PlanetLaundry 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.
The Road Less Traveled
Don’t Overlook Some of the Tried-and-True Methods for Promoting Your Laundry Services It’s been said that, to be truly noticed, you have to go where everyone else isn’t. I once met the governor of New Jersey and got her autograph at a campaign stop at a local...
Setting the Standard
Laundromat Owner’s Journey of Innovation, Excellence and Growth Art Jaeger’s plan for his Simi Valley Laundry Center has always been crystal clear. “Our philosophy is that we want to be the biggest and the best in whatever community we serve,” explained Jaeger, of the...
Creating a Culture of Learning and Development
A Four-Step Approach to Training and Building a Committed Laundromat Staff Stacy showed up to the laundromat excited for her first day on the job as an attendant. The half-asleep manager at the counter led Stacy to a back room and handed her a pen and stack of...
Headlines
Spinning Tales of Marketing Magic
How Simple Conversations and Clever Tricks Can Boost Your Business Beyond Just Clean Clothes Imagine strolling through your favorite mall. You know, the one where you always stop for a pretzel or to sneak a peek into that clothing store. As you’re wandering around,...
Curbside Laundries Launches Text Message Marketing Module
Laundromat management software provider Curbside Laundries has introduced its new text message marketing module, which is now available to all of the company’s clients using its wash-and-fold POS and pickup-and-delivery software. According to the company, the...
CleanCloud Reaches Business Milestones
Entering its 10th year in business, laundry industry software provider CleanCloud recently announced it has hit a couple of major milestones signaling the company’s continued growth. The software provider has topped 10 million customers worldwide who have benefitted...
Laundroworks, Cents Join Forces
Business management platform Cents and loyalty card payment system provider Laundroworks have joined forces. The companies have teamed up by pairing Laundroworks’ on-machine payment system with Cents’ full-service laundry point-of-sale and business management system....
PayRange Sues CSC ServiceWorks for Patent Infringement
Payment solutions provider PayRange Inc. has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against CSC ServiceWorks, the largest U.S. operator of laundry machines in multi-family housing and college dorms. PayRange is seeking damages estimated to be in excess of $108 million...
Laundry Industry Mourns Jerry Schantz
Set-O-Matic founder Jerry Schantz recently passed away at the age of 90. Mr. Schantz had been involved in the commercial laundry business since his teen years, serving the industry in several facets – from the distribution of washers and dryers to the manufacturing of...
Drycleaning Trade Associations Team Up to Strength Industry Events
In an unprecedented move, the sponsors of the four largest regional drycleaning and laundry trade shows in the country are collaborating to strengthen these events. The South Eastern Fabricare Association, the California Cleaners Association, the Southwest Drycleaners...
By the Book
The Silent Power of the Well-Crafted Employee Handbook On busy laundromat weekends – where washers hum, dryers tumble, and customers jockey for prized folding space – one essential tool quietly steers the course of business – the employee handbook. Whether overseeing...
Eastern Funding Bolsters Commercial Financing Sales Team
Industry financial lender Eastern Funding LLC has announced that Cameron Clark has joined the company as a loan officer. An industry veteran with more than 18 years of experience, Clark previously managed a successful family-owned distributor of commercial laundry...
Bill to Regulate Commercial Washers Introduced in Illinois
A bill has been introduced in the Illinois State Senate that would require new washing machines for both commercial and residential use to be equipped with microfiber filtration systems featuring a mesh size of not greater than 100 micrometers. This legislation,...
Pending Legislation Seeks to Extend Sales Tax to Laundromats in Nebraska
As part of the 2024 legislative session, various lawmakers in Nebraska have introduced no fewer than eight bills that seek to expand the sales tax base within the state. Currently, self-service laundry is exempt from the collection of sales tax in Nebraska. However,...
Money for Nothing
Be On the Lookout for State Grants and Other Free Programs to Help Grow Your Laundry Business Like Dire Straits sang on its classic hit, “Money for Nothing,” I always wondered if businesses really received grants. After all, I’d never known any business owner who said...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Reimagining the Laundromat Experience: Technology, Design, and a Strong Focus on the Customer Have Set a New Standard for Store Amenities
- Business Management: Building a Positive Workplace Culture
- Digital Marketing: Make Your Laundromat a Place People Love
- Company Close-Up: The Vision Behind Masters Laundry Equipment
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
Southeastern Laundry Equipment Sales Announces Partnership with 4612 Group
Southeastern Laundry Equipment Sales, headquartered in Marietta, Ga., has entered into a strategic partnership with Atlanta-based investment firm 4612 Group. As part of the partnership, Southeastern Laundry owner and CEO Chase Brown will continue to lead the company....
Alliance Acquires Star Distributing
Alliance Laundry Systems recently acquired the distribution assets of Star Distributing, as well as its Parts King business. Star, headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., is a leading distributor of Speed Queen vended, multi-housing, and on-premises laundry equipment....
Laundry CEO Forum Set for Inaugural Run
The inaugural Laundry CEO Forum – organized by laundry owners and operators Waleed Cope and Jessica Johnson-Cope – will be held August 7-9, 2024, at the Omni Frisco Star in Frisco, Texas. The event is designed to promote growth, innovation, and leadership in the...
Coin Laundry Association Embraces Industry Changes with New Name and Branding
The largest trade organization dedicated to the vended laundry industry has announced an update to its branding, including its name. The Coin Laundry Association will now be known as simply “CLA,” with each of the three letters signifying an action that the...
Girbau Names New President
Commercial laundry equipment manufacturer Girbau – headquartered in Vic, Spain – has appointed Diego Hervás as its new president. “Girbau is an extraordinary project and a company whose values I share,” Hervás said. “I see great potential for contributing to growth...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Shifting Expectations of ‘Laundry Day’
Drycleaners Raise Awareness of Wash-Dry-Fold Services One of the biggest potential opportunities for store owners offering full-service laundry programs in the current and post-COVID-19 world is – and will be – the heightened awareness of outsourced laundry. Much of...
The Business Mind
‘Tell Your Friends and Family!’
Here’s How to Transform Your Laundry Business – One Customer Referral at a Time “If you provide a great customer experience to current patrons, they will tell others about it.” – Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon As every entrepreneur knows (or should know) that there are...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Making ‘Scents’ of WDF Laundry
My store handles a good amount of wash-dry-fold laundry, and lately I’ve been using a lot of detergent and softener. When I approached my laundry attendants about this issue, they told me that many of the customers indicated that they wanted their clothes to smell...
Viewpoint
Don’t Stop Now!
Congratulations! Your laundromat survived 2020 and the first half of 2021 – a time during which an incredible number of brick-and-mortar retail businesses in the U.S. failed and simply disappeared. For all owners, the past year and a half has been historically...
Digital Marketing
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....
Strategic Corporate Allies Program
Our Strategic Corporate Allies support CLA’s mission through advocacy, education, and innovation to strengthen the industry, advance our members’ businesses, and prepare the next generation of laundry professionals for the future.
Interested in becoming a Strategic Corporate Ally of CLA? Contact President & CEO, Brian Wallace via email at Brian@coinlaundry.org or call (630) 491-0499.
