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.
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...
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...
‘I’m Pushing for Our Younger Generation’
Former Educator Brings Learning to the Laundromat Once a teacher, always a teacher. Laundromat owner Sheleah McPherson is a former educator who knows first-hand the importance of early literacy to a child’s future success. And now – as the operator of Leah’s...
Headlines
HappyNest Hosts Annual Partner Conference
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest, headquartered in East Greenwich, R.I., hosted its 2nd annual Partner Conference on June 20-22 in Newport, R.I. – with more than 50 of the company’s laundromat partners from across the U.S. gathering for the event. The...
Wash-Dry-Fold POS Names New Sales Representative
Wash-Dry-Fold POS has hired Rebecca Clay as a sales representative. To ensure that every member of its team grasps the challenges that laundromat owners face daily, Wash-Dry-Fold POS follows a unique approach to training. Immediately after hire, Clay underwent an...
EVI to Acquire ALCO Washer Center
EVI Industries Inc. recently announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire ALVF Inc. – dba ALCO Washer Center, a distributor of commercial laundry products and provider of related technical installation and maintenance services to the laundromat and...
A Fresh Spin on Your Laundromat’s Profits
Marketing Strategies to Boost Business with Ancillary Revenue Streams You know what’s impressive? A laundromat owner with big dreams. I was chatting with one the other day who wasn’t content with just making money from washers and dryers. She wanted to use every inch...
Wash with Wally: The Keys to Cleaning Cloth Restaurant Napkins
I have potential commercial account that would require us to launder cloth napkins for an Italian restaurant. The napkins are red and most certainly will have oil and other food stains. The client wants these napkins laid out flat for delivery. What are the best...
Relatively Speaking
How to Navigate the Minefield of Working with Family Members Years ago, after earning my master’s degree in clinical psychology, I went to work in my father’s foundry business as the company’s director of sales. At the time – and as is likely the case today as well –...
Alliance Distribution Announces Fall Shows
Alliance Laundry Systems Distribution-West Region in California has released its fall show schedule, which kicks off on September 8 in San Diego and wraps up September 16 in San Francisco. The Fall Laundry Festival will feature special rebates on Speed Queen models,...
ACI Unveils Bilingual Laundry Safety Resource
The American Cleaning Institute recently convened with hundreds of top safety experts and partners at the Safe Kids Worldwide Childhood Injury Prevention Convention for four days of conversation focused on preventing unintentional childhood injuries. During the event,...
All the Buzz
An Interview with Katy Chen of Laundrybee Katy Chen is the founder and CEO of Laundrybee, a chain of nine, branded laundromats located within the five boroughs of New York City. Ms. Chen has owned and operated numerous laundromats over that last 20 years. And, in...
At Your Service
Planning for Full-Service Offerings at Your Laundromat A growing number of vended laundries are now offering full-service wash-dry-fold and/or residential/commercial laundry services. And for good reason. After all, through this type of diversification of services,...
Alliance Distribution Expands West Region
Alliance Laundry Systems has acquired the distribution assets of Dynamic Sales and Service, based in Kirkland, Wash. Dynamic has more than three decades of experience providing commercial laundry solutions in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. “We remain committed to...
PayRange, Turns Announce Exclusive Partnership
PayRange Inc., a provider of mobile payments for unattended retail operations, has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with laundromat and drycleaning software provider Turnsapp Inc. “We are particularly impressed by the scope and caliber of Turn’s offerings,”...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- The Business of Laundry: Models That Work
- PlanetLaundry Podcast: AI as a Business Partner – Changing the Game for Laundromat Owners
- Member Spotlight: Redefining Utility Access for the Modern Laundromat
- CLEAN SHOW 2025: Schedule of CLA Events
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
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....
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...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Here’s to Your Health
Tips and Tactics to Help Keep Your Wash-Dry-Fold Employees Fit, Pain-Free and ProductiveYour employees are the lifeblood of your wash-dry-fold service. And, as that operation grows, you'll likely be thinking more and more about where to find the next great laundry...
The Business Mind
The Skills to Pay the Bills
Master These Six Essential Skills to Take Your Laundry Business to the Next Level I’ve always been a collector of the best words and most valid phrases to describe or define a successful small-business owner – and, more specifically, a highly successful laundromat...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Equipping a Uniform Rental Service
I’m researching getting into the uniform business. What types of finishing machines would you recommend? Clearly, the exact type of equipment you’ll require will depend on the kinds of uniforms you plan to work with. Most likely, you need a hot head press, a legger...
Viewpoint
Better Than Before: Laundries After the Pandemic
In the March issue in this very space, I wrote a column entitled, “A Decade of Transformation.” I began with the following sentence: “Call me crazy, but I like to see other people happy and succeeding.” I then proceeded to lay out a plan for taking a laundry business...
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.
