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.
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...
Making a Great First Impression
The Keys to Creating an Inviting Laundromat Storefront The success of any laundromat extends well beyond the performance and efficiency of its equipment – and it begins even before that first customer tosses that first load of clothes into one of your washers. In...
An Active ‘Retirement’
Michigan Store Owner Thrives During ‘Second Act’ Laundromat Career Jim Legato has never been one to let grass grow under his feet. Following a 30-year career with the Michigan Bell telephone company, Legato’s initial entrance into the laundromat industry might appear...
Headlines
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...
Wash-Dry-Fold POS Unveils New Logo, Brand Refresh
Since its inception in 2016, the Wash-Dry-Fold POS logo has been characterized by a simple icon of a desktop computer on top of washer icon in navy blue and off-white. Celebrating the transition to the modern hardware and cloud-based software it now sells, the...
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This Month's Issue
- ‘I’d Like to Speak to the Manager’: On the Front Lines with Some of the Laundry Industry’s Leading Store Managers
- Business Management: Generate Additional Income Through Greater Market Penetration
- Company Close-Up: Western State Design Has Been Helping Laundry Owners Thrive for More Than 50 Years
- New Member Spotlight: How Laundry Labs Plans to Change the Industry
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
Mountain Electronics Acquires Assets of Metro Laundry Tech Corp.
Mountain Electronics, headquartered in Burnsville, N.C., has acquired the assets of Metro Laundry Tech Corp., a remanufacturer of commercial laundry equipment based in New York City. All of Metro Laundry Tech’s repair services will be relocated to Mountain’s facility...
Cents Raises $40 Million Series B Funding to Support Garment-Care Industry
Laundry business management platform Cents has announced the close of a $40 million Series B funding round. The round was led by strategic venture capital firm Camber Creek, with participation from previous investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Tiger Global....
HappyNest Expands Service in Florida
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability within the Orlando, Fla., market through its new partner, Lake Eustis Laundry Inc. The facility now provides PUD laundry services to residents and businesses in Yalaha, Kissimmee, Sorrento,...
Safeguarding the Sales Tax Exemption for Self-Service Laundry in Nebraska
Earlier this year, various legislators introduced no fewer than eight bills that sought to expand the sales tax base in the state of Nebraska. If any of those bills were to pass and include self-service laundry as part of their tax expansion plans, laundromat owners...
Alliance’s ProCapture Video Wins Four Awards at Industry Event
Alliance Laundry Systems’ launch video for the company’s new lint capture system, ProCapture, recently was recognized by the video industry. The video picked up four awards at the Telly Awards, which honor excellence in video and television across all screens....
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Planning for a New Normal
Key Considerations for Laundry Owners in the Post-COVID-19 World These days, I find myself spending a good chunk of my time thinking about my laundry business – not necessarily about what to do with my PPP stimulus money or how to run my operation in the middle of...
The Business Mind
Anger Management
Seven Psychologically Sound Ways to Deal with Angry, Irate or Emotionally Difficult Customers Every laundromat owner is going to come face to face with angry, difficult or emotionally challenging customers from time to time. After all, you can’t please everyone....
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Maintaining Your Main Drain Line
Is there a chemical and/or preventive maintenance procedure that will keep our main drain line clean? Occasionally, we experience a backup of water, which seems to be due to a buildup of a black greasy residue within the line. Would you recommend a periodic flush of...
Viewpoint
Let’s Go to the Phones…
“Who you gonna call?” – Ray Parker, Jr. (Ghostbusters) The pandemic’s challenges have been well-documented within these pages. Given the Coin Laundry Association’s efforts to assure laundromats be deemed essential and open – along with your extraordinary work to...
Digital Marketing
Who Are You Talking To?
Knowing Your Customers’ Wants, Needs and Desires Will Give You a Leg Up on the Competition – And Reveal Just How Special Your Laundry Services Really Are! Running a laundry business can be an exciting journey, as you try to lure various customers with different wants...
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 [email protected] or call (630) 491-0499.
