Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Spend Your Marketing Dollars Wisely
What Are You Getting in Return for Your Wash-Dry-Fold Promotional Budget? Business owners love to discuss and ruminate on what it costs to acquire a new customer. In the drycleaning world, the generally accepted figure is approximately $50 per customer. In the laundry...
Ozone Examined…
A Look at What Ozone Can Do for Your Laundry Business Since the COVID-19 outbreak, laundromat owners now more than ever have focused on creating safe, clean environments for their customers. As a result, ozone as a laundry additive has been gaining a lot of industry...
A Change of Heart
The Laundry Doctor Reconsiders His Perspective on the Profitability of the Wash-Dry-Fold Business For 20 years, I’ve warned laundromat owners against letting their wash-dry-fold operations interfere with and encroach upon the self-service end of their businesses....
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Removing Rust Stains
I have a rust problem at my laundromat. A few of my dryers have lost portions of their galvanized finishes in some spots – and, as a result, they are creating rust stains on some of my customers’ clothes and linens. How can I remove these rust stains? There are a few...
Wash with Wally: How to Starch Tuxedo Shirts
I’ve recently been offered a tuxedo rental account, which would require me to wash and starch about 400 shirts each week. How do I starch these shirts in my washers? During which cycle would I need to insert the starch? To starch the shirts in your laundromat’s...
Wash with Wally: The Advantage of Hot-Water Washing
I’ve received a number of inquiries about the overall ability and effectiveness of laundry detergents to clean clothes in cold water. In other words, is there a substantial advantage to using warm or hot water when washing? There is a definite advantage to using hot...
The Business Mind
12 Steps to Success in Life and Business
Some Common Sense Advice to Make You a Stronger Laundry Owner – And a Better Person Believe it or not – there is a strong relationship between the behavior patterns of your personal life and your business life. Although there are several different ways to measure...
Relatively Speaking
How to Navigate the Minefield of Working with Family Members Years ago, after earning my master’s degree in clinical psychology, I went to work in my father’s foundry business as the company’s director of sales. At the time – and as is likely the case today as well –...
Above the Crowd
Thoughts, Tips and Strategies to Help Differentiate Your Laundry Business from the Competition So… you’ve established the “Next Big Thing” in laundromats. You‘re ready to take on all comers and make your millions. You’re amped up. You’re psyched. You’re stoked. You’re...
Viewpoint
Anticipating the Renewal of Clean 2022
“The waiting is the hardest part.” – Tom Petty, from “The Waiting” Although many of us initially assumed this classic rock staple from Tom Petty was yet another song about pining for the return to that special someone, Petty himself actually described it as an...
Not Your Father’s Laundromat Buildout
When it comes to building a new laundromat these days, it’s a whole different ballgame that it was 35, 25 or even 15 years ago. I can remember when all I needed was a clean, hand-drawn, to-scale plan with an architect’s stamp – and I could get a building permit within...
Location, Location, Location
Over the last 42 years, I’ve had countless new laundry investors and existing store owners contact me for help finding new locations – more precisely, great locations. Although I would love to take out a magical crystal ball and have such a location jump out in front...
Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing’s Role in Your Laundromat’s Makeover
Merging Physical and Digital Transformations with Your Store Renovation One morning, I walked into this quaint neighborhood coffee shop that I frequent occasionally, and something just felt off. The rustic tables had been replaced with sleek, minimalist designs. There...
A Fresh Spin on Your Laundromat’s Profits
Marketing Strategies to Boost Business with Ancillary Revenue Streams You know what’s impressive? A laundromat owner with big dreams. I was chatting with one the other day who wasn’t content with just making money from washers and dryers. She wanted to use every inch...
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Unlock a New Level of Efficiency for Your Laundry Business with ChatGPT I recently was speaking with a seasoned laundromat operator who had reached a point in her business where she was having difficulty finding qualified applicants to offer wash-dry-fold services....