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 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...
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...
Going Forward… (Part 2)
Industry Insiders Recap the Past Year – And Look Closely at the Factors Shaping the Laundry Business in 2023 [This is the second of a two-part feature article reviewing the year in laundry and taking a glimpse at what 2023 and beyond might hold for store owners. You...
Headlines
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,...
Navigating Two Male-Dominated Industries
An Interview with Nancy Robles of Eastern Funding Nancy Robles is president and compliance officer of Eastern Funding LLC, a leading commercial lender to the laundry industry based in New York City. She is responsible for all of the finance company’s day-to-day...
‘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...
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
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...
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...
CLA Names Executive Vice President
The Coin Laundry Association has promoted Danielle Bauer, CAE to the position of executive vice president. Bauer most recently served as the association’s director of membership and education. In her new role, she will oversee CLA’s marketing and communications,...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
What’s Your Number?
[Knowing How Much Finished Laundry Your Staff Can Produce is Vital to the Health of Your Wash-Dry-Fold BusinessSeveral months ago in this column, I discussed the Japanese principle of Kaizen, which is a philosophy that embraces constant and continual improvement in...
The Business Mind
Feeling Emotional (Part 1)
How to Use Emotional Intelligence to Better Manage Yourself and Your Laundry Business “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” – Dale Carnegie Until recently, psychologists defined a person’s...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Sports Bars and Laundromats Typically Don’t Mix
The storefront right next to my laundromat recently became available. I was thinking of leasing this extra space and putting in a small sports bar. I could remove a portion of the wall separating the two units and create a passageway between the laundromat and the...
Viewpoint
Stomping on the Front Lines
Many of us got into the laundromat business due to its simple nature and consistent characteristics. For most people, doing their laundry is a weekly demand. For all, it’s a basic necessity – not a luxury. And, for store owners, this provides a smooth and reliable...
Digital Marketing
‘Web’ Site Selection
Developing a Strong Online Community for Your Laundry Business We all know that finding just the right site for your laundromat can make all the difference in whether or not your new business is a success. And the same goes for your “digital site” – that is, your...
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.
