Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Commercial Laundry Stain Removal: Grease & Metal Stains
I have been asked to wash towels, dishcloths and oven mitts for a local café. These items have gray stains from the restaurant's aluminum baking pans. They soak the towels, but the cloths and mitts are badly stained. What can I use to get this laundry white again?...
Productive, Efficient and Motivated
Three Keys to Building a Strong Wash-Dry-Fold Team With both the post-COVID-19 era and the laundry outsourcing revolution upon us, many store owners I speak with are seeing their wash-dry-fold businesses growing rapidly. Given that, how do we – as employers, without...
Are You ‘Socially’ Awkward?
You Don’t Need to Be a Social Media Guru to Grow Your Laundry Business Online Over the years, I learned to accept that I simply can’t keep up with everything that’s happening these days in the social media and online marketing world. When it comes to search engine...
Wash With Wally
Wash With Wally
Q1: One of my customers recently complained that the comforters she dried in my dryers came out with rust stains or burn marks. What can I do? First of all, you have to distinguish between a burn mark, a rust stain and something completely unrelated. Typically, if...
Wash With Wally: Color-Safe Bleach Alternatives & Washing Silk Shirts
Wash With Wally I offer a wash-dry-fold service at my laundromat, and I was wondering if there is any product we could use in place of chlorine bleach. The problem we occasionally run into is that my attendants will mistakenly use the chlorine bleach on colored...
Wash With Wally: Attracting Customers, Equipment Layout
I’m in the process of building a laundromat. I have never been in this type of business before, so I’d like to know what laundry customers want, what attracts them and what keeps them coming back. In my opinion, there are six main elements that your new laundry...
The Business Mind
House of Laundromats: Real Estate Trends and What to Watch
Laundromat real estate has seen a boom in recent years, thanks partially to an increase in publicity around the laundromat business via social media. The sector is now seeing significant activity as vacancy rates fall, rents rise, and operational models expand beyond...
Future-Proofing Your Laundry Business
Why documented processes, HR systems, and talent retention build long-term value. By Rich Cruz, MS, SHRM-CP Organizational Consultant | Co-Founder, Harmonious Workplaces When I worked in lockstep with the laundry business community between 2017 and 2021, I met...
From the Washroom to the Boardroom: Supporting Women’s Growth in the Laundry Business
By Aubrey Pollesch The laundry industry is evolving, and so is the face of its leadership. At LaundryLux, we’re proud to be part of a growing movement to elevate women at every level of the business, from internal leadership roles to laundromat ownership and...
Viewpoint
It’s Gotta be the Shoes … Right?
Spike Lee’s famous Nike ads with Michael Jordan were always talking about shoes as if the shoes made the magic. But we know that the shoes are just part of the equation and the real magic comes from the person wearing them. Bob Nieman spent more than two decades...
Viewpoint: What a Year It Has Been
At the beginning of the year in this space, I posed the question: “What can the CLA do for you?” More than a catchy (and borrowed) tagline, it was a sincere effort to solicit feedback from CLA members – our customers – as to what they wanted the association to provide...
Our Industry is Alive, Well… And Thriving
Having now had the opportunity to fully digest my time at last month’s Clean Show in Atlanta, I’m happy to report that the self-service laundry industry – as well as the residential wash-dry-fold and pickup-and-delivery segments of the business – are alive and well....
Digital Marketing
Get Clear to Keep it Clean: Digital Marketing Trends for Laundromat Operators
Marketing has never been more difficult. With customers endlessly scrolling, algorithms constantly shifting, and more distractions than ever, cutting through the noise to reach more customers is tough. For laundromat owners that means one big thing: if your message...
Pushing Through
How Laundromat Owners Can Overcome the Uncontrollable and Still Thrive By Dennis Diaz A few months ago, I read a story that hit me hard - in the best way. It was about my high school football team. I didn’t play football, but as an alum, I felt a swell of pride...
Marketing Through Design
How a Well-Planned Laundromat Boosts Customer Engagement and Loyalty I have the exciting opportunity to sit on the board of a concert venue, and we spend a lot of time talking about the overall experience for attendees and the artists. Every detail matters – where the...