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.

Going Forward… (Part 2)

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...

Going Forward… (Part 1)

Going Forward… (Part 1)

Industry Insiders Recap the Past Year – And Look Closely at the Factors Shaping the Laundry Business in 2023 [This is the first 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.] It’s...

CLA Member of the Year

CLA Member of the Year

An Interview with Colleen Unema of Brio Laundry in Bellingham, Wash. Colleen Unema is the owner of Brio Laundry in Bellingham, Wash. She’s also a nationally certified teacher, who taught the sciences for nearly 25 years – from the high school level to college classes....

Headlines

CLA Promotes Hastings

The Coin Laundry Association has named Katherine Hastings the organization’s administrative and membership coordinator. Hastings, who joined CLA in 1997, is the association’s longest-standing employee, other than President/CEO Brian Wallace. During her tenure,...

Pricing for Profit

Industry Experts Discuss Pricing Strategies for Self-Service Success [This is the first of a two-part series on vend price strategies for today’s self-service laundry operations.] It’s an art and a science. It requires an experimental attitude coupled with an...

CleanCloud Teams with Cobblers Direct on Leather-Repair Service

Laundry POS and pickup-and-delivery software provider CleanCloud has announced a partnership with Cobblers Direct, an online spinoff of the world’s largest shoe and leather goods repair company, The Shoe Hospitals. The agreement enables CleanCloud’s North American...

LIG Health and Wellness Roundup

The Coin Laundry Association works with LIG Solutions to provide CLA members with healthcare insurance, as well as prescription drug services. Below are some articles LIG has provided to help expand your health and wellness awareness, as well as your knowledge of new...

2ULaundry Raises $20 Million in Series B Funding

Mobile laundry pickup-and-delivery service 2ULaundry recently announced a $20 million Series B funding, which was led by Level 5 Capital Partners. To date, the company has raised $25.4 million. With this capital injection, 2ULaundry plans to continue scaling physical...

Laundrylux Announces Senior Management Change

As the next step in its senior management development process, Laundrylux recently announced that Julia Milch has assumed the responsibilities of president of the company. “Julia will initially focus on technology, marketing, and supporting the Laundrylux Distribution...

CLA Aims to Elevate Industry with New Sponsorship Program

The Coin Laundry Association has partnered with five leading laundromat equipment providers in a bold new sponsorship initiative that will have benefits for the entire industry. Launched this month, CLA’s Strategic Corporate Ally program aims to strengthen services...

‘Front’ and Center

With the Development of Wonder Wash, Atlas International Ushered in a New Era of Laundromat Design In 1980, when Atlas International Laundry Equipment Co. was established in Dallas, the typical laundromat equipment mix wasn’t much of a “mix” at all. In fact, most...

Some Good News on the Energy Front?

CLA Energy Program Provider Shares an Update on the Natural Gas and Electricity Markets I’m excited about utility costs in 2023. OK, before you assume that I’ve lost my mind, let me reiterate that I’m truly feeling positive about this year for many reasons – not the...

State, Local Lawmakers Focus on Natural Gas in New Construction

Although recent fears over the rumored federal proposal to restrict the use of gas-powered stoves in homes appear to have been overblown, state and local lawmakers have been active regarding the usage of natural gas in residential and commercial settings. In fact,...

Tax Changes Taking Effect in the New Year

On January 1, 38 states enacted noteworthy tax changes, according to a report by the Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy nonprofit organization. Most of these changes represent net tax reductions, which are the result of an unprecedented wave of rate reductions...

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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

ACI Unveils Spanish Language Version of ‘Packets Up!’ Website

The American Cleaning Institute has launched a Spanish version of its Packets Up! webpage. The Packets Up! initiative was developed to help reduce the number of unintended exposures to liquid laundry packets among children. The new webpage features a whiteboard video,...

Laundromax Opens First Texas Location

Laundry Capital – a Rego Park, N.Y., company consisting of the Laundromax and Clean Rite laundromat brands – has announced the grand opening of its first Laundromax location in Texas. With more than 80 laundromats in the United States, the newest Laundromax, located...

EVI Reports Record First Quarter Results

EVI Industries Inc. recently announced its results for the first quarter of its fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, including record revenue and gross profit. Since 2016, EVI has completed 25 acquisitions, expanded into new geographies, retained and invested in...

PayRange Adds PayPal, Venmo to Digital Funding Options

Mobile payment provider PayRange Inc. has announced the integration of PayPal and Venmo (United States only) as funding sources within the PayRange wallet. PayRange’s growing user base of more than 7 million can now use these popular digital funding sources for...

FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Columns

The Laundry Doctor

Touching Moments

Cut Costs by Limiting the Number of Times Employees Handle Each Wash-Dry-Fold Order Do you mind if we get a little touchy-feely this month? Over the last six months or so, I've had numerous conversations with some of my colleagues from all across the country as to...

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The Business Mind

Build a Site That Sells

Build a Site That Sells

The Keys to Designing an Emotionally Powerful – And, Ultimately, Successful – Website for Your Laundromat Many laundromat owners love to advertise. And several of these operators use their websites for that intended purpose. However, in my estimation, most of these...

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Wash With Wally

Viewpoint

Good for the Community, Good for Business

Good for the Community, Good for Business

For two days this past March, the somewhat esoteric worlds of early-childhood education and library science intersected with the pragmatic, bottom-line business of laundromat ownership. Strange bedfellows, indeed. It’s a partnership that, at first glance, maybe...

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Digital Marketing

Reaching Out to Today’s ‘Omni-Shopper’

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...

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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.