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Adding drop-off dry-cleaning to your existing laundromat can be an alluring prospect for business owners but adding it to your menu of services doesn’t guarantee incremental profits or success.

Still, with this major decision on the table, Wash IQ is here to help by offering the following points to ensure you have put in due diligence before adding a service that could lead to loss instead of profits. (Keep in mind, these points are under the assumption you’ll be outsourcing the work due to physical constraints.) There are a handful of things that you ought to consider before taking the plunge and spending your business’s money on setting up dry-cleaning for your customers. Start by asking yourself these questions:

Is your self-service laundromat in a dry-cleaning area?

This is pretty much asking whether or not you are going to be able to pull in a customer base that makes adding the service worth the effort. Though it might not seem like it at first, this is likely the most difficult question you are going to have to figure out. This is because the answer will require you take a look at the socioeconomic details of your laundromat’s surrounding area.

You see, if your laundromat is very popular, that might mean that the area is too blue collar to have a customer base that needs dry cleaning – since it’s a service most often used by a white-collar class. However, just because your self-service laundry is getting good business doesn’t mean that there’s not a market for dry cleaning in the neighborhood, and you should take into consideration nearby apartment complexes and office buildings as well as look into census data for the zip code. There might actually be a hidden neighborhood of wealth near you.

Do you have or know of a reliable wholesale dry-cleaner?

If you have determined that your area is ripe for offering dry cleaning, you will then have to find someone to actually do the work for you. Preferably, the business you contract will be nearby and offer wholesale prices. Nonetheless, you can’t make the decision on price alone as the dry cleaner’s reliability is paramount in making sure your business doesn’t suffer. If the dry cleaner loses or damages garments, your customers won’t care that the service was outsourced – they’ll be looking to you to provide a solution (or compensation).

Does your laundry have enough space to hang all the dry-cleaning business you expect?

This is probably the least cumbersome thing you need to think about, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important. Can your property support multiple hanger racks filled with clothes? Would you be willing to remove a coin-operated machine or two to make the space if needed?

Don’t forget that you’ll need a few employees.

One thing people seem to miscalculate when adding dry cleaning service is that they’ll need multiple employees to handle accepting and returning customers’ clothes. Sure, most laundry owners know they’ll need staff, but they end up budgeting for only one employee. Unless your self-service location is open only seven or eight hours a day, you’ll need more than one employee to handle the hours. Hiring (at least) three employees allows for allows for shift changes, some scheduling flexibility and days off.

Want to learn more about commercial laundry machines or starting your own laundry business? Our professionals at Wash IQ are ready and glad to help. To get a FREE laundry analysis call us at (844) 4WASHIQ

Whether you’re moving, opening a new location or have a few too many machines that keep breaking down no matter how many repairs are done sometimes your commercial washer or dryer just needs to be replaced. The question then becomes, should you buy a brand-new machine, or go with a used one. If you’re simply switching locations, wouldn’t it be more cost effective to just bring your current machines with you?

How do you know when it’s time to purchase a new system? Truth is, sometimes new really is better. Here are five advantages of buying a new system in place of lugging around your old machines or continually repairing them:

1. New machines are more energy efficient. While it may be quite a large up-front cost to completely replace a whole system, the amount you’ll save in running energy-efficient equipment (instead of older models) will pay for the new equipment soon enough. Not only will you save on your energy bill, but also on your water bill, since many new commercial washer machines tend to use less water to get the job done as well.
2. New machines can potentially mean more profit. Aside from saving you money down the line, some new commercial washers and dryers can actually help you make additional money. You’ll find that some include built-in upcharge features. These allow you to charge more for loads that use hot water or longer cycles. You can talk to your representative at Wash IQ for more information on these kinds of features.
3. Looks matter. As superficial as it may sound, newer equipment just looks better. If you’re moving locations, want to open a new location or just want to bring in new customers – attractive machinery will attract people. New machines are often bigger – or at least have bigger doors – and have a better curb appeal. Even if you do your best to keep your current machines running smoothly and clean them out regularly, there’s something about new washers and dryers that can’t be imitated.
4. It’s less stressful to do it all in one go. Instead of replacing units one by one and keeping track of what needs repairs when, it’s actually less stress to gut the entire system and start from scratch. Plus, sometimes it’s easier to get financing when you have a plan that includes a whole system, instead of taking out micro-loans for individual costly repairs or replacements as they come up.
5. New equipment will last longer. If you’re planning on staying in business for a while (and we’re betting you are) it’s important to invest in equipment that will be around for the long haul. Even if you’ve kept your current laundry equipment in the best shape, if it’s already been running for 10 years, it’s probably going to last at least 10 years less than what a new system will.

If you think it’s time to invest in a new commercial washer and dryer system or have a few questions in regards to the best options, give Wash IQ a call at (844) 4WASHIQ and we’ll give you a FREE estimate and work with you on creating the best plan for your business and budget.

Almost without fail, at some point during the installation process, our customers will ask us about the quality of the replacement parts we’re using to repair their commercial washer. The funny thing though, is that these questions usually happen on site at the time of installation, rather beforehand during initial conversations (either via emails or phone calls).

While this isn’t really an issue for our customers, since all Wash IQ laundry repair technicians use only the highest quality and most energy efficient laundry parts available (which most often means using the original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, parts), other businesses should be wary. Anyone who relies on commercial laundry systems for their business should always make it a point to ask their current or prospective commercial laundry installation or repair company about the replacement parts that are being used.

There’s a large risk in not knowing whether your repair service is trying to cut their own costs by installing inferior equipment, and there should be no shame or hesitation in making a quick call or shooting an email to find out what will be used. At Wash IQ, we pride ourselves in our honesty and integrity in building long standing relationships through providing excellent service. That being said, we welcome the opportunity to answer any of your questions – whether it’s in advance, or while we’re on-site. Give us a call at (844) 4WASHIQ and find out for yourself the importance of using high-quality OEM products.

With just about any business you might be thinking about opening, one of the first and most important things to figure out is how much you are going to charge your potential customers once you hit the market. While the US government actually has restrictions on discussing exact pricing details for pick-up and delivery of high-volume laundry, we can talk about the things you should be taking into account before you come up with the price you want to set for your services.

Luckily, Wash IQ can help you design a system that will help you use your resources most effectively and can even help you create a pricing plan. Before you get started, consider all these potential cost and pricing aspects for your laundromat business:

Rental Prices or Cost of Goods

Whether you plan owning or renting the commercial washer and dryer machines, the cost of either action will weigh heavily into how much you charge your customers. Since your commercial washers and dryers are going to be the backbone of the laundry services you provide, you will also need to take into account how much you’re paying toward maintenance.

With rental and COG prices, there isn’t a set-in-stone standard since the price range of used and new machines can vary wildly. Not only that, but you will also need to take into account the kind of volume that you are planning to accommodate as this will determine how many machines you will need. Additionally, don’t forget to add in the costs of owning and operating the vehicles needed to transport the laundry itself (if that’s a service you want to provide).

Cost of Labor

With a pick-up and delivery laundry service, you will need at least a handful of personnel to for driving and other various aspects of the job. These are the people who will do most of the physical work for you and includes jobs like picking up and dropping off laundry, operating the washers and dryers, and folding and storing the various linens for transport. Depending on where you live, the minimum wage can range from $7.25 to around $13 per hour, so you will need to adjust your prices accordingly.

Real Estate

The space to run your business isn’t going to come free, so however much you end up paying for the in rent also needs to be figured in to your operating costs.

Coverage Area

If you end up receiving contracts for businesses, hospitals or other facilities that are far from where you operate, the cost of gas will start to play heavily into how much it costs to stay in business. That being the case, you may have to adjust your per-pound pricing or agreed-upon minimum volume of laundry to stay competitive. Gas prices have been known to fluctuate, while they have decreased recently, that won’t always be the case, so plan accordingly.

Your Acceptable Income

Finally, to determine how much you will charge your customers for laundry service, you need to figure out how much you will accept as a payment for yourself. If the laundry is your sole source of income, you may have to start slow and do much of the work yourself just to make sure you’re getting a fair income. However, if you own multiple businesses already, this gives you a bit of an advantage in that you can keep your personal income from the business low while establishing a customer base.

With these in mind, you’re one step closer to opening your laundry business. For more information on commercial laundry systems, repairs or maintenance, or to receive a FREE quote, contact Wash IQ by calling (844) 4WASHIQ

Although they themselves are made to get other things clean, commercial washers should still get a thorough cleaning on a regular basis to help make sure they remain operational for as long as possible. Cleaning your commercial washers and dryers every month – or every week if your business has a high volume of laundry – will also mean being more aware of the appliances and issues that may need to be addressed. For example, the hoses that connect the hot and cold water need to be replaced every three to five years for a washer in a residential property. However, in a business environment, chances are pretty good that the hoses will wear down much quicker, by sticking to a cleaning schedule, you’ll regularly be inspecting the appliances and will be able to note when things are no longer looking pristine.

There are a handful of specific things you are going to want to do when cleaning the inside of your washing machine. Still, even with the list of tasks to complete to get that washer spick and span, the steps are pretty simple and won’t take up much of your time.

1. Wipe down the lid – Using a damp sponge, clean the washer’s lid to remove any excess buildup, spilled detergent or hard water stains. If you can’t see any of these, you should still wipe down the top and underside of the lid.

2. Empty and clean the lint trap – Remove the lint trap from your washer and clean it out with running water from a sink. If your washer doesn’t have a lint trap, skip this step.

3. Clean out soap, fabric softener and bleach cups – To clarify, these are where you pour the laundry detergent, bleach or fabric softener when washing your clothes. You may be able to remove these dispensers from your washer before cleaning it. If you can’t remove the cups to wash them easily in your sink, just remove any buildup by using cotton swabs or pipe cleaners. If the cups are not removable, you should consider cleaning them out by wiping them after every wash to keep them free from dirt and buildup.

4. Fight saturated odors, mold and buildup – Put the settings on your washer so the water will get as hot as possible. Turn it on and let the water start to fill the washer. When the water level fills up about a quarter of the washer, add two cups of white vinegar directly into the water. Doing this will help break down months of soap buildup, get rid of odors and kill mold.

5. (Optional) Clean hard water deposits – If the water running to the commercial washer is particularly hard, you’ll have to run the wash an additional time without clothes in it. However, instead of two cups of white vinegar, use a full gallon. The vinegar works to dissolve the buildup left behind by hard water, which will, in turn, allow the washer to drain more efficiently between cycles.

After running an empty wash with white vinegar, your washing machine should be near as clean as the day you got it.

To learn more about commercial laundry systems, or to schedule maintenance. Wash IQ today for a FREE laundry room analysis or give them a call toll free, at (844) 4WASHIQ, and they’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.

For those of you who operate a laundromat and have stainless steel washers and dryers, you know how difficult it can be to scrub away hard water stains and keep the appliances looking clean. It’s not feasible to keep buying new appliances, but you also don’t want your washers and dryers looking dingy when customers come in. Thankfully, cleaning off the detergent and water stains from your appliances is pretty easy as long as you have the right type of cleaner.

For any hard water marks that show up on your stainless steel washers and dryers, you will need water, pure white vinegar and cleaning cloths. Start by dampening and wringing a cloth with vinegar and rubbing the stain with the grain. Add more vinegar to your cloth as needed. After hitting all the stains, soak the cloth in warm water, wring it out and remove the vinegar by wiping it down. Fully dry the stainless steel with a towel.

To help keep hard water stains from appearing right away again, wax each appliance. To save time from having to wax dozens of machines, take notes or pay attention to where water seems to cause the most problems and focus your waxing there.

Check out GE’s video below to learn their tips on cleaning stainless steel. The video covers cleaning a GE stovetop range, but you can apply the same cleaning process to your washers or dryers.

If you’re looking to create a new system, or have bigger issues than stains with your current laundry system, call Wash IQ toll free at (844) 4WASHIQ

Though a laundromat could be considered complete with just a few rows of coin-operated washers and dryers, there are still quite a few services that your business can offer to keep your customers coming back week after week. Consider one (or a few, or all) of these five additional services to help your laundromat stand apart from the competition.

Dry Cleaning

A staple in the laundry industry, dry cleaning is a stellar service to offer if you operate a laundromat. By providing dry cleaning service alongside your standard laundromat offerings, your business will be seen as a much more full-service company as you will technically be able to offer all types of clothes and linens cleaning.

Fluff & Fold

Fluff and fold laundry service is fairly common at laundromats that have an on-site staff present during normal business hours. This service is beneficial for a number of reasons, including keeping the laundromat less crowded and more comfortable for self-service customers, being able to earn more per load, and facing less risk for washer and dryer machine issues from user error.

Laundry Pickup & Delivery

A very popular service for laundromats that offer it, you offer a pickup and delivery service for customers. As you probably figure though, offering laundry pickup will mean that you offer fluff and fold service as well.
Although picking up and delivering your customers’ laundry might sound like a troublesome service to add, it can be viewed as a premium service (and you can therefore charge a premium price). If you don’t have the manpower to keep up with deliveries, consider hiring a third-party company to carry out actual deliveries.

Vending Machines

If a customer has more than a load or two to do in your laundromat, he or she is going to end up spending a good chunk of the day washing, drying and sorting clothes. Chances are good that he or she will get hungry at some point, and a vending machine with a few salty or sweet snacks, or one filled with cold beverages will end up receiving a lot of business. In fact, with the instant turnaround time, a pair of vending machines can end up making more money than a single coin-operated washer and dryer combo on busy days.

Kids’ Corner

People visiting a coin-operated laundromat often have to bring their children along. As you know, children can get noisy and rambunctious when they don’t have something to hold their attention. While this isn’t a problem by itself, kids running around through the laundromat can be a real nuisance to other patrons. While this could be an issue at any laundromat, you can alleviate some of that frustration by providing a small section for kids to play. This could just be as simple as a small corner with a few toys and possibly a TV with cartoons playing. Not only does it keep childless customers from getting annoyed, but it also helps parents get their laundry chores done quickly without interruption.

Want to work any of these systems into your current laundromat, or looking to start new altogether? Give Wash IQ a toll free call at (844) 4WASHIQ to set up a FREE consultation.