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.

Word to the Wise, Part 1

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

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

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

Leading the Industry into the Future

An Interview with Julia Milch of Laundrylux Julia Milch is the vice president of growth strategy for Laundrylux, based in Inwood, N.Y. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Milch spent three years with Microsoft as a CRM solutions specialist and in business development....

EVI Reports Fiscal First-Quarter Results

EVI Industries Inc. has reported record operating results for the first quarter of its fiscal year, ending June 30, 2023. The first quarter financial highlights are: • Revenue increased 31 percent to a record $83.4 million. • Gross profit increased 39 percent to a...

HappyNest Grows Pickup-and-Delivery Service

Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability to Norwood, Mass., through the company’s new partner, South Norwood Laundromat. Located 15 miles from Boston, the store now provides HappyNest laundry services to residents and businesses in...

The Perfect Business Partner, Part 2

Maximizing Your Laundromat’s Vending Operation [This is the second of a two-part feature article on how to build a profitable vending operation within your laundromat. You can read Part 1 here.] Leading laundromat owners discuss the vending operations at their...

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...

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September Magazine Issue

This Month's Issue

 

  • House of Laundromats: Real Estate Trends and What to Watch
  • Member Spotlight: Bringing a Century of Expertise to the Evolving Laundromat Industry
  • PlanetLaundry Podcast: Reimagining Community: How the Hub Laundromat Cafe is a Change Catalyst in Detroit
  • Women In Vended Laundry: How Adrienne Hurrington Keeps the Wheels Turning as SAMCO
  • And More…

THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS

Industry News

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,...

Alliance Distribution Expands West Region

Alliance Laundry Systems has acquired the distribution assets of Dynamic Sales and Service, based in Kirkland, Wash. Dynamic has more than three decades of experience providing commercial laundry solutions in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. “We remain committed to...

PayRange, Turns Announce Exclusive Partnership

PayRange Inc., a provider of mobile payments for unattended retail operations, has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with laundromat and drycleaning software provider Turnsapp Inc. “We are particularly impressed by the scope and caliber of Turn’s offerings,”...

CLA Promotes Gonzalez

The Coin Laundry Association has named Christina Gonzalez the organization’s new director of finance and human resources. Gonzalez, who joined CLA in April 2012, most recently served as the association’s director of administration and accounting. In her new role, she...

FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Columns

The Laundry Doctor

A Profitable Partnership

A Profitable Partnership

Teaming Up with Your Local Drycleaner May Be the Ideal Way to Grow Your Laundry Business. Find Out How at Clean 2017! The Clean Show is just around the corner. And the 2017 event – which will be held June 5-8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center – marks the first time...

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The Business Mind

The Psychology of Risk

The Psychology of Risk

Mastering the Uncertainties of Laundromat Ownership “Ninety-five percent of thought, emotion and learning occur in the unconscious mind without our awareness.” – Dr. Gerald Zautman, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University It’s a well-accepted fact that all business...

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Wash With Wally

Wash with Wally: Cleaning Yoga Blankets

Wash with Wally: Cleaning Yoga Blankets

I have been approached by a potential commercial client about cleaning yoga blankets. They are heavy wool blankets about the size of a twin bed sheet. This client doesn’t want to dryclean the blankets. What’s the best way to wash them? And how would I dry these items...

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Viewpoint

Partners in Laundry

To say the least, business partnerships of any kind are always going to be challenging. In fact, the majority of partnerships I've ever seen have failed, rather than succeeded. What's the problem? I believe the issue is that a business partnership is much like a...

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Digital Marketing

Traditional vs. Digital

Traditional vs. Digital

What Marketing Methods are Right for Your Laundromat in 2020 and Beyond? Digital marketing is the future, right? As someone on the frontlines of digital marketing for the laundry industry, I certainly believe that to be true – but that doesn’t mean you should change...

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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.