Longtime Laundromat Owner on 23 Years of Service, Challenges, Community Impact

For more than two decades, Lee Ann Geurts has been a steady force in her Brooklyn Park community in Minnesota, running three laundromats that have become known not just for clean clothes, but for connection, comfort, and care. What began as a business venture for her...

Green is Good Business 

Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand  When Green Laundry Lounge co-owners Pulin and Krishna Dasai got into the vended laundry industry, they wanted to change a narrative: laundromats are water and energy-intensive businesses.   “The...

Leveling the Playing Field

John Um wanted to make sure small business owners could get fair pricing and access to reliable suppliers without needing to have significant buying power. As a leader whose career spanned several major retail and e-commerce companies, he had seen firsthand how hard...

Staying Fierce: Haley Gould Finds Perfect Fit in Vended Laundry

Haley Gould is the Director of Partner Success for HappyNest. She manages an internal team while leading more than 100 partners across the United States building a successful pickup and delivery operation in addition to running their laundromat business. A consummate...

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 2

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

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

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...

Headlines

Grant Rawlins Named President of R&B Wire Products

R&B Wire Products, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., has promoted Grant Rawlins to president. Rawlins, the third generation in his family to lead the company, has been with R&B since graduating from Pepperdine University in 2016. During his time at R&B,...

Building the Basics

Growing Your Self-Service Laundry Business in a Full-Service World These days, running the self-service portion of your laundromat business can feel a bit like swimming upstream – with the traditional laundromat model at times appearing, at best, quaint and perhaps...

Clean Show Scheduled for August 2025 in Orlando

Messe Frankfurt, which manages the Clean Show, has announced the upcoming dates for North America’s largest drycleaning, laundering, and textile-care exposition. The four-day event will next take place August 23-26, 2025, at the Orange County Convention Center in...

HappyNest Continues to Expand Service Footprint

Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest announced that the company expanded its availability in 11 states during the fourth quarter of last year. HappyNest is now offering service in Minneapolis, Asheboro, Hendersonville, San Bernardino, Colorado Springs,...

PayRange Launches Contest for App Users

PayRange Inc. – a developer of a mobile payment app and a manufacturer of payment hardware for automated retail – has announced the launch of its #IHEARTPAYRANGE contest for users of the company’s app. This contest is intended to celebrate and thank PayRange’s more...

CCI, Wash-Dry-Fold POS Unveil Further Product Integration

Card Concepts Inc. recently announced a deeper integration of its LaundryCard and FasCard products with the Wash-Dry-Fold POS system. The update incorporates features previously only available at the CCI X-Changer/Kiosk, which are now also available at the...

Alliance Reorganizes North American Sales Team

Alliance Laundry Systems has announced the reorganization of its sales team in North America. To streamline operations and better serve customers, the team has been divided into three regions – Northeast, Central, and West Coast, which will include Latin America. The...

Who Are You Talking To?

Knowing Your Customers’ Wants, Needs and Desires Will Give You a Leg Up on the Competition – And Reveal Just How Special Your Laundry Services Really Are! Running a laundry business can be an exciting journey, as you try to lure various customers with different wants...

Curbside Laundries Offers Laundromat Tours

Curbside Laundries is now offering tours of its own Super Suds laundromat in Long Beach, Calif., to store owners who use the company’s software. Super Suds is a laundromat business owned by the founders of Curbside Laundries. The tour provides an opportunity for...

New Financing Service Focuses on Quick Approvals

Clean Laundry Funding has announced the launch of its new financing service for commercial laundry investors and distributors. The company said it plans to offer a fresh take on financing that delivers express approvals and hands-on customer support to help laundry...

Speed Queen Announces Spring Shows

Alliance Laundry Systems Distribution West Region (previously PWS) will host spring shows in March at its three California locations. The shows are geared toward current and prospective laundromat owners considering equipment replacement or expanding to new locations....

Industry Mourns Bo Fosaaen

Industry veteran Knute Arthur “Bo” Fosaaen Jr. recently passed away at the age of 76. Born in California, Fosaaen’s family moved to Jacksonville, Fla., when Bo was just 3 years old. The oldest of nine children, Fosaaen served in the Florida National Guard after high...

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Scaling Wash & Fold Operations

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September Magazine Issue

This Month's Issue

 

  • Tech on the Rise: How Operators Are Using Innovation to Run Smarter, Faster Laundromats: From AI phone systems to real-time data tracking, operators and suppliers share how technology is reshaping the modern laundry business and what’s coming next.
  • Business Profile: Delivering a Superior
    Laundry Experience
  • Member Spotlight: Rick Rome –
    Innovating Laundry, One Customer at a Time
  • Guest Column: How AI Changed Google Reviews (What Laundromat Owners Need to Know)
  • And More…

THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS

Industry News

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...

Setomatic Names New President

Setomatic Systems Inc.-SpyderWash has promoted Gregg Schantz to president. Gregg, who is the third generation to enter the family business, has been with the company for more than a decade. During his tenure, he has worked in all aspects of the business and was vital...

FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Columns

The Laundry Doctor

Pound Foolish

Here Are a Couple of Unique Pricing Models to Consider That May Help You Present and Market Your Wash-Dry-Fold Business I'm always looking for different ways to market and develop a wash-dry-fold service. So, this month, I'd like to discuss a couple of ideas that are...

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The Business Mind

‘Making a Bouquet’

‘Making a Bouquet’

Promoting Your Laundromat in Today’s Culturally and Generationally Diverse Marketplace During the last 20 years, the changes that have occurred – from both technological and cultural/social standpoints – have been profound. And these changes have had a major impact on...

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Wash With Wally

Wash with Wally: Dealing with a Dryer Fire

Wash with Wally: Dealing with a Dryer Fire

I recently had a dryer fire at my laundromat. A customer had placed a mix of synthetic, nylon and cotton garments into one of my dryers at the “hot” setting for more than 45 minutes. There was no type of electrical issue with the dryer. In fact, the dryer worked...

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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...

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Digital Marketing

Investing in Online Real Estate

Investing in Online Real Estate

A Look at Some Digital Marketing Options to Help You Build Your Laundromat Business As someone who is in the vended laundry business (or is considering investing in a laundromat), you’re also somewhat – by default – in the commercial real estate business as well....

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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.