Member Spotlight: Lab-Tested, Laundry-Approved

How Laundry Labs Plans to Change the Industry In today’s business world, efficiency and quality are paramount – and the commercial laundry industry is no exception. Recognizing the need for superior cleaning solutions specifically tailored to laundromat operators,...

Wash-Dry-Fold POS Launches New Feature

Wash-Dry-Fold POS® has announced its new Attendant Checklist Feature. According to Managing Partner Ian Gollahon, it is a simple but integrated tool that is so powerful, it’ll make you wonder how you ever ran your business without it. "You can monitor the checklist...

LaundroLab Celebrates National Laundry Day – April 15

LaundroLab to Offer Free Laundry, Resources Nationwide for National Laundry Day In celebration of National Laundry Day on April 15, 2025, LaundroLab—an innovative laundromat brand focused on reimagining the wash experience—is giving back to local communities by...

I’d Like to Speak to the Manager

On the Front Lines with Some of the Laundry Industry’s Leading Store Managers In an industry once dominated by unattended, self-service operations, the role of store managers in laundromats has never been more critical. As laundries evolve into full-service businesses...

PlanetLaundry Podcast

Subscribe to Our 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.

‘From Wall Street to Main Street’

Jan 23, 2015

Originally posted - Aug 06, 2013 At first glance, Bronxville, N.Y., is perhaps one of the last places one would even consider opening a coin laundry. According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, the median household income in Bronxville is $144,940, and the...

Lesson Learned

Jan 23, 2015

Originally posted - Aug 26, 2013 Before her retirement this past January, Colleen Unema had spent decades as a nationally certified high school science teacher in Bellingham, Wash. However, it was a self-imposed break from teaching that actually prepared Unema for her...

Small Package… Big Concept

Jan 23, 2015

Originally posted - Dec 18, 2012 Scott Moses had a leg up on his competition long before he entered the coin laundry business almost three years ago. As an economics major at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, Moses landed a position in the banking industry after...

Headlines

Taking Care of Business

Originally posted - Jan issue/2012 Here's How Four Laundry Owners Diversified Their Operations with Commercial Accounts In the laundry business, an idle machine is a missed chance to gain needed revenue – and it's an opportunity that can never be recovered. Perhaps no...

Industry Showcase

Originally posted - June issue/2012 The Latest Products and Services from the Coin Laundry Industry's Leading Companies Alabama Bag Co. Alabama Bag Co., established in 1908 and is located in Talladega, Ala., provides high-quality canvas money bags for coins and...

Competing

Originally posted - Sep issue/2012 How to Respond When a New Laundromat Enters Your Market When the closest competitor to one of Brian Brunckhorst's coin laundries in northern California lost its lease, the multi-store owner was understandably overjoyed – and his...

It’s the Economy, Stupid!

Originally posted - Sept issue/2012 An Interview with Leading Economic Forecaster Alan Beaulieu One of the country's most informed economists, Alan Beaulieu is a principal at ITR Economics, where he serves as president. Since 1990, he has been consulting with...

An Allied Force

Originally posted - March issue/2012 David Cotter has worked for trade associations for nearly 30 years, holding various positions at five different associations. He was named executive director (now CEO) of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) in 1993....

Think Like an Entrepreneur

Originally posted - Feb issue/2012 Cliff Michaels is a writer, speaker, strategist and entrepreneur. For more than 20 years, he has built companies in real estate, technology, publishing and consulting. He also is the former president and a board member of the Young...

Vital Signs

Neglect Your Store's Signage at Your Own Risk Because a laundromat is a self-service business, there is the tendency among some owners to have a "build-it-and-they-will-wash" attitude toward their stores. In other words, the focus is primarily on the equipment offered...

At Your Service: What Laundry Customers Really Want

Orginally posted - Sep 11, 2013 Attracting and retaining more customers are the keys to any successful business. As a result, figuring out just what it is your laundry customers really want or need to spend their money on – and then giving it to them – is the "holy...

Aiming High

Originally posted - Feb issue/2012 Corporate Pilot Opens New Laundry in College Town Ross Razak's work hours are hardly 9 to 5. So, he was looking to start a small business with just as much flexibility. Not surprisingly, he found exactly what he was looking for in...

‘Time’ Is On His Side

Originally posted - Nov issue/2012 New Entrepreneur Opens His First Self-Service Laundry in Upstate New York At only 27, Scott Carey can already see his future – and it involves dirty laundry. Hopefully, lots and lots of dirty laundry. After all, Carey is the owner of...

Bank on It!

Originally posted - June issue/2012 Former Banking Executive Cashes in with Eco-Friendly Coin Laundry After more than 30 years in the financial industry, Connie Ihrke finally knows what she wants to be when she grows up. A coin laundry owner. "In the banking business,...

Controlling His Own Destiny

Originally posted - May issue/2012 Memphis Laundry Owner Builds Strong Following, Plans Two More Locations Phil Arvin's self-service laundry business is nothing like his "day job." And that's one of the aspects he really enjoys about his year-old entrepreneurial...

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

Continental Launches Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Program

Continental Girbau Inc. and its Houston distributor, Skyline Equipment Inc., have initiated disaster assistance for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma business victims. This includes companies in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The disaster...

CLA ‘Meet-Up’ Brings Industry Together in Atlanta, Follow-Up Event Announced

On August 30, after a several-year hiatus, the Coin Laundry Association hosted a "meet-up" in Atlanta for the Georgia vended laundry industry. Nearly 60 attendees gathered for a networking lunch, educational sessions and fellowship with their peers. The program was...

Setomatic/SpyderWash Names Director of Sales, Announces Promotions

Setomatic Systems/SpyderWash has named John Kelly its new director of sales. Kelly – who has worked in the commercial laundry industry since graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2011 – most recently served as a regional sales manager for Speed...

PayRange Helps Raise Funds for Victims of Hurricane Harvey

With the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey, PayRange - headquartered in Portland, Ore. - has launched a fundraising campaign within its app across all PayRange-enabled machines in the U.S. to benefit victims of the storm. Users will be able to add $1 to their...

LG Breaks Ground On Home Washer Plant in U.S.

LG Electronics recently took a ceremonial step closer to domestic manufacturing when dignitaries, including U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross and Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, joined management in breaking ground on the company's first U.S. appliance plant....