The Business of Laundry: Models That Work

In today’s laundromat industry, one truth holds across every market, model and mission: success requires more than just machines. Today’s operators must choose business models strategically, execute consistently, and lead with intention. Some lean into simple,...

Green is Good Business 

Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand  When Green Laundry Lounge co-owners Pulin and Krishna Dasai got into the vended laundry industry, they wanted to change a narrative: laundromats are water and energy-intensive businesses.   “The...

Metrics That Matter 

Profit, Performance, and Planning in Vended Laundry  The laundromat business is like most businesses in that you need to do a lot of things right to be successful. But how do you know if it’s working? According to successful owners, you just need to look at the...

Safety First, Last… Always

The Laundromat Owner’s Guide to Preventing Accidents, Protecting Your Business, and Controlling Your Insurance Costs As more and more entrepreneurs are discovering, running a laundromat can be a hugely rewarding business. But it also comes with its own set of risks...

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.

Please Advise…

Please Advise…

Successful Laundry Owners Share the Best – And Worst – Business Advice They’ve Ever Received “In life, you need many more things besides talent. Things like good advice and common sense.” – Hack Wilson, Major League Baseball Player from 1923-1934 “No enemy is worse...

By the Numbers

By the Numbers

An Interview with Ideal Spot CEO Marc Smookler Marc Smookler has started five companies – three of which are market leaders in their respective spaces: a commercial real estate data platform, an online retailer and a unified communications provider. Mr. Smookler’s...

The Urban Laundromat Renewal

The Urban Laundromat Renewal

Maximizing Turnover, Revenue and Profit In many urban settings, utility, real estate and rent costs are on the rise, which makes doing business there tricky. Luckily, for the vended laundry owner, there are many concrete ways to effectively combat costs, while...

Headlines

HappyNest Adds New California Location

Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest recently announced the company’s further expansion into Orange, Calif. “Once again, we have found a great partner who will complement our conversion of Springboard licensees in the Orange County area,” said HappyNest...

On the Money

An Overview of the SBA’s 504 Loan Program The Small Business Administration’s 504 Loan program is a powerful economic development program that offers small businesses, such as laundromats, another avenue for business financing, while promoting business growth and job...

First Tide Laundromat Opens in Chicago

The first Tide Laundromat recently opened for business in Chicago, on the city’s far north side. According to the Procter & Gamble brand, it is a part of Tide’s strategic focus “to bring innovation and new technologies to the out-of-home laundry services...

Cents Announces $4.25M Financing Round

Cents, a leading business management and in-store operations platform for laundromat owners, recently announced a $4.25 million financing round. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from Newfund Capital, Riverpark Ventures and 1517 Fund....

Enthusiasm for Our ‘Essential’ Industry

The laundromat business has proven itself to be recession-resistant, pandemic-resistant – and, yes, “essential.” As a result, the industry is growing at a rate at which I’ve never seen before. People are fleeing corporate America to build or buy laundromats. Current...

HappyNest Launches Fresno Location

Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its operations into Fresno, Calif. “California became a big growth market in the fourth quarter of 2020 and that expansion is continuing into 2021,” said HappyNest founder John MacKrell. “We are excited to...

The New Investors

As Interest in the Laundromat Industry Grows, Who’s Getting into the Business… and Why? Melody Fanto has never been afraid of hard work. She has been a registered dental hygienist in Long Island, N.Y., for 30 years. In addition, she previously owned an auto repair...

Keep Your Customers Coming Back for More…

…Or Why You Should Eat Pizza with a Knife and Fork I recently popped open a very good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and poured myself a glass. That first sip was amazing. The flavor was beyond overwhelming. Unfortunately, a few minutes and a few sips later, I hardly...

RKU Standard Acquires Standard Change-Makers

RKU Standard Inc. – under the direction of Rob and Kathleen Unterborn – has purchased Standard Change-Makers Inc. from the McNutt family, which has owned the currency changer manufacturer since its founding in 1955. Standard Change-Makers was established by James R....

CLA, LaundryCares Name Project Manager

The Coin Laundry Association and its charitable organization – the LaundryCares Foundation – jointly have named Tanisha Moore as project manager. Moore, who joined the CLA in 2015, has served the association in various managerial roles, from membership services to...

Creating the Right Atmosphere

An Interview with Mike Kelly of Atmosphere TV Mike Kelly began his sales and marketing career in the wine and spirits industry, having built and executed marketing programs for some of the largest spirits brands in the world. “When I came across the opportunity to...

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CleanCloud talks to industry experts about the tactics they use to attract new customers and encourage repeat business in our latest webinar

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September Magazine Issue

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

CSC ServiceWorks Expands Social Impact Program

CSC ServiceWorks has announced it is expanding its social impact program, CSC CommunityWorks. In 2022, the company continues to extend its network of community center/local CSC branch partnerships in the company’s 40 markets – donating and servicing new equipment and...

HappyNest Expands Reach in Utah

Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded south of Salt Lake City and is now available in West Jordan, Utah, through its new partner, Midvale City Laundromat. This Midvale-based operation also provides PUD services to residents and businesses in the...

Industry Mourns Reed Hinrichs

HK Laundry Equipment co-founder Reed Hinrichs recently passed away at the age of 93. An icon in the laundry industry throughout New York and Connecticut, Mr. Hinrichs first established HK Sales in 1967, with his business partner Jim Kerr. The company started out by...

HappyNest Partners with Arizona Laundromat

Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded into North Phoenix, Ariz., through its new laundromat partner, My Laundry Room. HappyNest’s laundry services are now available in North Phoenix, as well as portions of Scottsdale. “Prior to partnering with...

EVI Completes Acquisition of Clean Designs, Clean Route

EVI Industries Inc. – headquartered in Miami – has announced it has completed the company’s acquisition of Clean Designs Inc. and Clean Route LLC, based in Lakewood, Colo. Known collectively as Clean Designs, the company is a distributor of commercial laundry products...

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...

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The Business Mind

On Your Best (Financial) Behavior

How Understanding Behavioral Economics Can Help You Make Better Financial Decisions Have you ever heard of behavioral economics? If not, you have now! But what exactly is it? In a nutshell, behavioral economics can best be defined as how our individual psychology and...

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Wash With Wally

Viewpoint

Tech Talk: Streamlining Operations Through Technology

The first day of Clean 2015 in Atlanta wrapped up with a standing-room-only presentation by Brian Henderson, who serves as operations manager for Liberty Laundries, his family's three-store chain based in Tulsa, Okla. This packed educational session was held in the...

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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.