I bought a laundromat a few months ago, and I have been seeing the wash-dry-fold business decrease every month. I’ve taken my own clothes to my store to have them washed with our drop-off service, and the clothes came out smelling quite bad – to the point where I had to rewash them at home.
I want to turn this into a great wash-dry-fold service, but quite frankly, I don’t even know where to start, as I am completely new to the laundry business. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regarding the garment odors, it’s important to understand that some items – especially those manufactured in Indonesia, China and some other countries – are created using different types of dyes than are used in the United States. Some of these dyes tend to have a strong, foul odor to them, which is nearly impossible to remove; once the garment is dyed, the dye will impregnate itself into the very molecular structure of the material.
Also, some garments that are manufactured internationally are encased in polyethylene covers. And, if these items sit in these covers for long periods of time, the polyethylene will transpose its odor directly onto the garments – and those odors, too, is virtually impossible to eliminate.
Therefore, if you’re dealing with garments manufactured in countries that tend to use bad dyes or polyethylene covers, it’s important to understand that you probably won’t have much luck eliminating those types of odors.
On the other hand, to tackle just your standard, everyday laundry odors, I would suggest using Febreze in the wash. It’s a popular product that you can purchase at your local supermarket. Also, perhaps contact your local chemical distributors to see what types of deodorizing agents they can provide to help further eliminate any odors occurring during your wash-dry-fold process.
My store is currently involved in a legal dispute over parking. Is there any formula or rule of thumb regarding the amount of parking recommended for a self-service laundry?
Typically, the recommended minimum is five to six parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet. So, if you have a 2,000-square-foot laundry, you should have a minimum of 10 to 12 parking spaces. If not, you’ll likely have a problem on your very busy days.
My husband and I own a self-service laundry, and the lint screens on some of our stack dryers have developed a tough residue that we can’t seem to remove. It almost like drops of glue on the lint screens. Do you have any suggestions for us?
I would check the heat level on your dryers. Some garments, especially slacks and dresses, have their fabrics glues together in certain areas. And, if you are overheating your dryers, that glue or adhesive can come loose in the dryer and eventually wind up on your lint screens.
Therefore, your dryers should not be set above 180 to 185 degrees.
As far as removing the glue from your lint screens, often naphtha or certain paint removers can be effective at dislodging these adhesives. Of course, glue has many different forms and formulations. Some glue is plastic-based; some is metal-based; and some feature a combination of acrylics. So, unfortunately, it likely will be a process of trial and error to see what may work to clean off those lint screens.
I have a commercial account that sends me 100 percent polyester tablecloths – and those tablecloths drive my dryers nuts. I suspect it’s the static electricity, because the burners go off and on constantly. I’ve tried drying the tablecloths in three different dryers, and the same thing happens with all three. However, my dryers work fine otherwise
How can I negate the static electricity? I’ve used Downy and dryer sheets, but they didn’t help.
In general, the dryer sheets – if you use enough of them – will eliminate any static electricity. Therefore, I would check to be sure that your dryers are well grounded. If the dryers are not grounded, that’s likely what’s causing your problems.
Check for a loose ground wire, and if the dryers are indeed properly grounded, dryer sheets should do the job.
#Laundry101 #Article #StoreOperations #PlanetLaundry #CommercialAccounts #BusinessManagement #WashWithWally #WashDryFold #Public
