Who’s Really Laundering Your Solvent Towels?

Laundering printer towels has become increasingly complex. Between the mix of inks and solvents, cleanliness standards, and environmental compliance requirements, more towel providers are subcontracting their laundering to third-party facilities. Many printers may not even realize their towels are being sent to another company for cleaning.

Why Does That Matter to You?

Subcontracted laundering can mean less control over quality, safety, and compliance. Here is what that could mean for you:

• Your printer towels may be laundered with floor mats and shop towels. This can bring foreign material back into your pressroom.
• Processing risks may go unidentified. Identifying inks and solvents that cannot be safely laundered, and discussing potential product changes, helps protect both your employees and the people handling your towels.
• You don’t know whether the laundry meets EPA Wipes Rule requirements. Under the federal wipes exclusion, your shop must send towels to a qualifying laundry and keep its name and address on file. Even when laundering is subcontracted, that responsibility is yours.

At ITU AbsorbTech, We Process In-House. Always.

We launder Ultra™ Printer and Mirus™ towels in-house at our ISO 14001 facilities, never subcontracting. This gives us the ability to launder printer towels separately from industrial shop towels and other textiles.

Our full-time EHS specialist works with customers on safety and compliance questions. We conduct wiper testing to assess processing compatibility and work with printers when their inks or solvents change.

Because we handle both laundering and service, you can speak directly with the company responsible for processing your towels.

We continually invest in equipment, laundering chemistry, solvent recovery, wastewater treatment, and employee training needed to launder solvent towels responsibly. These investments contributed to ITU AbsorbTech being recognized as a 2026 Wisconsin Business Friend of the Environment.

Know Who’s Laundering Your Printer Towels

If you don’t know who launders your towels or are looking for a provider that processes them in-house, let’s talk: ituabsorbtech.com/print