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.

Building Your Dream Laundromat
What to Consider When Constructing Your First Laundry Business The key to getting through the buildout or construction phase of your vended laundry project can be quite simple. Just hire an experienced, licensed general contractor who already has a couple of...

Buyer Beware
Eight Best Practices to Follow When Buying a Property As the old saying goes, "Let the buyer beware." And never are those words more accurate then when purchasing a property to be used for a vended laundry business – whether you're looking to buy an existing store or...

Before Signing Your Laundry Lease…
Sitting Down to the Negotiation Table for the First Time? Here’s What You Need to Know First things first… with respect to your laundry lease, the best advice I can offer is be sure you have an experienced commercial real estate attorney by your side to help navigate...
Headlines
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” –...
The Formula for Powerful Advertising
Don’t Overlook the Impact of Human Psychology on the Success of Your Promotional Campaigns I’m a firm believer that advertising is simply applied psychology using print, television, radio or any other media platform the advertiser so chooses. Given that, it stands to...
WaveMAX Laundry Expands Footprint in Phoenix Market
WaveMAX Laundry, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., recently announced that it has signed agreements to bring two new locations to the Arizona cities of Scottsdale and Mesa by the first quarter of next year. In addition, the company – which has already opened three...
PlanetLaundry Podcast, Episode 10: The Business of Vacation
In this episode laundromat owner Daniel Sofranko, who operates Perfect Wash Express Laundry Center in Huntington Beach, Calif., discusses how he has leveraged the booming tourism industry of his beachfront marketplace to create a successful and profitable niche for...
PlanetLaundry Podcast, Episode 9: The Formula for Powerful Advertising
In this episode we will hear PlanetLaundry columnist Stephen Bean place advertising in the context of applied psychology to demonstrate how our messaging can influence the human mind to deliver exceptional results. You can read the full column entitled “The Formula...
HappyNest Launches New Maryland Location
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its footprint within Maryland, with a new launch in the Montgomery County market. “Overall, HappyNest has had great success in Maryland,” said HappyNest founder John MacKrell. “However, we had a gaping hole in...
You’ve Never Been More Essential
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass You’ve likely had a few pressing issues on your mind these last several months. Namely, the health and well-being of your family, employees and customers – not to mention, quite possibly, that of...
All Systems Go
How to Keep Your Laundromat’s HVAC Units Running as Smoothly and Efficiently as Possible Hopefully, by now any lingering heat from summer has passed and the cooler weather of fall is upon us. I say “hopefully,” because the summer heat can create a number of challenges...
Eastern Funding Hires Industry Veteran
Eastern Funding, LLC recently announced that industry veteran Matt Westphal has joined the company as a loan officer. Westphal, with more than 12 years of experience in commercial laundry equipment lease and loan originations, is skilled in cultivating new distributor...
Hercules Merges with Birchwood Coin-Op Laundries
Hercules Corp., headquartered in Hicksville, N.Y., has announced that it has merged with Birchwood Coin-Op Laundries Inc., based in Whitestone, N.Y. The combined companies will go forward together under the Hercules Corp. banner. A family-owned business since 1979,...
Who’s Servicing Your Wash-Dry-Fold Customers?
A Look at the Pros and Cons of Utilizing Independent Contractors vs. Laundromat Employees With the outbreak of COVID-19, I’ve recently received quite a few questions from laundry owners about wash-dry-fold services. The wash-dry-fold business has not fallen off during...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Green is Good Business: Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand
- Women In Laundry: Lee Ann Geurts Loves a Challenge
- Store Profile: Kings Laundry Kicking it in Los Angeles
- Untapped Growth Opportunities
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
HappyNest Expands Footprint in Missouri
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest is now available in Jefferson City, Mo., through its new laundromat partner, Capital Laundry. HappyNest offerings are available to residents and businesses in select areas in Cole, Boone and Callaway Counties. “With...
Aaxon Hosts Coffee Event for Staff
Aaxon Laundry Systems recently organized a coffee event for team members. This successful event took place at the company’s headquarters, in collaboration with one of Florida’s most popular mobile cafés – Cool Beans Espresso Café on Wheels. In addition, virtual coffee...
First Speed Queen Laundry Franchise in California Now Open
Speed Queen has announced that the first Speed Queen Laundry franchise in California is now open in Long Beach, with a grand opening event scheduled for April 6. The owners of the new 3,600-square-foot store are Saba Safiari, a former U.S. Marine, and his uncle,...
GNA Recognized for Exceptional Performance
Girbau North America recently received a 2021 exceptional performance award – a gold “G” – from parent company, Girbau Global Laundry Solutions, headquartered in Vic, Spain. Girbau President Serge Joris presented the award to GNA President Mike Floyd during GNA’s...
HappyNest Widens Reach in Northern California
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has widened its reach in northern California, with its offerings now available in San Francisco through new laundromat partner Launderland. Last year, the company expanded its availability to East Sacramento and West...
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
When You Look at Your Business, What Do You See?
Maximize Profits by Changing the Way You Personally View Your Self-Service Laundry Operation As the story goes, two young salmon were swimming along one day when they were passed by a much older and far wiser fish coming from the opposite direction. The older fish...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Tackling Oil and Grease, Cleaning Cuffs and Collars, More…
We have a customer who needs to clean very oily, greasy clothes from oil field workers. What detergent or other chemicals are needed to do this job properly? There’s are a couple of key factors to removing oil and grease from garments, especially if those stains...
Viewpoint
A Time to Reflect A Time to Move Forward
Originally posted - Dec issue/2012 As I write this column in late October, it seems to be more of a time of positive activity than a time of reflection. I just recently returned from the Coin Laundry Association's Excellence in Laundry Conference in Palm Springs. And,...
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.