I’m toying with the idea of opening a store that caters strictly to drop-off laundry customers, with no self-service business at all. The location I’m considering is densely populated, with residents in the upper-middle income range. What do you think?
The drop-off laundry business did very well until the early 1960s. Back then, many homeowners didn’t have washing machines or dryers, and apartment buildings didn’t have laundry facilities.
Since those days, everything has changed. Homeowners now can buy high-quality, energy-efficient washers and dryers that are cheaper in today’s dollars than they were back in the 1960s. In addition, route operators now service well-equipped laundry rooms in most apartment complexes.
As a result, if you plan on opening a drop-off-only laundry business, I would strongly advise you to hedge your bets by offering a pickup and delivery service as well; that’s probably the only way a business model like that will work in 2016.
I have a problem at my laundry with mildew odor. I’ve cleaned out all of the catch basins, and rodded out my drains and vent pipes. What am I missing?
I would check the gaskets around your soap dishes, as well as around the doors to your washers. I’m fairly certain this is where you’ll find your mildew problem, especially around the door gaskets.
And, if you do discover mildew there, you’ll need a hard-bristle brush and a 5 percent to 6 percent chlorine bleach solution; be sure to brush the solution in between the glass and the gasket, as well as underneath. When doing so, always wear safety goggles.
When the cleaning job is completed, run the machines through a full wash cycle to rinse out any of the residual chlorine.
I run a successful drop-off laundry business, and I get very few complaints. However, the one recurring issue I seem to be struggling with is the fact that mattress pad covers sometimes rip during the washing process. Am I the only one who has experienced this problem? I’m hoping you can suggest a way to solve my dilemma.
Most of the time mattress pad covers are constructed of a very light material. They’re typically made of good cotton, but it’s also extremely soft cotton. The good part about that is they’re comfortable to sleep on. However, the negative aspect of that is the mattress pad covers are quite delicate to begin with; what’s more, these items receive quite a bit of abrasion – especially in the center of the pad covers – because this is where people typically lay and move around while in bed.
As a result, if you’re going to wash these types of pad covers, I would suggest using a topload washer, set on a gentle cycle. If you attempt to wash them using any more aggressive of a process than this, as you’ve already experienced, the pad covers are likely to tear.
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