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.
Smooth Operators (Part 1)
From Preventive Maintenance to Equipment Repair, Store Owners Share Key Strategies for Keeping Their Laundromats Running Smoothly and Profitably Houston laundromat owner Rob Maes was still a newcomer to the industry when he received his first wake-up call, as to the...
What Can the CLA Do for You?
“What can Brown do for you?” That was the popular slogan for UPS from 2002 to 2010. Simple in structure yet far-reaching in scope, the slogan engaged UPS’ multi-platform customer universe to think about its relationship with the company and how it might be expanded....
Business Bio: Green Laundry Lounge
Jay Desai Green Laundry Lounge Greer, S.C. Before Getting into the Laundry Business… Green Laundry Lounge founder and part-owner Jay Desai is a design engineer, a self-described foodie and a hobbyist photographer. Desai is passionate about the environment, and he...
Headlines
Cents Acquires Starchup, Expands PUD Platform
Venture-backed technology company Cents has acquired Starchup, a provider of pickup and delivery, POS and drycleaning software. Through this acquisition, Cents stated it will be able to bolster its existing pickup and delivery platform by adding functionality and...
Business Partners to Open Five LaundroLab Locations in St. Petersburg Market
Laundromat franchise LaundroLab has announced it will expand its reach in Florida – with four entrepreneurs bringing five new locations to the St. Petersburg area. Carlie Canfield, Matt Denault and their spouses had been flipping single-family homes since 2019, when a...
HappyNest Expands Presence in Tennessee
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability within the Tennessee market east of Nashville through the company’s new laundromat partner, Antioch Coin Laundry. “We pride ourselves on offering unparalleled service from our staff, which...
Our Industry is Alive, Well… And Thriving
Having now had the opportunity to fully digest my time at last month’s Clean Show in Atlanta, I’m happy to report that the self-service laundry industry – as well as the residential wash-dry-fold and pickup-and-delivery segments of the business – are alive and well....
‘Helping Youth in Need’
New York Laundry Owner Shares His Thoughts on Adding a Literacy Element to His Business Model Multi-store owner Steve Levine may be the perfect role model for the LaundryCares Foundation’s literacy programs and Family Read, Play & Learn Centers. After all, he’s...
Huebsch Honors Top Distributors
Huebsch recently honored its top-performing distributors of 2021 at an awards ceremony at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta, held in conjunction with this year’s Clean Show. The manufacturer presented Aaxon Laundry Equipment of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with its Distributor of...
HappyNest Continues Chicago Expansion
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded within the Chicago market, now available in eastern portion of the city through its new laundromat partner, Easy Clean Laundry. The company had expanded westward earlier this year. “HappyNest was the obvious...
ARM & HAMMER Laundry Partners with Dress for Success
ARM & HAMMER Laundry has continued its support of Dress for Success, a global not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence. Building on a two-year partnership, ARM & HAMMER Laundry will serve as presenting sponsor of the...
Whirlpool Named One of the Top Companies for Multicultural Women
Whirlpool Corp. recently was recognized as one of Seramount’s 2022 Best Companies for Multicultural Women. The award recognizes companies that create and use the best hiring practices while retaining and promoting multicultural women in the United States. “Inclusion...
Life of a Salesman
An Interview with Bryan Maxwell of Western State Design Bryan Maxwell is the senior laundry specialist for Western State Design, a major laundry equipment distributor, headquartered in Hayward, Calif. Maxwell began with Western State in 1988 – selling industrial OPL...
EVI Industries to Acquire Aldrich Clean-Tech Equipment Corp.
EVI Industries Inc. has announced that it executed a definitive agreement to acquire Aldrich Clean-Tech Equipment Corp., a commercial laundry distributor headquartered in Worcester, Mass. The acquisition will expand EVI’s sales and service presence within the...
Speed Queen Recognizes Star Distributing with Top Honor
Speed Queen recently honored its top distributors at an evening reception held in Atlanta, prior to this year’s Clean Show. “It was certainly an inspiring evening to have the whole Speed Queen commercial family in one room again and to celebrate their collective...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Reimagining the Laundromat Experience: Technology, Design, and a Strong Focus on the Customer Have Set a New Standard for Store Amenities
- Business Management: Building a Positive Workplace Culture
- Digital Marketing: Make Your Laundromat a Place People Love
- Company Close-Up: The Vision Behind Masters Laundry Equipment
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
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...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Dirty Laundry Never Takes a Vacation
Summer Camps May Provide the Perfect Opportunity to Grow Your Laundry Business’ Wash-Dry-Fold Revenue Summer is just around the corner – which means that, for many kids, so is summer camp. And, while going to camp has been a rite of passage for so many...
The Business Mind
The Formula for Powerful Advertising
Don’t Overlook the Impact of Human Psychology on the Success of Your Promotional Campaigns I’m a firm believer that advertising is simply applied psychology using print, television, radio or any other media platform the advertiser so chooses. Given that, it stands to...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Removing Permanent Marker Stains
How can I best remove black, permanent marker stains from a pair of heavy-duty, brown duck fabric coveralls? Any leads you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Admittedly, some black marker stains can be very difficult to remove, especially if the spots have been...
Viewpoint
Define Your Business
Of all the factors impacting the success of a laundromat, site selection is right up there with having sufficient capital to launch and operate a new business. Both affect a business' chances of succeeding to a larger degree than almost any other factors.With that...
Digital Marketing
Go Beyond Basic Website Maintenance
Three Tips to Help ‘Future-Proof’ Your Business’ Site One of the biggest draws of the vended laundry industry is that it’s “future-proof.” In other words, unless there’s some type of apocalypse that none of us see coming, people are going to need to do their laundry....
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.
