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.
Word to the Wise, Part 1
Laundromat Owners Share Best Practices for Long-Term Success [This is the first of a two-part feature on best practices for new laundromat owners.] Starting a business – any business – can be stressful. It can feel like there are 1,000 things to think about and work...
A ‘Circuitous’ Path
From TVs and VCRs to Laundromat Circuit Boards, Mountain Electronics Has Taken a Roundabout Way to Success Mountain Electronics first opened its doors in 1999 as a home appliance repair shop, primarily fixing televisions and VCRs. Yes, VCRs… remember those? Then, one...
Insuring Your Building and Business Personal Property
As Carriers Adjust Their Underwriting Guideline Requirements, Now is the Perfect Time to Review Your Business Coverage As you know, inflation has been increasing at an unprecedented rate. As a result, insurance carriers are changing their underwriting guideline...
Headlines
Wash with Wally: Cleaning Ceramic Tile
I have 5,000 square feet of ceramic tile in my laundromat. It has a non-slip surface that is hard to clean. What is an effective, inexpensive way to clean it without adding more soap and leaving streaks? Most ceramic floors should be cleaned with an acid-based...
The Perfect Business Partner, Part 1
Maximizing Your Laundromat’s Vending Operation [This is the first of a two-part feature article on how to build a profitable vending operation within your laundromat.] Beyond washers, dryers and folding tables, perhaps the most commonly found pieces of equipment in...
Whirlpool Opens New $52 Million Plant in Argentina
Whirlpool Corp. has announced the opening of its new $52 million production plant in Fátima, within the district of Pilar in Argentina. “With more than 30 years in Argentina, Whirlpool has become known as one of the main appliance brands in the country,” said Joao...
HappyNest Expands Availability in Massachusetts
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded availability through its new partner, Laundry World, based in Fall River, Mass., and about 50 miles south of Boston. “We take pride in the services we provide, and customer service and quality are our top...
Mr Jeff Expands Footprint in Miami
Miami entrepreneur Sergio Aguirre – the first U.S. franchisee of laundry pickup-and-delivery service Mr Jeff – is expanding his service territory into the Brickell neighborhood of Miami. “Since opening, our Miami franchisee has already experienced early success in...
Anger Management
Seven Psychologically Sound Ways to Deal with Angry, Irate or Emotionally Difficult Customers Every laundromat owner is going to come face to face with angry, difficult or emotionally challenging customers from time to time. After all, you can’t please everyone....
‘Cream of the Crop’
Ohio Distributor Focuses on Top-Quality Used and Reconditioned Equipment Triad Laundry Equipment isn’t your typical laundromat distributor. Unlike most companies serving the vended laundry industry, Triad has chosen to focus on the used equipment niche. “There aren’t...
Franchise Hits Major Milestone
Laundry and drycleaning franchise CD One Price Cleaners, headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., recently announced it had reached a production milestone – washing and folding five million pounds of laundry. CD One Vice President of Marketing Jonathon Reckles credited a...
HappyNest Expands Reach in Southern California
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability to Tujunga, Calif., and the surrounding region through new partner Elite Laundry Center. Based in Tujunga, Elite Laundry now offers HappyNest PUD laundry services to residents and businesses...
LaundroLab Grows Its Corporate Team
Laundromat franchise LaundroLab has announced new additions to its corporate team. They are: David Reeves, chief operating officer; Jason Carache, director of finance and accounting; and Keith Martinez, new store opening project manager. Reeves is an operations...
All You Need is ‘Luv’
Texas Laundromat Chain Champions the LaundryCares Message The LaundryCares Foundation’s early childhood literacy initiative – and its accompanying Family Read, Play & Learn Centers – seem tailor-made for Laundry Luv. In fact, the Texas-based company with...
Localize Your Message
Five Local Marketing Tactics That Can Grow Your Laundry Business Marketing can be a tricky subject to approach. On one hand, you want to attract new customers and gain business. On the other hand, you have a lot of options, information, competing ideas, and most...
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This Month's Issue
- The Power of Promotions: Unleashing Creative Tactics to Keep Your Business Buzzing
- Digital Marketing: Six Strategies to Help Boost Your Business Without Breaking the Bank
- Business Profile: Modern Design and a Strong Community Focus Define New Jersey’s Bubbles Are Us Laundromats
- Industry Education: CLA’s WDF Workshop Enjoys Record Attendance in Nashville
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
GNA Adds to Headquarters Staff
Girbau North America recently welcomed Barb Kramer as national accounts coordinator and Paige Paulick as inside sales associate. Kramer handles multiple duties in support of national accounts sales and customer relations, including order processing, assisting...
Speed Queen Adds Third Franchise Location in Dallas Market
Speed Queen has continued to expand its laundromat franchise in Dallas. The newest Speed Queen Laundry – located at 2950 Walnut Hill Lane – is the third such store in the Dallas area. “We’re excited to add another great location to the Dallas market and give these...
Wash-Dry-Fold POS Expands to All 50 States
Software provider Wash-Dry-Fold POS recently announced that it has expanded its services to all 50 states in the U.S. Since its inception in February 2016, Wash-Dry-Fold POS has grown rapidly, selling 124 systems in the state of Florida alone. The company has even...
CLA Agrees to Share Compliance Information from NJDOL to Ensure Fair Treatment for Laundromat Employees
First announced in November 2022, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Wage and Hour Division recently completed a strategic enforcement initiative involving the laundromat industry, which included a comprehensive analysis of industry...
New Bill Supports Entrepreneurship for Those Formerly Incarcerated
Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, has introduced his NEW START Act, which is legislation aimed at creating reentry programs with the SBA, awarding grants for business counseling and entrepreneurial development training to...
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
Looking Forward by Looking Back
Why Marketing Your Laundry Business is Only Going to Get Better The world has changed quite a bit over the last three decades. Heck, it has changed a lot just in 2020 alone. But let’s not go into that here. If you were to take a time machine back to 1990, you wouldn’t...
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 Brian@coinlaundry.org or call (630) 491-0499.
