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.
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...
Slashing Through the Red Tape, Part 1
Working with Local Government and Utilities to Get Your Laundromat Project Completed on Schedule and on Budget Russ Arbuckle has been involved in more than a few laundromat buildouts and retool projects through the years. And he has seen his share of horror stories...
Headlines
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...
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...
SPONSORED CONTENT
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
New Bill Supports Entrepreneurship for Those Formerly Incarcerated
Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, has introduced his NEW START Act, which is legislation aimed at creating reentry programs with the SBA, awarding grants for business counseling and entrepreneurial development training to...
OSHA Announces New Enforcement Guidance
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued new enforcement guidance regarding penalties for repeated violations of workplace safety and health requirements. OSHA regional administrators and area office directors now have the authority to cite certain...
States to Consider Predictive Scheduling Mandates
Some states – mainly those controlled by Democratic lawmakers – are now considering enacting further “employer mandates,” which are laws that spell out certain aspects of the employer-employee relationship. These states have enacted mandates such as $15 per hour...
Lawmakers Look to Ban Natural Gas in Commercial Buildings
In January, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission created a flurry of controversy over a rumored proposal to restrict the use of gas-powered stoves in homes. Although fears over that federal proposal were exaggerated, state and local lawmakers have been active...
Service Taxes: An Update on State Sales Tax Expansion
State legislators continue to express ongoing interest in expanding the sales tax to new services, according to MultiState Associates, a government relations firm headquartered in Alexandria, Va. Here’s a look at where those efforts stand: Income tax...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Building a Winning Team, Part 2
How to Quickly Track a New Hire's Progress and Likelihood of Success Right from the Beginning [This is the second of a three-part series on hiring and training laundry attendants.] Last month, in the first of our series on attendants, I noted that it was important to...
The Business Mind
Understanding Our Economic Behavior
How Our Psychological Makeup Impacts Our Financial Decisions I’ve consulted with a great many laundromat owners over the years. And nearly all of them have been preoccupied with their financial decisions – either those that had been made in the past or those that the...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Licensed to Launder?
I offer a drop-off laundry service at my store, and I’ve been doing so for years. However, a local business inspector recently visited my laundromat and told me that I need a special license to provide this type of wash-dry-fold service. Do you know anything about...
Viewpoint
Something New is Afoot
If you're reading this, you are – simply by virtue of doing so – among the cream of the crop. You are someone who is willing to dig deep to find every little nugget that can further reinforce your commitment to your chosen place in our industry. More importantly, it...
Digital Marketing
Marketing Trends to Adopt in 2019
These Four Growing Technologies and Promotional Methods Deserve Your Attention The marketing industry is relentless, and it likes to think big. Every year, new technologies and marketing methods emerge that seek to make it easier for businesses like yours win new...
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.
