PlanetLaundry Podcast
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PlanetLaundry is the official publication of CLA and is trusted by thousands of laundry professionals to deliver the latest news and industry-specific topics.

Join the Conversation, Part 2
How to Build Your Laundry’s Brand Through Social Media Marketing [This is the second of a two-part feature on how laundromat owners can use social media to market their businesses and build their brands. You can read Part 1 here.] Long-time laundromat owner Patti...

Join the Conversation, Part 1
How to Build Your Laundry’s Brand Through Social Media Marketing [This is the first of a two-part feature on how laundromat owners can use social media to market their businesses and build their brands.] Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. Research shows...

The Best of Both Worlds
With a Few Equipment Tweaks, California Laundromat Owners Expand Their Business – Catering to Self-Service and Full-Service Clients Alike Shortly after purchasing an existing laundromat near Palm Springs, Calif., Keith and Jacqueline Reed decided to make a few...
Headlines
Clean Rite Hosts Financial Literacy Graduation
More than 50 people representing nine nationalities recently participated in a free, eight-week virtual financial education session, which was led by Qualitas of Life, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving Hispanic family financial security. On December 10,...
CLA Promotes Thomas
The Coin Laundry Association has named Nika Thomas as the organization’s director of advertising and sponsorship sales. Thomas, who joined the CLA in August 2013, will lead all advertising sales for PlanetLaundry, as well as all sponsorship sales for the CLA’s...
States Upping the Minimum Wage in 2023
In 2023, 27 states will increase their minimum wages – with most of these hikes taking effect on January 1. California will have the highest minimum wage rate at $15.50, up from the $15 it set in 2022. Only Washington D.C. has a higher minimum wage of $16.10. D.C.’s...
Cleantie, Paystri Announce Payments Partnership
Cleantie – a cloud-based POS system developed for the laundromat, drycleaning, clothes alteration, and shoe repair industries – recently announced a partnership with payment processing company Paystri. The integrated payments partnership makes payment acceptance...
CLA Launches Virtual ‘Marketing Bootcamp’
The Coin Laundry Association is kicking off 2023 with the launch of a virtual “marketing bootcamp,” which has been developed to help laundromat owners grow their customer base and boost their revenue. Attend both online programs in January to develop a marketing plan...
Wash with Wally: The Advantage of Hot-Water Washing
I’ve received a number of inquiries about the overall ability and effectiveness of laundry detergents to clean clothes in cold water. In other words, is there a substantial advantage to using warm or hot water when washing? There is a definite advantage to using hot...
‘Tell Your Friends and Family!’
Here’s How to Transform Your Laundry Business – One Customer Referral at a Time “If you provide a great customer experience to current patrons, they will tell others about it.” – Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon As every entrepreneur knows (or should know) that there 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...
Whirlpool Named to 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index
Whirlpool Corp. has been named to the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, in recognition of the company’s ongoing focus on responsible and ethical business practices. In addition, the manufacturer was included on the DJSI North America Index for the 16th year....
Maytag Washers Complete 60,000-Cycle Lab Test
Maytag Commercial Laundry recently announced that company engineers has just finished a seven-year lab test on the Commercial Laundry MHN33 frontload washers – a test of the DuraCore Drive System that started in 2015 with 10 machines running daily. Throughout the...
Report: Inflation Pressures Ease, Yet Remain a Leading Business Problem
Inflation remains the top problem for small-business owners, with 32 percent of operators reporting it as their single most important issue. The National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index rose 0.6 points in November to 91.9, marking the...
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...
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This Month's Issue
- Designing for Success: Winning Ideas for Your Next Laundromat Design, Layout, or Remodeling Project
- Guest Feature: Five Lessons I Learned from Selling My Laundry Business
- Digital Marketing: A Well-Planned Laundromat Can Boost Customer Engagement and Loyalty
- Business Profile: How Chicago’s Wash Smart Chain is Redefining the Laundry Experience
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
ACI Supports Adding New Laundry Products to EPA Programs
The American Cleaning Institute has recommended new product categories be added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s potential expansion of its Safer Choice and Design for the Environment programs. The Safer Choice and DfE programs allow companies to receive an...
ByNext Acquires Laundry Angels
ByNext, a tech-enabled clothing and premise care company, has acquired Laundry Angels, a tech-enabled laundry and drycleaning pickup-and-delivery services company based in New Jersey. The move is part of the ByNext strategy to expand its omni-services and omni-channel...
CG West to Host Customer Appreciation Days
Continental Girbau West will host a three-day customer appreciation event on September 12-14 at the company’s headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. This free event, which will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day, is open to current and potential CG West...
Eastern Funding Bolsters Sales Team
Eastern Funding LLC – a financial lender to laundromats, industrial laundries, car washes, commercial vehicles, and other businesses – has announced that Raina Bass has joined the company as loan officer. Bass, who will focus on commercial laundry financing, joins...
Whirlpool Unveils New Technology Center
Whirlpool Corp. has unveiled a new, 153,000-square-foot technology center in St. Joseph, Mich. The more than $60 million project expands and replaces much of the current St. Joseph Technology Center – and represents the first of a three-phase plan to redesign an...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Kaizen: Get Better at Getting Better
Improve Productivity by Embracing This Japanese PhilosophyYears ago, my good friend and fellow store owner Paul Pettefer and I began work on an employee manual. We wanted to create the best possible set of processes and procedures for our businesses and staff...
The Business Mind

The Psychology of Loyalty
How to Develop an Impactful Customer Loyalty Program for Your Laundry Business Consumer loyalty is mighty fickle these days. In fact, it’s been estimated that 77 percent of current brands could simply disappear and no one would really care. This likely applies to...
Wash With Wally

What Laundry Customers Want: Six Keys To Building Your Business
There are six main elements that a new laundromat business should possess to attract and retain customers. They are: 1. Parking. Parking is critically important to the success of a self-service laundry. If your parking lot is too small with respect to the size of your...
Viewpoint
A New Laundromat in the Neighborhood?
Not that long ago, I had a competitor build a store right across the street from me. Literally, I could stand at the front door of my laundromat and throw a rock through his window. (Just for the record, I didn’t.) Fortunately, it takes a while to build a store from...
Digital Marketing

Reaching Out to Today’s ‘Omni-Shopper’
How to Unify Your Business’ Online and Offline Experiences We’ve been living in an “omni-channel world” for a while now. What does that mean? It means your customers aren’t just looking you up online or finding your ad and making a decision. They’re looking everywhere...
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.