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.
Word to the Wise, Part 2
Laundromat Owners Share Best Practices for Long-Term Success [This is the second of the two-part feature article. Read Part 1 here.] Several leading laundromat owners share their best business and operational advice, tips and strategies for new store operators and...
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...
Headlines
Business Bio: Avenue O Laundry
Jim and Melanie Cobb Avenue O Laundry Fort Madison, Iowa Before Getting into the Laundry Business… Jim is an operations manager for a general contractor, and Melanie is a realtor and property manager. Both owners remain in those positions. Store Opening June 2022...
Clean Brands Offers Laundry Services at U.S. Military Bases
Clean Brands has begun offering an array of cleaning and garment-care services at the Exchanges at U.S. Army and Air Force bases across the U.S. As part of the agreement, Clean Brands will provide laundry and drycleaning services in several formats. Those could...
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....
Laundry Luv, LaundryCares Team Up for Free Laundry Event in Texas
The LaundryCares Foundation will welcome the community of Abilene, Texas, to experience a Free Laundry and Literacy Day event at Laundry Luv on December 7. Guests can enjoy complimentary laundry services and cleaning products, plus free food and fun activities for...
Whirlpool Named to 2022 Seramount Inclusion Index
Whirlpool Corp. has been recognized as an inclusive workplace by Seramount’s sixth annual Inclusion Index. The Inclusion Index helps organizations understand trends and opportunities in demographic representation; creates a road map to drive internal change; and...
CLA Hosts Inaugural WDF Workshop
Trade Association Holds Two-Day Event Focused on Full-Service Laundry Operations Nearly 200 laundromat owners and garment-care professionals – as well as those simply doing their initial due diligence on the wash-dry-fold, pickup-and-delivery, and commercial accounts...
CSC ServiceWorks Names Co-CEOs
CSC ServiceWorks Inc. recently announced that its board of directors has appointed Eric Robinson and Rod Castellanos co-chief executive officers and members of the board. “I’m honored to join Rod as co-CEO to lead and accelerate our company toward the opportunities...
Ohio Bank Donates Books to Local Laundromats
The Kiwanis Club of Southern Hills Region in Ohio has received more than 100 books donated by the Southern Hills Bank in Georgetown. The bank recently collected books from its employees, clients and the Brown County (Ohio) Public Library. The books will be given to...
Laying It on the Line
Why Laundromat Entrepreneurs Take the Risks They Do Starting or buying a business is… well, risky business. After all, research tells us that roughly one-third of all small businesses fail within the first two years. So, why do people do it? What could these...
Growing Your Full-Service Laundry Business
Nine Suggestions to Help Maximize WDF and Commercial Accounts Profits The real question isn’t whether or not you should grow the full-service side of your laundromat business. It’s why wouldn’t you? Harnessing the right technology and equipment, you can enter new...
Wash with Wally: Maintaining Your Main Drain Line
Is there a chemical and/or preventive maintenance procedure that will keep our main drain line clean? Occasionally, we experience a backup of water, which seems to be due to a buildup of a black greasy residue within the line. Would you recommend a periodic flush of...
Report: Residential Washers May Be Inadequate for Healthcare Laundry
More than 700,000 nurses in the United Kingdom wash their uniforms at home, according to a report by Laundry and Cleaning News International. The National Health Service in the U.K. encourages nurses to maintain and care for healthcare workwear at home, even where...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Green is Good Business: Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand
- Women In Laundry: Lee Ann Geurts Loves a Challenge
- Store Profile: Kings Laundry Kicking it in Los Angeles
- Untapped Growth Opportunities
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
HappyNest Hosts Annual Partner Conference
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest, headquartered in East Greenwich, R.I., hosted its 2nd annual Partner Conference on June 20-22 in Newport, R.I. – with more than 50 of the company’s laundromat partners from across the U.S. gathering for the event. The...
Wash-Dry-Fold POS Names New Sales Representative
Wash-Dry-Fold POS has hired Rebecca Clay as a sales representative. To ensure that every member of its team grasps the challenges that laundromat owners face daily, Wash-Dry-Fold POS follows a unique approach to training. Immediately after hire, Clay underwent an...
EVI to Acquire ALCO Washer Center
EVI Industries Inc. recently announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire ALVF Inc. – dba ALCO Washer Center, a distributor of commercial laundry products and provider of related technical installation and maintenance services to the laundromat and...
Alliance Distribution Announces Fall Shows
Alliance Laundry Systems Distribution-West Region in California has released its fall show schedule, which kicks off on September 8 in San Diego and wraps up September 16 in San Francisco. The Fall Laundry Festival will feature special rebates on Speed Queen models,...
ACI Unveils Bilingual Laundry Safety Resource
The American Cleaning Institute recently convened with hundreds of top safety experts and partners at the Safe Kids Worldwide Childhood Injury Prevention Convention for four days of conversation focused on preventing unintentional childhood injuries. During the event,...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
A New ‘Spin’ on a Familiar Brand
Tide Tests the Waters of Chicago’s Wash-Dry-Fold Market A few months ago, Proctor & Gamble decided to expand its Tide brand to include a retail, wash-dry-fold model. Using the successful Tide Dry Cleaners franchises as an example of what to expect from this new...
The Business Mind
Keep Your Customers Coming Back for More…
…Or Why You Should Eat Pizza with a Knife and Fork I recently popped open a very good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and poured myself a glass. That first sip was amazing. The flavor was beyond overwhelming. Unfortunately, a few minutes and a few sips later, I hardly...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Battling Bleach Stains
A few of my drop-off laundry customers have complained about small bleach spots on their clothes. However, we don’t use bleach on their clothes, nor do we place the garments where bleach could be splashed on them. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the bleach...
Viewpoint
Open for Business
For the grand opening of its Canadian flagship location, Lululemon – the popular yoga-inspired athletic apparel company – offered free merchandise to the first 30 people to run naked through its new retail outlet. As you can imagine, the media was all over this...
Digital Marketing
Marketing During Times of Crisis
Some Promotional Do’s, Don’ts and Considerations as We All Try to Navigate the COVID-19 Crisis It’s easy to get downhearted about the state of the world in the middle of COVID-19’s madness. With social distancing measures, self-quarantines in place and a heightened...
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.
