The Business of Laundry: Models That Work

In today’s laundromat industry, one truth holds across every market, model and mission: success requires more than just machines. Today’s operators must choose business models strategically, execute consistently, and lead with intention. Some lean into simple,...

Green is Good Business

Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand When Green Laundry Lounge co-owners Pulin and Krishna Dasai got into the vended laundry industry, they wanted to change a narrative: laundromats are water and energy-intensive businesses. “The...

Metrics That Matter

Profit, Performance, and Planning in Vended Laundry The laundromat business is like most businesses in that you need to do a lot of things right to be successful. But how do you know if it’s working? According to successful owners, you just need to look at the...

Safety First, Last… Always

The Laundromat Owner’s Guide to Preventing Accidents, Protecting Your Business, and Controlling Your Insurance Costs As more and more entrepreneurs are discovering, running a laundromat can be a hugely rewarding business. But it also comes with its own set of risks...

PlanetLaundry Podcast

Subscribe to Our Podcast

America’s #1 Resource for Vended Laundry News & Info

PlanetLaundry is the official publication of CLA and is trusted by thousands of laundry professionals to deliver the latest news and industry-specific topics.

Where Credit is Due

Jul 28, 2015

An Examination of Credit Card Acceptance, the Future of the Payment Industry – And What It Means for Your Laundry Business The credit card industry processed an estimated $4 trillion in the United States last year, according to Business Insider. To put that in...

Vital Signs

Jul 28, 2015

Neglect Your Store's Signage at Your Own Risk Because a laundromat is a self-service business, there is the tendency among some owners to have a "build-it-and-they-will-wash" attitude toward their stores. In other words, the focus is primarily on the equipment offered...

Grande Laundry Place

Jun 25, 2015

Ross G. Rose Grande Laundry Place San Marcos, Calif. Before Getting into the Laundry Business… Mr. Rose has been in the laundry business for 25 years. Store Opening October 2014 Business Hours 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily Staff Grande Laundry Place employs four part-time...

Headlines

Business Bio: Dirty Laundry Express

Kevin Adkins Dirty Laundry Express Irvington, N.J. Before Getting into the Laundry Business… Kevin used to work for the U.S. Postal Service. Store Opening December 12, 2016 Business Hours 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. – Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. –...

Rough Waters Ahead

An Interview with the American Water Works Association’s Director of Communications Greg Kail Greg Kail is the director of communications for the American Water Works Association, where he oversees internal and public communications, public affairs, media relations...

Signs of Success

Is Your Store’s Exterior Signage Doing All It Can for Your Laundry Business?Your exterior signs serve as a type of silent salesperson for your self-service laundry.They draw attention to your business and help differentiate it from the others down the street or...

Wanna Do Something Different for Christmas?

Laundry Owner Serves Holiday Dinner to Area Homeless“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” – Mahatma GandhiFor the last five years, we’ve done laundry for the homeless at our store every week.Here’s...

Dirty Laundry Never Takes a Vacation

Summer Camps May Provide the Perfect Opportunity to Grow Your Laundry Business’ Wash-Dry-Fold Revenue Summer is just around the corner – which means that, for many kids, so is summer camp. And, while going to camp has been a rite of passage for so many...

Lessons Learned From Life’s Superstars

Here’s How to Apply Examples Set by Extraordinary Individuals to the Successful Operation of Your Laundry Business Over the decades during which I’ve been curiously roaming this planet, I have been indeed fortunate to have encountered and known some truly...

Potential Sales Tax Threatens Nebraska Owners

Imagine having to hand over 7.5 percent of your gross sales to your state government – without being able to recoup this tax from your customers. That’s the dire possibility self-service laundry owners in Nebraska are currently facing. Like most states,...

Statewide Laundry Bolsters Management Team

Statewide Laundry Equipment’s Miami branch, based in Hialeah, Fla., has announced the addition of Elia Garcia to its management team. Garcia, a laundry industry veteran of nearly 15 years, joins the company as office manager.She is responsible for daily...

Census Bureau: South, West Lead U.S. Population Growth

Utah’s population crossed the 3 million mark as it became the nation’s fastest-growing state over the last year. Its population increased 2 percent to 3.1 million from July 1, 2015, to July 1, 2016, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau national and state...

Dexter Announces Organizational Changes

Dexter Laundry Inc. and its parent company, Dexter Apache Holdings Inc., recently announced the following organizational changes. Pat Albregts – the current chairman and CEO of Dexter Apache Holdings – will retire as CEO on February 28, 2017. Albregts, who...

CG West Announces Vended Laundry, OPL Service Schools

Continental Girbau West will hold a vended laundry service school on February 27 at the company’s headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. This free educational session will run from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Open to Southern California self-service laundry...

HK Laundry Celebrates 50 Years in Business

This year marks HK Laundry Equipment’s 50th year of serving the commercial laundry industry. “Fifty years in business starts to become a legacy,” said HK President Karl Hinrichs. “HK was founded on April 1, 1967, by my father, Reed Hinrichs,...

This Month's Issue

Tech on the Rise: How Operators Are Using Innovation to Run Smarter, Faster Laundromats: From AI phone systems to real-time data tracking, operators and suppliers share how technology is reshaping the modern laundry business and what’s coming next.
Business Profile: Delivering a Superior
Laundry Experience
Member Spotlight: Rick Rome –
Innovating Laundry, One Customer at a Time
Guest Column: How AI Changed Google Reviews (What Laundromat Owners Need to Know)
And More…

THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS

Industry News

Upcoming CLA Connect LIVE Events

Register now to attend the following CLA Connect LIVE events planned for the next two weeks. The events are open to current and potential store owners, as well as distributors and manufacturers. CLA Connect LIVE – New Jersey October 29 in West Orange, N.J. “Natural...

Maytag Expands Product Offering in Asia Pacific

At last month’s Texcare Asia & China Laundry Expo in Shanghai, Maytag Commercial Laundry announced its investment in the expansion of commercial laundry products and programs supporting investors in Asia Pacific. The Maytag brand is committed to supporting the...

Speed Queen, UniMac Go Factory-Direct in Texas

Alliance Laundry Systems has announced that it will serve customers for its Speed Queen and UniMac commercial brands direct in the state of Texas. The announcement comes as Alliance marks its second acquisition in Texas, following the recent purchase of Commercial...

State Lawmakers Intensify Focus on Service Taxes

Here Are Some States to Watch… Along with Predictions for 2020 In 2019, state lawmakers across the country introduced 25 bills aimed at expanding their sales tax bases to services. Although just one of these proposals became law (a Washington Business and Occupation...

CLA Announces Four Upcoming Connect LIVE Events

Register now to attend the following CLA Connect LIVE events planned for the next two weeks. These events are open to current and potential store owners, as well as distributors and manufacturers. CLA Connect LIVE – Georgia October 15 in Atlanta “Natural Gas...