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.
Future-Proofing Your Laundry Business
How a POS System Can Add Value for You and Your Customers “What gets measured, gets managed.” – Peter Drucker If you already have a point-of-sale system, you know how valuable they are. Unfortunately, many laundromat owners still use paper and pen – and the laundromat...
‘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...
Headlines
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...
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...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Tech on the Rise: How Operators Are Using Innovation to Run Smarter, Faster Laundromats: From AI phone systems to real-time data tracking, operators and suppliers share how technology is reshaping the modern laundry business and what’s coming next.
- Business Profile: Delivering a Superior
Laundry Experience - Member Spotlight: Rick Rome –
Innovating Laundry, One Customer at a Time - Guest Column: How AI Changed Google Reviews (What Laundromat Owners Need to Know)
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
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...
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...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
The Perfect Complement?
Here’s How Linen Rental Can Be a Profitable Addition to Your Full-Service Laundry Business One of the easier and more profitable opportunities for vended laundry owners who service commercial accounts – which a number of operators, including myself, have ventured into...
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: Safe Bleaching, Cleaning Lint Screens, More…
I offer a wash-dry-fold service at my laundromat, and I was wondering if there is any product we could use in place of chlorine bleach. The problem we occasionally run into is that my attendants will mistakenly use the chlorine bleach on colored garments, which will...
Viewpoint
Silver Linings
Typically, December is a time to pause, look back and take stock of your life and your business. It’s normally the perfect opportunity to reminisce about the 365 days gone by (366, in this case) – and to try to predict what the next 365 have in store. Not this year!...
Digital Marketing
Localize Your Message
Five Local Marketing Tactics That Can Grow Your Laundry Business Marketing can be a tricky subject to approach. On one hand, you want to attract new customers and gain business. On the other hand, you have a lot of options, information, competing ideas, and most...
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.
