As the director of the University’s Laundry Services, Rolando Croocks does more than sort scrubs and bleach linens.

He saves marriages, or so he says, referencing an incident when he founda wedding band that was left in a pair of scrubs. But beyond that, Croocks does clean a hell of a lot of clothes.

The University laundry, located on North Campus, processes about 12 tons of laundry a week. The dirty bundles come in from all over campus — the University Hospital, the Residence Halls, the Michigan Union, the Michigan League and any other department that happens to need laundry service.

The first official University laundry building opened in 1891 on Central Campus and cost about $54,000 to construct. The location didn’t last long, however, and the laundry moved all around Ann Arbor until finding a home on North Campus in 1970, where it has stayed ever since.

Croocks’ primary operation is processing linen for all University Hospital in-patients, including the hospital's various satellite locations.

It is also one of two remaining institutional laundry services in southeastern Michigan.

“The trend is now out-sourcing or co-ops,” Croocks said. “But we remain competitive because we’re progressive, innovative and lean in our approach to keep costs competitive.”

In 2007, University laundry was voted Support Services Department of the year. The department’s innovation is evident in its machine-folding of fitted linens and updated system of transporting bags of soiled laundry, which Croocks said used to be something like an archaic ski-lift.

The laundry employs 69 people, according to Croocks, and is seen as one of the most modern laundry systems in the country.

Croocks expressed gratitude for the people working at University laundry.

“I’m very proud,” he said. “It takes a special group of people to work in laundry… I want to create an atmosphere where people feel appreciated, especially because off-site workers don’t get to see the final product of their labors.”