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.

When the Dry Goes Well…
From Equipment Mix to Payment Structure, Here’s How Laundry Owners are Fitting Dryers into The Overall Business Equation Despite major advances in high-speed washer extraction technology, a laundromat completely free of dryers is still nowhere on the horizon. At the...

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...
Headlines
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....
PlanetLaundry Podcast Episode 21: An Interview with Neal Shapiro
In this episode, you will hear PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman interview Chicago laundromat owner Neal Shapiro. In 2014, Neal – and his wife, Kate – purchased their first laundromat in Chicago. Since then, the Shapiros have become fully immersed in the laundromat...
HappyNest Now Available Throughout New Jersey
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest is now available in southern Ocean County, N.J., through the company’s new partnership with Main St. Laundry Tuckerton. As a result, HappyNest serves nearly 200 cities and towns throughout New Jersey, including Morristown,...
CLA Surveys Store Owners on Worker Shortage
As laundromats begin to return to pre-COVID operations and start to increase business, the Coin Laundry Association has been hearing from a number of store owners who are experiencing issues with finding and retaining employees to operate at maximum capacity. As a...
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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
Tennessee Laundromat, Local Cafe Team Up for Food Drive
Cycle Laundromat in Clarksville, Tenn., will team up with Manna Cafe to host a food drive on August 9-11. The Cycle Laundromat team will host the food drive to give back to the community they serve. Those interested in participating can bring in at least four cans of...
HappyNest Adds Second Partner in Charlotte Market
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has added Sunshine Laundromat as its second laundromat partner in Charlotte, N.C. As a result, HappyNest’s services are now available to residents and businesses in Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville, as well as...
ACI Names Senior Manager of Public Health
The American Cleaning Institute, the trade association for the cleaning products supply chain, has appointed Audrey McCalley as senior manager, public health. “Audrey joins ACI with a background in public health, clinical research, policy and sustainability,” said Dr....
A Surprise Trend: ‘Inflation Relief’ Tax Policy
Rising inflation levels have hit consumers hard, and state lawmakers have spent time trying to provide relief, including indexing income tax brackets, issuing taxpayer rebates, and adopting new sales tax exemptions. Georgia, Idaho, Indiana (with an expansion of a...
COVID Relief Bill Introduced
Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Ben Cardin recently introduced legislation to create what’s being called the Hard-Hit Small Business Relief Fund (S.4471). For small businesses demonstrating substantial losses in 2020 and 2021 due...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Plan Your Work… Work Your Plan
Originally posted - Jul 18, 2014 When I first got into the laundry business, I was skeptical as to whether or not I needed to write a business plan. However, it was something the SBA required (or at least strongly encouraged), so I went through the process of creating...
The Business Mind
Head Games
The Psychological Aspects of Entrepreneurship – And the Six Primary Emotions That Inevitably Grip All Business OwnersA number of years ago, it was quite common in Detroit and other larger cities to have actual elevator operators in tall buildings. And, while riding in...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Replacing Vinyl Tile with a Poured Resin Floor
My vinyl tile floor is old and needs to be replaced. I'm considering perhaps ceramic or some other form of decorative tile. What do you think? Are there other options available that you would recommend? One other great option is to go with a poured resin flooring....
Viewpoint
Vital Signs
Neglect Your Store's Signage at Your Own Risk Because a laundromat is a self-service business, there is the tendency among some owners to have a "build-it-and-they-will-wash" attitude toward their stores. In other words, the focus is primarily on the equipment offered...
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.