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.
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
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...
The Many Faces of Pickup and Delivery
A Look at Some of the Various Laundry PUD Business Models John MacKrell likes to quote the following statistic: doing laundry is the second-most-disliked chore in the United States – behind cleaning toilets. Although we don’t know exactly what this tidbit means for...
Headlines
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...
Whirlpool Partners with Organization Bringing Washers to Communities in Need
Whirlpool has partnered with international grassroots organization, The Washing Machine Project, to deliver washing machines to those in low-income and displaced communities around the world, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. In the first five years,...
HappyNest Continues to Expand PUD Availability
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest expanded its availability in 20 states across the U.S. in 2023. To meet the growing demand for laundry PUD services, the company launched new partners in such markets as Tucson, Indianapolis, Austin, Tampa, Memphis, and...
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...
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....
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This Month's Issue
- Get Clear to Keep it Clean: Find Focus to Maximize Your Marketing Efforts
- Women In Laundry: From the Washroom to the Boardroom
- Store Profile: Southern Suds Changing the Game
- Member Spotlight: Hutchinson Belt Drive Systems
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
Alliance Laundry Systems Acquires Utah Distributor
Alliance Laundry Systems recently expanded its direct distribution in the western portion of the United States with the acquisition of Alliance Laundry Equipment, headquartered in Salt Lake City. “Alliance Laundry Equipment has done an excellent job of representing...
Curbside.2024 Conference a Success
More than 180 attendees packed the Curbside.2024 Conference in Long Beach, Calif. This inaugural event was open to all who are interested in starting or growing a wash-dry-fold and laundry pickup-and-delivery business. The conference featured several speakers who are...
CleanCloud Now Partners with Businesses in More Than 100 Countries
Laundromat software provider CleanCloud recently announced that it now partners with businesses in more than 100 countries worldwide. The milestone “solidifies CleanCloud’s position as the largest operator in terms of absolute customers and global reach within the...
CLA’s Advocacy on Microfiber Filter Mandates Accelerates with Significant Manufacturer Support
Despite the calendar turning to a lighter legislative schedule and the majority of the focus shifting toward the November elections, CLA continues its strategic planning to battle ongoing threats from microfiber filtration requirements on commercial washers. In 2023...
CLA’s Thomas Helps Mentor the Next Generation
CLA Director of Advertising and Sponsorship Sales Nika Thomas recently became a mentor for The Annabelle Project, which is a program where seasoned event industry professionals mentor college-age applicants of color for one year. The aim of the project is to give the...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
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,...
The Business Mind
Laying It on the Line
Why Laundromat Entrepreneurs Take the Risks They Do Starting or buying a business is… well, risky business. After all, research tells us that roughly one-third of all small businesses fail within the first two years. So, why do people do it? What could these...
Wash With Wally
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...
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.
