Are You Ready for Collection? How to Prepare Hire Equipment for Return

Expo Hire helps you host memorable events, and we also help you wrap them up smoothly. Once the last guest has departed and the final curtain has fallen, the task of returning hire equipment remains. To make this process as efficient and trouble-free as possible for you and our collection team, here are some practical steps you can take.

Repack Items with Care

When it comes to crockery, cutlery, and glassware, you can leave the heavy-duty washing to us. Our 'send it back dirty' service is standard for these items. Your role is to remove any significant food debris from plates and cutlery, and to tip out any remaining liquids from glasses. Then, carefully repack everything into the original crates and boxes they arrived in. Distributing items evenly across all the provided containers, rather than overloading a few, makes them significantly easier for our team to handle and greatly reduces the risk of breakages during transit.

Glasses, in particular, need to be returned to their original compartmented trays or crates. Stacking glasses loosely in crates without their dividers invites damage. While our damage waiver covers minor breakages, substantial damage caused by improper repacking may incur additional charges.

For linen, ensure it is dry and free from food scraps, candle wax, and any adhesive materials before packing. Place all linen items into the designated bags provided. Do not mix linen with crockery or cutlery boxes. Linen that is heavily soiled with food or liquids is often beyond cleaning, and we may need to charge for replacement if items are unrecoverable.

When returning hired furniture, please fold chairs where possible and stack them neatly. Collapsible tables should be folded flat and stacked. This organised approach saves considerable space in our collection vehicles and speeds up the loading process.

Catering Equipment Preparation

Gas and electrical catering equipment requires a few specific steps before collection to ensure safety and efficiency. Follow these guidelines:

• Disconnect all gas appliances from their cylinders. Never leave hoses attached to cylinders for collection. Ensure the cylinder valve is capped securely before our driver arrives.
• Allow all cooking equipment, such as ovens, fryers, and hot plates, to cool down completely before our collection team arrives. Hot equipment poses a significant safety risk and cannot be loaded. A minimum cooling period of two hours is recommended for most appliances.
• Empty and clean the grease traps on fryers and griddles. A basic clean at this stage will prevent additional cleaning charges upon return.
• Ensure all accessories, including hoses, regulators, drip trays, and pan lids, are packed with the appliance they belong to. Lost accessories will be charged at their replacement cost.

Linen: Avoiding Replacement Charges

Replacement charges for linen are one of the most common and avoidable costs associated with event hire. To prevent these charges, pay close attention to the following:

• Candle wax on tablecloths is extremely difficult to remove through standard laundering processes. To avoid wax damage, use candle holders designed to catch drips, or consider using alternative lighting. Tablecloths heavily marked with wax will likely need to be replaced.
• Pen and marker ink are rarely removable from fabric. Keep felt-tip pens and permanent markers well away from hired tablecloths and other linen items.
• Glitter, confetti, and certain craft materials can also be problematic. While we endeavour to clean all items, excessive amounts of glitter or confetti can embed themselves in the fabric, making them unrecoverable. Please sweep or shake off as much as possible before packing.
• Heavy soiling from food, particularly oils and red wine, can sometimes render linen unserviceable. While our professional cleaning services are robust, extreme staining may lead to replacement costs.

By taking these simple steps, you help Expo Hire maintain the quality of our equipment and ensure a smooth, efficient collection process. This allows us to continue providing top-quality hire solutions for your future events.