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.
CLA Member of the Year
An Interview with Multi-Store Owner Michael Finkelstein Michael Finkelstein began his professional career as a broker manager for Georgia Pacific, where he worked with supermarkets in the Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia territories. In 1983,...
Maintaining the Ideal: The Keys to Optimum Dryer Care
An Interview with Whirlpool Customer Relations Manager Joe Carrita Joe Carrita has spent more than 23 years in the commercial laundry industry, with a special focus on the on-premises laundry market and customer service. He recently discussed the latest in dryer care...
2019: The Year in Review
Laundromat Industry Experts Review the Past 12 Months – And Share Thoughts on What May Lie Ahead It’s impossible to recap the past year in the laundromat business without acknowledging the clear-cut success of the Clean Show, which attracted more than 11,000 attendees...
Headlines
Who’s Minding the Store?
Businesses all across the United States are desperate for workers these days. The numbers don’t lie. In late April, the Labor Department reported a record 9.3 million job openings. “The worker shortage is real – and it’s getting worse by the day,” commented Chamber of...
Wash with Wally: Cleaning in Cold Water
I’m considering switching to a cold-water detergent for my wash-dry-fold business in order to save some money on my natural gas bill. Does this make sense? I don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the wash I offer my full-service customers. No, that does not make...
Be Better Tomorrow Than You Were Yesterday
Are You Running a Finite Laundromat Business or an Infinite One? Let me start with a very simple question: did you “win” at business last year? Huh? I’m serious. I’m talking about the battle with your competitors. Did you win it last year? If your answer is yes, my...
Magic in a Box
How LaundryCares Family Read, Play and Learn Centers Are Impacting Communities and Changing Lives Before jumping into the “what” and the nuts-and-bolts of the LaundryCares Family Read, Play and Learn Centers, we need to take a step back and examine the “why.” How did...
SpyderWash, Wash-Dry-Fold POS Announce Cross-Platform Integration
Laundry payment system provider SpyderWash, a Setomatic Systems company, and Wash-Dry-Fold POS, a point-of-sale system developed for laundromats, recently announced they have teamed up on a cross-platform project. SpyderWash enables laundromat customers and employees...
New Benefits Added to CLA Health Insurance Program
The Coin Laundry Association – which is working with LIG Solutions to offer comprehensive, affordable health coverage designed for laundromat owners, as well as their families and employees – has announced a newly added element to this health insurance program. The...
HappyNest Expands Further into Long Island
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded further into central Long Island, N.Y., through its partnership with The Laundry Closet. HappyNest now serves the east end of Suffolk County – from Bay Shore to Sayville to East Setauket. “We decided to...
Get Down to Business
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Boost Your Bottom Line with Commercial Accounts In the laundromat business, idle machines represent missed revenue that can never be recovered. Every store operator knows that it’s all about “turns per day.” And no one understands...
Create Enthusiasm for Your Wash-Dry-Fold Business
Four Basic Steps to Marketing Your Full-Service Offerings Wash-dry-fold services can be an incredible boon to your customers. You’re offering them a time-saving, hassle-free way to get their laundry done. You’re helping today’s customers stay on top of their busy...
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...
What, Me Worry?
You’ll Never Eliminate Anxiety from Your Business Life, But Here’s How to Control It “Stop worrying about what can go wrong, and get excited about what can go right.” I’m confident you’ll agree that owning a business such as (but not limited to) a laundromat can be,...
A Change of Heart
The Laundry Doctor Reconsiders His Perspective on the Profitability of the Wash-Dry-Fold Business For 20 years, I’ve warned laundromat owners against letting their wash-dry-fold operations interfere with and encroach upon the self-service end of their businesses....
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
State Tax Changes Taking Effect Mid-Year
Although the majority of 2022 state tax changes take effect at the start of the calendar year, some are implemented at the beginning of the fiscal year. Individual and corporate income tax changes usually take effect at the beginning of the calendar year to maintain...
Oregon Laundromat, Rotary Club Help Fund Local Laundry Program
The Rotary Club of Crook County in Oregon recently presented the Family Access Network with a grant of $2,000 to support laundry services at Express Eco Laundromat in Prineville, Ore. The laundromat partially matched the grant funding to help support the purchase of...
Mr Jeff Expands Franchise Further into South Florida
Mr Jeff, a home-delivery laundry service franchise, has announced the signing of two new franchise agreements in South Florida. Franchisees Sam Boulet and Christian Santo will open new Mr Jeff locations in Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County, respectively, later this...
Recruiting Strategies for Tight Labor Markets
In today’s scramble to recruit the best employees, a new or growing business may need to devise creative recruitment strategies to keep pace with the competition. This is especially important in today’s labor market, where the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been...
Ohio Laundromat Installs Children’s Library
Laundromat Libraries, a pilot program of the Marietta Community Foundation, recently established its first library at Old Town Express Laundry in Marietta, Ohio. “We are just happy to be able to provide a means to encourage young minds to cultivate a love for reading,...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Playing ‘Tag’ with Wash-Dry-Fold Business
Originally posted - Jun 25, 2013 As your wash-dry-fold business grows from doing just a few loads at a time to handling several loads simultaneously, one of the biggest challenges you'll face is simply keeping track of all the orders that come in. It's critical to...
The Business Mind
The Mind of the Customer
7 Not-So-Obvious Insights into Customer Psychology Sure to Help You Grow Your Business I've come to the conclusion that the greatest threat to a self-service laundry's growth - and perhaps even its survival - in our modern, high-tech and significantly diversified...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Calculating Folding Space, Competing for Employees, More…
Is there some formula or rule of thumb that would guide me as far as how much folding space I should provide for my customers? According to most vended laundry industry data, three square feet of folding space for every dryer pocket in your facility is considered to...
Viewpoint
Get Involved… Stay Involved
The year is quickly coming to an end. The time seems to go faster and faster each year. As you reflect back on the goals you set out to accomplish this year, did you meet or exceed them? Did you do what you said you were going to do? It's never too late to set goals...
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.
