Originally posted – Jul 01, 2014
What is the best way to remove dog hair from blankets and dog beds?
The best way to handle such a situation is to put these items in the dryer before running them through the wash cycle. Let them run through a drying cycle or two, and then remove them and wash them as you would normally. The tumbling action from the dryer should shake out most of that loose hair.
I’m opening a new self-service laundry, and I’d like to know how many laundry carts I should purchase. What’s more, should I let my customers to take the carts out of the store to carry their laundry to their vehicles?
There are varying theories as to the ratio of carts to washers or dryers, but no real “rule of thumb.” Therefore, I posed this question to the folks at R&B Wire Products, which manufactures carts for the coin laundry industry. Here is their response:
“The interesting issue is that the profile of stores is changing to a blend of machine sizes these days. As a result, cart configuration is changing as well. For example, a laundry 10 years ago might have had only 20- and 30-pound machines. If it had a total of 32 washers and 36 dryers – and the washers were in use 50 percent at the busiest times – that owner would want to have 16 to 20 standard carts (2.5 bushel capacity) available.
“Today – and, of course, all of this is based on available square footage – an owner might have a combination of 20 20-pound washers, 4 40-pound machines and 4 55-pounders. In addition, there might be 24 standard dryers and six to 10 large-capacity dryers in this store. In this case, the cart configuration might look something like: 10 to 14 2.5-bushel carts, three to four 4.5-bushel carts, and three to four 6-bushel carts.
“Another interesting change is that many owners are now interested in having their larger carts color-coded, so as to be identified as going with their larger machines.”
In addition to the above advice, it’s a good idea to create an area for cart storage near your front entrance, similar to what most supermarkets provide for their shopping carts. This way your carts won’t be scattered all over your store.
As for allowing customers to take carts out of the store, I feel you should definitely allow this. Of course, you have to monitor it, but there is no quicker way to aggravate – and perhaps lose – a customer than to tell her she can’t take a cart out of the store. Your local supermarket no doubt allows it, and they have paved the way for what we should do. Yes, you’ll probably lose a few carts along the way, but that needs to be viewed simply as a cost of doing business.
I’m thinking about hiring some additional attendants. Can you provide any tips on locating and attracting potential employees?
The most effective method for attracting attendants is in-store signage. Hang attractive, legible signs in your coin laundry’s front window. Be sure your signage can be read from the inside of your store, as well as outside.
This is the best way to attract people who live in the area, especially those who are already customers of yours and, as such, are already familiar with your business. You probably have a number of customers who are looking for either part-time or full-time work. Typically, in such cases, you’re getting a person from the neighborhood who already knows many of your customers and potential customers. In addition, such a person will tend to be more reliable, because she won’t have to travel a long distance to get to work.
One of my customers recently used a washer that was leaking transmission oil, and the oil stained her white, cotton garments. Now her clothes have brown spots all over them. What can I do?
First of all, call your laundry distributor and purchase a quart of either Laundry Wetspo or Laundry TarGo. If the stains have not pre-set, simply follow the washing instructions on the container.
However, if the stains are already pre-set, soak the garments in a tub of hot water, using approximately a quarter- to a half-ounce of either product per one pound of laundry. Soak the items for about three hours in the hot water. Next, place the stained garments into a frontloading washing machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
During the final, hot-water wash, use a detergent with chlorine bleach. When you’re finished washing, you may have to dry the items more than once to remove any odors.
Also, don’t use a liquid fabric softener on that last wash; instead, use a softener sheet on the last dry.
