Longtime Laundromat Owner on 23 Years of Service, Challenges, Community Impact

For more than two decades, Lee Ann Geurts has been a steady force in her Brooklyn Park community in Minnesota, running three laundromats that have become known not just for clean clothes, but for connection, comfort, and care. What began as a business venture for her...

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...

Leveling the Playing Field

John Um wanted to make sure small business owners could get fair pricing and access to reliable suppliers without needing to have significant buying power. As a leader whose career spanned several major retail and e-commerce companies, he had seen firsthand how hard...

Staying Fierce: Haley Gould Finds Perfect Fit in Vended Laundry

Haley Gould is the Director of Partner Success for HappyNest. She manages an internal team while leading more than 100 partners across the United States building a successful pickup and delivery operation in addition to running their laundromat business. A consummate...

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.

AI: Transforming Laundry Day

AI: Transforming Laundry Day

The Practical Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Laundromat Industry – From Operational Efficiency to Customer Experience Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries across the board – and the laundromat business is no exception. Although sci-fi visions of...

By the Book

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...

Money for Nothing

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...

Headlines

EVI Industries Reports Third Quarter Results

EVI Industries, Inc. recently announced its operating results for the three- and nine-month periods ended March 31, 2024 – including record revenue, gross profit, and operating cash flows for the nine-month period, and record gross margin and operating cash flows for...

WASH Licenses PayRange Mobile Payment Technology

Mobile payment provider PayRange has entered into a non-exclusive licensing arrangement with WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems, one of the largest providers of laundry facilities management services in the United States. The agreement licenses PayRange’s patents for...

CLA to Survey Laundry Owners

Each year, CLA and its flagship magazine, PlanetLaundry, publish an industry survey of laundromat owners nationwide. The purpose of the survey is to compose a profile of today’s laundromats in the United States – including key data on net profits, employee salaries,...

Innovation and Inclusivity

Laundrylux’s Gianna Guerra Shares Her Outlook on the Future of Women in Laundry Leadership Gianna Guerra serves as the sales enablement coordinator for Laundrylux. After completing her studies and a lacrosse career at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, Gianna...

Every Word Matters

The Absolutely Essential Rules for Writing Effective Advertising and Marketing Content In the competitive landscape of advertising and marketing, the power of words can make or break your laundry business’ promotional efforts. Crafting compelling advertising copy...

CleanCloud Unveils New Website Builder

Laundry and garment-care software provider CleanCloud has launched a new website builder designed exclusively for CleanCloud customers. This tool empowers laundromat and drycleaning operators to easily create and enhance their online presence. The website builder,...

Tide, Walmart Team Up to Promote Cold-Water Washing

Tide and Walmart have announced a joint effort to steer Americans toward a more sustainable, eco-friendly choice when doing their laundry – washing in cold water. The multi-month campaign, which launched in conjunction with Earth Day on April 22, will include in-store...

Laundry Service CEO Named Among Emerging Young Entrepreneurs

The National Minority Supplier Development Council recently named Daniel Ellis, chief executive officer at Aloha Laundry Life, to the organization’s ninth cohort of its Emerging Young Entrepreneurs program. Ellis’ laundry pickup-and-delivery service is currently...

‘You Better Have Great Insurance!’

The Art and Science of Managing Slip and Fall Injuries It’s a typical Tuesday afternoon. You’re a couple of hours away from your laundromat, and your employee calls you. His voice is a bit shaky: “Hey, boss, a guy just fell and hurt himself. He’s pretty mad and says...

A Clean Transformation

Practical Advice for Managing Organizational Change within Your Laundry Business – And Helping Your Employees Embrace the Transition I’ve met quite a few laundry owners throughout the years, and they all seem to be on the same quest for more success in their...

‘Stop Being Shocked By What Women Are Doing…’

An Interview with Minnesota Laundry Owner Britt Frandsen Britt Frandsen is the owner and operator of Clothesline Laundromat, based in West St. Paul, Minn. Frandsen has owned Clothesline since 2018. In addition, she has worked in swimming education, managed the staff...

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September Magazine Issue

This Month's Issue

 

  • House of Laundromats: Real Estate Trends and What to Watch
  • Member Spotlight: Bringing a Century of Expertise to the Evolving Laundromat Industry
  • PlanetLaundry Podcast: Reimagining Community: How the Hub Laundromat Cafe is a Change Catalyst in Detroit
  • Women In Vended Laundry: How Adrienne Hurrington Keeps the Wheels Turning as SAMCO
  • And More…

THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS

Industry News

Laundry Industry Mourns Bob Cowen

Laundry industry pioneer Robert Clifford Cowen, an ownership partner in B&C Technologies, passed away peacefully at his home on September 13 at the age of 102. Cowen began his career in 1956 as an engineer and quickly became a driving force in the commercial...

Eastern Funding Hosts Successful Workshops in California

Eastern Funding continued its Laundry Business Workshop series in Los Angeles and Orange County on September 10 and September 11. Both events drew strong groups of attendees, which included laundromat owners, prospective investors, and other laundry industry...

EVI Announces Cash Dividend

EVI Industries Inc., headquartered in Miami, has announced that its Board of Directors approved a special cash dividend of 31 cents per share on EVI’s common stock, a 10 percent increase over the amount of the special cash dividend paid by EVI last October. The...

Library of Congress Honors LaundryCares with 2024 Literacy Award

The LaundryCares Foundation recently announced that it has been awarded the David M. Rubenstein Prize as part of the 2024 Library of Congress Literacy Awards. This prestigious award honors the Foundation’s innovative efforts in promoting literacy by transforming...

FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Columns

The Laundry Doctor

Serving in Uncertain Times

Serving in Uncertain Times

The Laundry Doctor Shares His Plan of Attack During the COVID-19 Outbreak What we’re all going through right now with the COVID-19 pandemic is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. It’s a test of who we are as people – and what we are as a civilization. As laundry owners,...

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The Business Mind

Anger Management

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....

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Wash With Wally

Wash with Wally: Cleaning Ceramic Tile

Wash with Wally: Cleaning Ceramic Tile

I have 5,000 square feet of ceramic tile in my laundromat. It has a non-slip surface that is hard to clean. What is an effective, inexpensive way to clean it without adding more soap and leaving streaks? Most ceramic floors should be cleaned with an acid-based...

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Viewpoint

Let’s Go to the Phones…

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...

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Digital Marketing

Who Are You Talking To?

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...

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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.