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.
Powering Your Laundromat
A Look at What’s Ahead for Natural Gas and Electricity Prices It’s no secret that electricity and natural gas prices are rising across the board – and have been for a while. Electricity prices began rising shortly after winter storms in February 2021 and have been...
15 Steps to a Smooth Laundry Project
1. Make sure your site is zoned for a laundromat before you buy or start the project. Also, make sure of what size signage you can install and where you can put it. 2. Oversize your utilities – 400-amp, three-phase service. Know whether you will need a transformer on...
Slashing Through the Red Tape, Part 2
Working with Local Government and Utilities to Get Your Laundromat Project Completed on Schedule and on Budget [This is the second of a two-part feature. You can read Part 1 here.] In Part 2 of PlanetLaundry's May cover story, laundromat owners shared their thoughts...
Headlines
Inflection Points: Preventive Maintenance for Your Laundromat
Quiet Reflection on the Future Path of Your Business May Be the Most Important Time You Spend All Week “Inflections points” are those moments in your life where events and decisions conspire to take you in a different direction, thus altering the course of at least...
RJ Kool Acquires BDS Laundry
RJ Kool – a commercial laundry distributor with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. – recently purchased BDS Laundry, a distributorship based in St. Paul, Minn. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The sale of BDS includes its vended and on-premises laundry...
Curbside Laundries Opens New Office, Adds Key Hires
Curbside Laundries – a full-service SAAS company for laundromats specializing in wash-dry-fold and pickup and delivery – has opened a new facility in Los Alamitos, Calif. The move was required to meet the company’s business demands, as well as to help facilitate the...
Doing ‘Good’ Close to Home
Laundry Capital’s Commitment to Bettering the Communities It Serves It takes more than money and desire to better a community. Just ask Alex Weiss. He should know. Weiss is the owner of Laundry Capital Co. LLC – whose affiliated network of stores owns 80 Clean Rite...
Small-Business Tax Incentives, Grants and More…
Laundromat owners can find themselves in a dilemma – they want to grow their businesses to meet demand, but tight financial circumstances can make it difficult to expand. Fortunately, there are a number of tax credits, grants and incentives that can encourage...
HappyNest Adds New Jersey Laundromat Partner
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability to Middlesex County, New Jersey, through the company’s new partner, Sudz N Dripz Laundromat. Based in North Brunswick, the facility now provides HappyNest services to residents and businesses...
States Seeking Inflation Relief
Inflation has become an increasingly prevalent issue for state legislators in recent months. In August, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which targets energy and prescription drug costs in hopes of having a positive impact on runaway costs. However,...
SBA Announces Grants for Micro-Entrepreneurs
The Small Business Administration has announced a $7.2 million grant award to 38 organizations under the Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs (PRIME) – a $1.7 million increase, up 30 percent from last year’s allocated $5,500,000 in funding. The PRIME award...
The Power of a Pro Forma
Don’t Neglect One of Your Laundry Business’ Most Important Planning Tools Whether you’re purchasing and renovating an existing laundromat or starting one from scratch, a pro forma income statement is one of an investor’s most important tools in not only attaining...
A Long Laundry Heritage
Arizona Commercial Laundry Leans Heavily on Its Industry Knowledge and First-Class Customer Service Arizona Commercial Laundry – a full-service laundry distributor headquartered in Phoenix – can trace its commercial laundry industry roots back more than 60 years… and...
HappyNest Expands Reach in Texas
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability to Georgetown, Texas, through the company’s new partner, U Wash M Laundromat. Based in Georgetown, the laundry facility is now providing HappyNest’s services to residents and businesses in the...
Whirlpool to Reach 100% Renewable Electricity for U.S. Plant Operations
Whirlpool Corp. recently announced that it has entered into a second wind Virtual Power Purchase Agreement to accelerate progress toward its commitment to reach net zero emissions in its plants and operations by 2030. This latest agreement with ENGIE North America...
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This Month's Issue
- Get Clear to Keep it Clean: Find Focus to Maximize Your Marketing Efforts
- Women In Laundry: From the Washroom to the Boardroom
- Store Profile: Southern Suds Changing the Game
- Member Spotlight: Hutchinson Belt Drive Systems
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
Lucy Doll Retires from Mountain Electronics
After 13 years with Mountain Electronics, Customer Service Representative Lucy Doll has announced her retirement. Mountain CEO Whitney Brasington remembers hiring Doll: “The clinic she was working for was getting ready to close, so she ran a classified ad in the local...
Lavanett Named GNA’s Top Canadian Distributor for 2022
Girbau North America recently recognized Lavanett, headquartered in St. Laurent, Quebec, with its third consecutive Canadian Distributor of the Year Award for exemplary performance in the vended and on-premises laundry markets. Owned by Earl Eichen, Lavanett employs...
ACI Unveils Redesigned Website Promoting Cold-Water Washing
The American Cleaning Institute has launched a redesigned website for its Cold Water Saves initiative, which is a joint effort of ACI and The Sustainability Consortium to promote the power of cold-water washing. Originally launched in 2016, Cold Water Saves aims to...
EPA Maintains ‘Safer Choice’ Status of Chemistry Used in Detergent Packaging
The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a petition requesting increased testing and a change to the safety status of key chemistry used to make concentrated detergent unit-dose packets and sheets from its Safer Choice program. At issue was a call from a...
GNA Honors Fowler Laundry Solutions
Fowler Laundry Solutions, based in Union, N.J., has received its fifth consecutive Girbau North America Multi-Housing Distributor of the Year Award for outstanding service, sales, and support in the multi-housing laundry market. Led by Doug Fowler and founded in 1952,...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Growing Your Business by Serving Your Community
Seniors and Other Niche Market Segments May Be Perfect Opportunities to Build Your Wash-Dry-Fold Clientele In many ways, doing wash-dry-fold laundry for seniors in your community can almost be considered a public service commitment. At my store, I have about half a...
The Business Mind
Stay on Target
Knowing Your Audience is the Key to a Strong Advertising Message It’s a fact that many laundromat owners love to advertise. And it’s equally true that several of these operators, unfortunately, do so incorrectly – thus, spending large sums of money for very little...
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
Thriving in an Urban Setting
Simple, Effective Tactics for Building Business in Today’s Growing Metro Areas The data is clear. Pew Research recently shared that more people than ever are moving to urban areas and the diversity of our nation’s cities is increasing dramatically. For business...
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.
