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.
For Sale by Owner
A Step-by-Step Primer for Selling Your Laundromat – On Your Own After years of steady growth and with still ample time remaining on your lease, you’ve decided the time is right to sell your vended laundry business. Although it’s tempting to simply hire a business...
Trends Shaping the ‘New Normal’
A Look at Tomorrow’s Laundromat Industry Veteran store owner John Henderson is not normally at a loss for words, especially when it comes to talking about the laundromat industry – one in which his family-operated chain has thrived for many years. But, then again,...
The Business of Vacation
Could Vacation Rental Laundry Be a Profitable Niche for Your Operation? While on vacation with my parents as kid and then later as a teen, I would, on occasion, look around me and take notice of all the various people who were involved in our “vacation experience” –...
Headlines
HappyNest Expands Availability in Northern California
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest is now available in San Jose, Calif., through the company’s new laundromat partner, NextGen Cleaners & Alterations. With that partnership, HappyNest is servicing residents and businesses throughout Santa Clara County,...
GE Provides Laundry Equipment to San Diego Zoo
GE Appliances recently announced that it has partnered with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, outfitting the zoo and its safari park with 31 commercial washers and dryers to help tackle their extensive laundering needs. Installed at various locations throughout the...
The Headlines That Shaped the Year in Laundry (Part 2)
The Four Most Prominent Story Lines Impacting Owners in 2021 [This is the second of a two-part feature article. You can read Part 1 here.] In addition to the labor crisis and the supply chain issue, here are two additional story lines we felt had the greatest impact...
Marketing Lessons from an Up-and-Down Year (Part 1)
Connecting with Customers During a Time When Connection Has Never Been More Challenging What a year! 2021 has been one for the record books, and it feels as though it flew by. Just like any other year, we’ve learned a lot about how audiences are responding to...
Whirlpool’s Care Counts Program Expands into South America
Whirlpool Corp. has announced that the brand's Care Counts laundry program will expand into its first international market in 2022 – Colombia. The program, which launched in the U.S. in 2015, was created to remove a key barrier to school attendance – access to clean...
SLE Honors Orlando Consultant with Industry Service Award
Statewide Laundry Equipment recently honored Rusty Parks, an Orlando-based consultant for the company, with its highly coveted Industry Service Award for his exemplary dedication to customer service and industry improvement. A member of the SLE team servicing the...
Spend Your Marketing Dollars Wisely
What Are You Getting in Return for Your Wash-Dry-Fold Promotional Budget? Business owners love to discuss and ruminate on what it costs to acquire a new customer. In the drycleaning world, the generally accepted figure is approximately $50 per customer. In the laundry...
CLA ‘Elevates’ the Laundry Industry
The Coin Laundry Association held its inaugural ELEVATE conference on November 10-12 in Huntington Beach, Calif. at the beautiful Pasea Hotel & Resort. ELEVATE provided attendees the opportunity to meet more than 80 store owners representing over 300 stores and...
The Headlines That Shaped the Year in Laundry (Part 1)
The Four Most Prominent Story Lines Impacting Owners in 2021 If this were a typical year, we’d likely be using these pages to recap a successful Clean Show. However, 2021 – much like its predecessor – was anything but typical. Early on, it became apparent that Clean...
Healthcare Startup Brings Community Wellness to Laundromats
Fabric Health, a healthcare startup founded in Philadelphia earlier this year, is working to close gaps in community care and to make healthcare more accessible to busy, low-income families. And it’s doing so by transforming neighborhood laundromats into community...
College Student Launches Laundromat Literacy Program
The idea of transforming a corner of Family Pride Laundry in Springfield, Ill., into a learning space where children can read began with a local college student, according to a recent article in Illinois Times. “I was really attracted to it because I love working with...
SBA Proposes Modified Size Standards
The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued a proposal to modify two of the methods the organization uses to qualify which businesses classify as “small businesses” for SBA loan and investment programs, as well as for government contracts. The proposed changes...
SPONSORED CONTENT
SPONSORED CONTENT
Scaling Wash & Fold Operations
Learn how to grow your wash & fold from an offering into a money-making operation.
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
CLA Names New, Re-Elected Members to 2023 Board of Directors
The Coin Laundry Association has announced five re-elected and one newly elected Board members, who will round out the organization’s 2023 Board of Directors. The Board election was ratified last month during the CLA’s annual meeting at the Clean Show in Atlanta. CLA...
Healthcare Group Offers Outreach at Philadelphia Laundromats
Philadelphia-based managed care organization Health Partners Plans is teaming up with Fabric Health for outreach at five laundromats in the city, according to a recent Philadelphia Business Journal report. Fabric Health will help Health Partners Plans members update...
Continental Creative Services Changes Name to Girbau Creative Services
Continental Creative Services, a division of Girbau North America, has changed its name to Girbau Creative Services. “We wanted to change the name to better align with our parent company, Girbau Global Laundry Solutions,” said Creative Services Manager Kim Foxcroft....
Speed Queen Laundry Franchise to Open in South Carolina
Speed Queen has announced that the first Speed Queen Laundry franchise in South Carolina is set to open in Greenville, with grand opening activities slated for September 7-14. The 2,800-square-foot location features touchscreen controls, washers with capacities...
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...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Control Your Own Destiny
Originally posted - Oct 08, 2013 In last month's column, I wrote about the five biggest mistakes you can make when running your drop-off laundry business. One of the pitfalls I warned against was letting your employees work for themselves – essentially allowing your...
The Business Mind
Tell Your Story
How to Grow Your Laundry Business Through the Art of Storytelling "Great stories happen to those who can tell them." - Ira Glass, American radio personality There are many strategies that you can use to attract new customers. But have you ever thought of allowing...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: The Importance of Rinse Cycles
Due to the high cost of water, I recently eliminated the last two rinses on all of my washers. My machines are now set to deliver a prewash, a wash cycle, and one rinse cycle. Did I make a mistake, or is everyone doing this these days? Honestly, I don't know of any...
Viewpoint
Investing in Customer Service Yields Real Value
"The customer is always right." - Marshall Field When I cite the quote above about the customer always being right, you might be quick to caution "you haven't been to my laundromat!"Well, I see this well-worn adage as aspirational, if not requiring some suspension of...
Digital Marketing
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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.
