he starts talking about treating firefighter clothing: “A firefighter’s work clothing is a crucial part of their gear when they are extinguishing fires and saving, rescuing, and protecting people. Using a professional cleaning service is therefore vital for ensuring that the clothing is ready to use at any time and will reliably protect the wearer when it really matters. The process that we have been perfecting over the years provides an essential basis for ensuring the work clothing lasts for a long time,” says Sebastian Seeger, a qualified PPE specialist and responsible for sales.

The firefighter clothing is cleaned and waterproofed under strict observance of the European standard EN 469. Here too, Axel Meyer’s experience comes into play, as he has had a leading role in the fire brigade for over 30 years. “We understand washing and firefighting, a combination that is rarely found on the market,” says Axel Meyer with pride and adds: “We wash all of the gear – everything from helmets to boots – for fire brigades from Anklam in Northern Germany all the way down to Graz in Austria.”

JENSEN JTD and JWE: Professional Equipment for the Washing Process
To provide the right care for their customers’ specialist clothing, MeyerundKuhl use freestanding, self-contained washing machines and dryers from JENSEN for small and medium loads, which are fully tuned to the company’s specific washing process. These include the washer extractors JWE 24/53 and JWE 40/90 for 24 and 40 kg loads, and the stand-alone dryers JTD 40/90 and JTD 60/130 for 40 and 60 kg loads. The JWE washer extractors have a short distance to the drum, which allows the water to heat up quickly and reduces water consumption to below 10 l/kg. 

Thanks to special wash programs with tailored cycle times, water levels, temperatures, and spin speeds, the machines can handle all sorts of washing types and volumes – just the ticket for the specialist washing cleaned by MeyerundKuhl. “The machine is really easy to use and the fact that the maintenance instructions are included directly on the display is simply brilliant,” says Axel Meyer, brimming with enthusiasm.

MeyerundKuhl have complemented their series of JWE washer extractors with JTD dryers. These machines are fully insulated, are highly efficient in the way they use heat, and have a sophisticated cooling process that ensures no energy is wasted.

Our aim is to help laundries like MeyerundKuhl improve their output by providing appliances and solutions that increase their laundry processing capacity while reducing the use of resources. One of JENSEN’s core principles has always been to consider sustainability factors during the machine development process and in their business activities, and the company has devoted itself to developing sustainable automated laundry solutions. 

The fact that MeyerundKuhl do not use environmentally harmful polyfluorinated or perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in their specialist washing process shows that the environment is an important factor for them as well. The company also keeps the boxes in which customers send in their clothing and reuses them for the return deliveries, so hardly any packaging waste produced. Reusable sacks, which protect the laundry against almost all germs, are another type of packaging used to transport and deliver the laundry.

Right at the Heart of the Action – Not Just Part of It
The washing of functional and specialist clothing is a unique and exciting business to be in, and there is always plenty of action! “Like many other specialist companies, we are looking to grow our team with people who want to work with us in this cool sector,” says Axel Meyer. “We wash everything that others don’t dare touch, and this is something very special. Anyone who wants to experience this for themselves can send an application directly to us. We would love to hear from them.” Every day at MeyerundKuhl in Hardegsen is another day full of action and responsibility, washing textiles that brave the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air.