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.
Managing Your Fleet, Part 3
A Look at One of the Most Critical Aspects for Successfully Scaling a Pickup-and-Delivery Service [This is the third of a three-part feature article on managing a fleet of laundry delivery vehicles. Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2.] One of the main elements in the...
Managing Your Fleet, Part 2
A Look at One of the Most Critical Aspects for Successfully Scaling a Pickup-and-Delivery Service [This is the second of a three-part feature article on managing a fleet of laundry delivery vehicles. You can read Part 1 here.] Make no mistake: your delivery vans are...
Managing Your Fleet, Part 1
A Look at One of the Most Critical Aspects for Successfully Scaling a Pickup-and-Delivery Service [This is the first of a three-part feature article on managing a fleet of laundry delivery vehicles.] Matt Simmons of Super Suds Laundromat in Long Beach, Calif., likes...
Headlines
New Distributor Partners with B&C, Announces Open House
Prairie Commercial Laundry Services, based in Chicago, has announced that it has teamed up with B&C Technologies of Panama City Beach, Fla., to introduce B&C’s new line of commercial vended washers and dryers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan....
HappyNest Adds Laundromat Partner in Virginia
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its offerings to residents and businesses in and around the Richmond, Va., area through the company’s new partner, Neighborhood Laundromat. The 3,600-square-foot vended laundry provides HappyNest services to...
Speed Queen Spring Show Slated for June 1
Alliance Laundry Systems Distribution – South Region will host its Spring Show on June 1. The event, to be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., will be held at Victoria Palms RV Resort in Donna, Texas. The show is geared toward current and prospective laundromat owners...
Lucy Doll Retires from Mountain Electronics
After 13 years with Mountain Electronics, Customer Service Representative Lucy Doll has announced her retirement. Mountain CEO Whitney Brasington remembers hiring Doll: “The clinic she was working for was getting ready to close, so she ran a classified ad in the local...
Lavanett Named GNA’s Top Canadian Distributor for 2022
Girbau North America recently recognized Lavanett, headquartered in St. Laurent, Quebec, with its third consecutive Canadian Distributor of the Year Award for exemplary performance in the vended and on-premises laundry markets. Owned by Earl Eichen, Lavanett employs...
ACI Unveils Redesigned Website Promoting Cold-Water Washing
The American Cleaning Institute has launched a redesigned website for its Cold Water Saves initiative, which is a joint effort of ACI and The Sustainability Consortium to promote the power of cold-water washing. Originally launched in 2016, Cold Water Saves aims to...
The Unattended Laundromat
Successful Multi-Store Operators Explain How They Make This Business Model Work for Them For many laundromat owners, building a quality, reliable, and affordable staff has always been the most difficult piece to completing the small-business puzzle. And with lingering...
Wash with Wally: How to Starch Tuxedo Shirts
I’ve recently been offered a tuxedo rental account, which would require me to wash and starch about 400 shirts each week. How do I starch these shirts in my washers? During which cycle would I need to insert the starch? To starch the shirts in your laundromat’s...
Invest in Your Operations
A Look at Chicago-Based Distributor Midwest Laundries From a young age, Jim Schultz was drawn to the idea of owning his own business. And, with a number of family members already involved with the laundry business, he quite naturally became very familiar with the...
Choose Your Words Carefully
Here’s What to Consider When Creating Your Laundromat’s Next Promotional Campaign One of the most tried-and-true adages in advertising is that what people hear is more important than what you actually say. After all, humans, by and large, are interpretive organisms....
EPA Maintains ‘Safer Choice’ Status of Chemistry Used in Detergent Packaging
The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a petition requesting increased testing and a change to the safety status of key chemistry used to make concentrated detergent unit-dose packets and sheets from its Safer Choice program. At issue was a call from a...
GNA Honors Fowler Laundry Solutions
Fowler Laundry Solutions, based in Union, N.J., has received its fifth consecutive Girbau North America Multi-Housing Distributor of the Year Award for outstanding service, sales, and support in the multi-housing laundry market. Led by Doug Fowler and founded in 1952,...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Reimagining the Laundromat Experience: Technology, Design, and a Strong Focus on the Customer Have Set a New Standard for Store Amenities
- Business Management: Building a Positive Workplace Culture
- Digital Marketing: Make Your Laundromat a Place People Love
- Company Close-Up: The Vision Behind Masters Laundry Equipment
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
The Laundry Boss Appoints New Chief Product Officer
The Laundry Boss, a provider of technology solutions for the laundry industry, has named Adam Dill its new chief product officer. Before joining The Laundry Boss, Dill most recently served as director of information technology for Alliance Laundry Systems. During his...
HappyNest Expands Service in New York
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability to Queens Village, N.Y., through the company’s new partner, So Fresh So Clean Laundromat. The store is now providing HappyNest PUD laundry services to residents and businesses in the cities of...
Whirlpool Named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index
Whirlpool Corp. recently was named to the 2023 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, in recognition of the company’s dedication to responsible and ethical business practices. This marks the second consecutive year the manufacturer has been named to the World Index....
NJDOL Encourages Laundry Owners to Comply with State Labor Laws
To kick off 2024, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is sending the state’s laundromat owners a package of materials to help ensure they begin the new year in compliance with the state’s labor laws. The January mailing is part of an ongoing...
Speed Queen Laundry Opens in Louisiana
Speed Queen has continued the expansion of its laundromat franchise with the opening of a new location in Baton Rouge, La. The new 3,829-square-foot Speed Queen Laundry held its grand opening event on December 13, with the store’s first 100 customers receiving free...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Changing the Game
Today’s Technology Can Reach Out to Potential Wash-Dry-Fold Customers Even Before They Realize They Have a Need for Your Laundry Services Last month, I used this space to discuss digital marketing and the need to develop an online presence in order to grow a...
The Business Mind
The Randomness of Business Life
The Statistical Concept of ‘Regression to the Mean’ – and How It Impacts Your Laundry Operation I’m presently working toward a doctorate degree in clinical psychology. And, as part of the program, I’ve been required to take a number of courses in advanced statistics....
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Increasing Drying Capacity
My laundromat currently has 40 30-pound stack dryers. However, they’re 18 years old, and I’m starting to have some mechanical issues with them – so I think it may be time to replace them. Lately, I’ve been considering possibly purchasing 50-pound stack dryers to...
Viewpoint
Make 2020 Count
“The more people, the more dirty clothes.” – Ancient laundromat wisdom Time flies, as do the decades. Despite the ongoing pandemic and economic concerns, there’s a headcount to be made in 2020. The original constitutional edict from the framers comes to life in the...
Digital Marketing
Marketing Lessons from an Up-and-Down Year (Part 2)
The Era of Marketing-From-Anywhere [The is the second of a two-part column. Part One can be read here.] The final takeaway from 2021 is less about statistics and trends, and more about the world we find ourselves in. We still find ourselves in a tumultuous time – with...
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.
