Is there some formula or rule of thumb that would guide me as far as how much folding space I should provide for my customers?
According to most vended laundry industry data, three square feet of folding space for every dryer pocket in your facility is considered to be ideal. Of course, for many store operators, this amount of folding space may be difficult to achieve. That’s OK – because most stores can get by just fine as long as they’re at least in the ballpark, with perhaps two square feet of folding space per dryer opening, for example. However, three square feet is optimum.
In this tight labor market, I’m competing with fast-food restaurants and major retailers for essentially the same labor pool. How can I successfully compete with Walmart and McDonald’s for employees?
One advantage you have over those other employers you have mentioned is the fact that most of the work at a laundromat is typically less strenuous than it would be at those other workplaces – especially at a major, high-volume fast-food chain.
In addition, if you provide a wash-dry-fold service, you have the option of offering a small percentage of that segment of the business to your attendants who handle the laundry processing work. It’s just one easy way in which you can elevate your employees’ income and incentivize them beyond what Walmart and McDonald’s can offer these workers.
I have a wash-dry-fold customer who is a very heavy smoker. In the winter, it seems that the clothes he brings in are at their worst; even the plastic hamper he brings them in reeks of smoke. I have tried an odor-reducing fabric softener from my laundry supplier, but without much luck. The soaps and softeners I have tried are not able to cut the smell and leave a clean, fresh scent. Plus, he insists that we put his clothes back into his hamper that still smells, even after we clean it. What do you recommend?
There is a product called Exit that you can purchase from your local laundry supplier. It’s available in two forms – as a softener and as an odor-removing agent. This product really does the job when it comes to removing smoke odors. In fact, Exit is often used for fire restoration work to remove the smoke odor.
After using Exit, I would suggest adding a softener sheet during the drying cycle. Then, when folding and packaging the finished garments, be sure to place them in a sealed, plastic bag before returning them to the customer’s smelly, smoky hamper.
I run a very clean laundry. My attendants wash and polish my washers daily. But I’m having a problem cleaning the green and black mold off of the underneath portion of my rubber soap lids. What can I do?
First, buy a small, stiff bristle brush that’s about a half-inch to an inch wide, or else purchase a hard, bristle toothbrush.
Next, mix a solution of four ounces of OxiClean or Clorox with a half-gallon of hot water. Then brush the mold off using the solution. Follow this by using a standard spray bottle with warm water to spray the area clean.
Follow this procedure on a weekly basis, and you will keep the mold from returning.
