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.
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...
Laundromats 2024: Opportunities, Challenges… and Industry Evolution
Business Leaders Take a Close Look at Key Factors Shaping the Vended Laundry Market in the Coming Year The laundromat industry is currently navigating a complex landscape shaped by economic challenges, technological advancements, and shifting consumer preferences....
The Many Faces of Modern Laundromats
Today’s Technology is Paving the Way for a Variety of Laundry Business Models In an industry as established as ours, it’s tempting to think there’s a sole blueprint for success. Yet, as we delve deeper, we discover a vibrant patchwork of innovation and individuality....
Headlines
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...
Eastern Funding Adds Brendan Ristaino to Commercial Financing Sales Team
Eastern Funding LLC, a financial lender to laundromats and other businesses, recently announced that Brendan Ristaino has joined the company as a loan officer. Ristaino joins Eastern Funding with several decades of experience in the laundry industry. He began his...
Paystri Introduces New Program to Protect Laundry Owners from Chargebacks
Paystri, a payment processing company based in Salem, Mass., has launched Laundry Guard, a new program created to protect its laundry-owner customers who utilize Card Concepts Inc. payment equipment from chargebacks and fees that cut into profits. According to...
Milnor Promotes Brock Pellerin to Vice President
Pellerin Milnor Corp., headquartered in Kenner, La., has announced the promotion of Brock Pellerin to the position of vice president. Pellerin began his career with Milnor in 2006 as a member of the company’s Application Engineering Department. However he previously...
LG Expands Relationship with WASH
LG Electronics recently announced that it has grown its relationship with WASH, one of the largest laundry route businesses in North America. The new agreement will enable LG to increase its position within the multi-family housing and university dormitory laundry...
Eastern Funding Launches Workshop Series for Laundry Businesses
Industry financial lender Eastern Funding LLC recently announced the launch of its latest round of workshops for laundry businesses. These in-person sessions are designed to provide a forum for laundry owners, prospective investors, and other industry participants...
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...
Cents Announces Reserve with Google Integration
Laundry business management provider Cents recently announced that it has been named the inaugural booking provider for the laundry industry on Reserve with Google. Reserve with Google offers industries like restaurants, salons, and contractors the ability to book...
Cents, LaundryCares Join Forces to Launch Charitable Donation Program
Business management platform Cents and the LaundryCares Foundation have teamed up. Thanks to this newly formed partnership, laundromat visitors across the United States can contribute to the LaundryCares mission through a pioneering round-up program, which allows...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Metrics That Matter: Profit, Performance, and Planning in Vended Laundry
- Women In Laundry: Haley Gould Finds Perfect Fit
- Company Close-Up: Company Founded to Help Small Businesses Shines
- New Member Spotlight: How Robotics Could Change Laundromat Industry
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
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....
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....
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
Inflection Points: Preventive Maintenance for Your Laundromat
Quiet Reflection on the Future Path of Your Business May Be the Most Important Time You Spend All Week “Inflections points” are those moments in your life where events and decisions conspire to take you in a different direction, thus altering the course of at least...
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
Enthusiasm for Our ‘Essential’ Industry
The laundromat business has proven itself to be recession-resistant, pandemic-resistant – and, yes, “essential.” As a result, the industry is growing at a rate at which I’ve never seen before. People are fleeing corporate America to build or buy laundromats. Current...
Digital Marketing
The Anatomy of a Successful Landing Page
Follow These Guidelines to Help Grow Your Pickup-and-Delivery Laundry Service Managing your fleet of vehicles is an important part of building a winning pickup-and-delivery service. But it’s just one piece to the puzzle. The question I always like to ask laundry...
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.
