Our People
Allow us to introduce you to the incredible team behind our Spritz Laundry Services.
The smell of freshly washed clothes is one of life’s little pleasures. That feeling of slipping on a crisp, clean shirt or stepping out of the bath into a soft, velvety towel is a comfort no one can deny. This is one of the many reasons why we love and appreciate our team at Spritz Laundry Services.
The full-service operation services approximately 400 SwanCare residents daily, and launders around 500 kilograms of laundry every day. When you hear what’s involved behind the scenes, you’ll never look at your washing pile the same again!
Daniel is right, everyone knows how mysterious socks can be. They go in the wash, then they don’t come out…where do they go? We understand how frustrating it can be to lose items of clothing, which is why every item is labelled with the resident’s name and location. With 400 residents, that’s a lot of socks to deliver to the right home.
The SwanCare laundry team consists of seven people, led by Cathy Tomkinson, Senior Laundry Assistant. Cathy has been working in the laundry industry for 25 years and brings a wealth of experience to SwanCare. “Cathy is amazing, we’re lucky to have her,” said Daniel. “She’s very proficient and runs a tight ship. She strikes a good balance of being the supportive mother hen, but also being a straight shooter and setting the tone to make sure everything gets done.”
Cathy has had some interesting encounters while working in the industry. In a previous job she had to wash giant balloons used at Bounce, an indoor trampoline centre. She’s also washed the mascot for Tennis West! She talks about what it’s like working at her current job at SwanCare laundry. “I love the job because I enjoy being hands-on. And I like the challenge,” said Cathy.
Cathy talks highly about the other staff, and it’s quite evident how close they are as a team. “My team is an absolute treasure,” said Cathy. “They’ll do absolutely anything for anybody. They’ll always step up and get involved. We keep each other going, like Christine – she’s a great one for keeping everyone happy. She sings out of tune all day which makes us laugh, but we love it. I miss her when she’s not there!”
Christine has been working at SwanCare for six years and loves her job. “It’s fabulous. I love my job,” said Christine. “It’s about the people. We laugh, we talk, and we sing! It’s good when you have work that makes you happy. We have a really good team dynamic and help each other out when it gets hard. It’s a tough job but there’s no point stressing over it, you can only do what you can. When I’m stressed, I just sing louder!”
Working in the laundry department is very physical, with lots of lifting and manual handling. Cathy actually has proof that her job is a workout - her watch records her activity! “I do between 15,500 and 19,500 steps per day,” said Cathy. “Then I go for a 6km walk when I get home!”
Spritz Laundry might be the go-to place for an exceptional cleaning service, but don’t expect to air your dirty laundry there - they’re seriously busy and won’t have time to hang around for a long chat! With such a high turnover of laundry, the team works hard to keep the system flowing seamlessly. If one area falters, for example if a washing machine breaks down, then it impacts the rest of the system.
With her life dominated by other people’s laundry, we wondered how Cathy felt about doing her own. “I find it annoying!” she said. “I get my husband to do it at home!” Christine’s approach is to treat her home laundry as though she was at work. “I used to chuck all the family’s clothes in a pile to fold,” said Christine. “But since working at SwanCare, I’m used to folding everything as soon as it’s dry. So when the washing is off the line at home, it’s folded and put away immediately!”
At SwanCare, our people are our family. And that connection extends from the staff to the residents. Building relationships and forming connections is key to creating an environment where people not only want to live, but to work. “Having worked at SwanCare for many years I’ve got to know everyone well,” said Christine. “The residents and carers are all really lovely. I really enjoy pick-ups and drop-offs when we get to walk past and see the residents. We know them all not just by their name, but by their room number!”
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We hope we’ve provided an insight into what is involved behind the scenes and the level of effort required to keep the service running smoothly. The laundry service is available to all residents of SwanCare's four residential aged care centres. Retirees in our Bentley Park village also have access to the onsite laundry, with same-day service every Wednesday. If you have yet to take advantage of the service, get in touch. The highly-trained hospitality team will happily take the hassle out of all your laundry duties. From washing, dry cleaning, ironing, folding and even garment labelling. You are also welcome to use our pick-up and drop-off service - anything to make life a little easier!
The full-service operation services approximately 400 SwanCare residents daily, and launders around 500 kilograms of laundry every day. When you hear what’s involved behind the scenes, you’ll never look at your washing pile the same again!
Behind the scenes
“The laundry department are a highly organised and well-oiled machine,” said Daniel Smith, Corporate Hospitality Operations Manager. “It’s a fast-paced environment. Working in this department means you need to be fit, tough and you can’t be afraid of hard work. When you’re trying to sort laundry for so many people there’s a lot of challenges, like your socks for example - just to get them all back together is a feat.”Daniel is right, everyone knows how mysterious socks can be. They go in the wash, then they don’t come out…where do they go? We understand how frustrating it can be to lose items of clothing, which is why every item is labelled with the resident’s name and location. With 400 residents, that’s a lot of socks to deliver to the right home.
The SwanCare Laundry Team
The SwanCare laundry team consists of seven people, led by Cathy Tomkinson, Senior Laundry Assistant. Cathy has been working in the laundry industry for 25 years and brings a wealth of experience to SwanCare. “Cathy is amazing, we’re lucky to have her,” said Daniel. “She’s very proficient and runs a tight ship. She strikes a good balance of being the supportive mother hen, but also being a straight shooter and setting the tone to make sure everything gets done.”Cathy has had some interesting encounters while working in the industry. In a previous job she had to wash giant balloons used at Bounce, an indoor trampoline centre. She’s also washed the mascot for Tennis West! She talks about what it’s like working at her current job at SwanCare laundry. “I love the job because I enjoy being hands-on. And I like the challenge,” said Cathy.
Cathy talks highly about the other staff, and it’s quite evident how close they are as a team. “My team is an absolute treasure,” said Cathy. “They’ll do absolutely anything for anybody. They’ll always step up and get involved. We keep each other going, like Christine – she’s a great one for keeping everyone happy. She sings out of tune all day which makes us laugh, but we love it. I miss her when she’s not there!”
Christine has been working at SwanCare for six years and loves her job. “It’s fabulous. I love my job,” said Christine. “It’s about the people. We laugh, we talk, and we sing! It’s good when you have work that makes you happy. We have a really good team dynamic and help each other out when it gets hard. It’s a tough job but there’s no point stressing over it, you can only do what you can. When I’m stressed, I just sing louder!”
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Laundry: Not for the faint-hearted!
Working in the laundry department is very physical, with lots of lifting and manual handling. Cathy actually has proof that her job is a workout - her watch records her activity! “I do between 15,500 and 19,500 steps per day,” said Cathy. “Then I go for a 6km walk when I get home!” Spritz Laundry might be the go-to place for an exceptional cleaning service, but don’t expect to air your dirty laundry there - they’re seriously busy and won’t have time to hang around for a long chat! With such a high turnover of laundry, the team works hard to keep the system flowing seamlessly. If one area falters, for example if a washing machine breaks down, then it impacts the rest of the system.
With her life dominated by other people’s laundry, we wondered how Cathy felt about doing her own. “I find it annoying!” she said. “I get my husband to do it at home!” Christine’s approach is to treat her home laundry as though she was at work. “I used to chuck all the family’s clothes in a pile to fold,” said Christine. “But since working at SwanCare, I’m used to folding everything as soon as it’s dry. So when the washing is off the line at home, it’s folded and put away immediately!”
Enriching lives for the better
Enriching lives for a living is much more than providing direct clinical care, it involves all touchpoints of our resident’s day, including laundry. “It’s a critical yet predominantly unseen job as the core of the action happens behind the scenes,” said Daniel. “The team are processing thousands of items every week which would be a much more challenging task without our staff’s great attitude, hard work and commitment to their ever important role in providing indirect quality care to each of our residents.”At SwanCare, our people are our family. And that connection extends from the staff to the residents. Building relationships and forming connections is key to creating an environment where people not only want to live, but to work. “Having worked at SwanCare for many years I’ve got to know everyone well,” said Christine. “The residents and carers are all really lovely. I really enjoy pick-ups and drop-offs when we get to walk past and see the residents. We know them all not just by their name, but by their room number!”
We hope we’ve provided an insight into what is involved behind the scenes and the level of effort required to keep the service running smoothly. The laundry service is available to all residents of SwanCare's four residential aged care centres. Retirees in our Bentley Park village also have access to the onsite laundry, with same-day service every Wednesday. If you have yet to take advantage of the service, get in touch. The highly-trained hospitality team will happily take the hassle out of all your laundry duties. From washing, dry cleaning, ironing, folding and even garment labelling. You are also welcome to use our pick-up and drop-off service - anything to make life a little easier!
