Laundry Load and Linen Log

Who this is for

What went to the laundry and what came back. Each load is counted out, counted in again when it returns, and the difference between the two numbers is worked out for you, so a shortage is noticed the same week rather than at the next stocktake.

Hotels, guest houses, care homes, salons, gyms, restaurants and any premises sending linen out to a contract laundry or running batches through an in-house machine.

What this helps you track

• Items out and items back, counted per load rather than per week
• Shortages worked out load by load, with a total for the page
• Items rejected as stained, torn or condemned, counted separately
• Which load type each shortage came from — bed linen, towels, uniforms
• The date a load went and the date it came back, against a docket number

How to use it

1. Write the premises, the laundry or machine, and the period the sheet covers at the top.
2. Count the items into the bag or the drum and write the figure in the Out column. Count, do not estimate.
3. Record the load type and the docket or bag number so the load can be traced if it goes missing.
4. Count the returned items before they are put away and write the figure in the Back column.
5. Short and rejected totals fill in on screen and in the workbook; on paper, subtract Back from Out.
6. Raise anything short with the laundry against the docket number while the delivery note is still to hand.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How is this different from the laundry and linen record?

That sheet is a stock record of the linen a property holds. This one follows loads in and out of the laundry and counts what does not come back, which is a different job and a different set of columns.

What if a load comes back in two parts?

Write the second part on its own row with the same docket number and a nil Out figure. The totals at the foot still balance and the history stays honest.

Should rejects be counted as short?

No — keep them apart. A reject came back but is not fit to use; a shortage did not come back at all. They lead to different conversations with a laundry.

Can I use it for an in-house machine?

Yes. Put the machine in the laundry box, use the docket column for a cycle or batch number, and the Out and Back counts still tell you what went missing between the linen store and the shelf.