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
‘Like a Fine Gumbo’
A Literacy Theme Runs Throughout Famed New Orleans Laundromat/Restaurant Combo Jane and Scott Wolfe, who own Wash World laundromat in New Orleans, are not novices when it comes to incorporating a literacy theme into their business ventures. In fact, the Wolfes also...
LaundryCares to Host Free Laundry, Literacy Day in Indianapolis
On Thursday, June 10, the LaundryCares Foundation will host a Free Laundry and Literacy Day, in collaboration with Too Small to Fail and Big Heart World. This event will be held from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Indyland II Laundromat in Indianapolis. Free Laundry and...
HappyNest Adds Customer Service Manager
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has named Alexandria Messom as manager, customer success. Messom previously served as team lead, customer onboarding at custom sports apparel provider, SquadLocker. “Our customers’ happiness is of utmost importance, as...
The Future of Wash-Dry-Fold
A Look at the Evolving Full-Service Laundry Business Model Long before COVID-19 turned many – at least for a while – into semi-reclusive shut-ins venturing out only as far as the front porch to retrieve their latest Amazon packages, numerous companies offering...
Wash with Wally: Installing Automatic Doors
I’m in the process of building a new laundromat from the ground up. The question I have is about the front and side doors to my facility. I’ve already decided that I will put in automatic doors. However, do you think I should install sliding or swinging doors? In your...
Creating a ‘Warm, Fuzzy Feeling’
Multi-Store Owner Explains How Commitment to Early Childhood Literacy Has Boosted Customer Loyalty A laundromat isn’t the easiest type of business in which to create that “warm, fuzzy feeling” for customers. Just ask Daryl Johnson who owns 10 (soon to be 11) Giant...
Payment Systems: Are You Confused Yet?
How to Decide Which Options Are Right for You and Your Business When I entered the industry in 2010, two types of payment systems were being widely used – quarters and prepaid loyalty cards. And quarters were the overwhelming favorite among store owners. In fact,...
Starchup, Drop Locker to Merge, Forming SUD Systems
Starchup and Laundry Locker, Inc. (dba Drop Locker) have entered into an agreement to merge the two companies into a new single entity – SUD Systems, LLC. Effective immediately, the two companies will begin to operate as a unified team, sharing the best from each...
Rinse Acquires ButlerBox
Rinse, a national brand in drycleaning and laundry delivery, has acquired ButlerBox, a Los Angeles-based drycleaning and laundry provider specializing in locker-based services with multifamily and commercial office partners. ButlerBox is the latest in a series of...
Clean Ventures, Mr Jeff Team Up to Bring Franchise to U.S. Laundromats
Mr Jeff, an international laundry service franchise, has signed an agreement with Clean Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in growth-stage laundry companies, to help grow the franchise’s expansion within the U.S. Clean Ventures is managed by industry...
GNA Promotes Pollnow, Willman
Girbau North America has announced two promotions within the company. Brennan Pollnow has been named North American business manager, Girbau Industrial brand, and Tyler Willman has been promoted to regional business development manager – Canada and Northwestern U.S....
CCI, Cents Announce Partnership Agreement
Card Concepts Inc. has teamed up with Cents, a business management and in-store operations platform created for laundromats. The partnership between CCI and Cents will enable store owners to leverage CCI’s hardware and card technology, alongside Cents’ POS, online...
SPONSORED CONTENT
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Scaling Wash & Fold Operations
Learn how to grow your wash & fold from an offering into a money-making operation.
This Month's Issue
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Connecting, Learning, Advocating: CLA Maximizes Impact at Clean Show 2025
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Member Spotlight: Finding a Niche in the Laundromat Industry
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PlanetLaundry Podcast: Turning Setbacks into Success: Saichelle McNeill’s Journey
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A Laundromat With Heart: Inside Cherry Drive’s Customer-First Approach
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
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...
ICYMI: New York City Repeals Retail Laundry License Requirement
On July 18, 2021, New York City enacted Local Law 80 of 2021, which repeals the licensing requirement for retail laundries. This repeal went into effect on December 31, 2021. Beginning last December, a retail laundry license from the city’s Department of Consumer...
Don’t Overlook Supply Chain Delays When Considering Section 179 Deductions
To be eligible for a 2022 Section 179 deduction, the eligible equipment must be purchased and put into service by midnight December 31, 2022. It’s not enough to merely buy the equipment. Given that, laundromat owners are reminded to keep the current supply chain...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Community Service
Orginally posted - Jan 02, 2013 Your laundromat is a crucial part of the neighborhood in which it's located. And, as a small-business owner, you need to recognize this fact and do what you can to strengthen that bond with those within your community. Whenever I look...
The Business Mind
Hiring Good People
Here Are the Keys to Conducting an Effective Job Interview If you own or manage an attended laundry business, it's no secret that at some point in time you're definitely going to have to advertise for and interview prospective attendants. This task just comes with the...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Researching a Former Laundry Location
I do a considerable amount of drop-off laundry at my store, and I always seem to have a problem removing chewing gum from garments. Can you offer any suggestions for removing it? There are two ways to deal with this problem. One way is to spot it with a good paint and...
Viewpoint
Avoiding Surprises
Running a small business is far from an exact science. And operating a self-service laundry – with all of the market-by-market idiosyncrasies this entails – at times can be even less of a sure thing. With PlanetLaundry's cover story in May focusing on industry myths...
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.