Grow Your Laundromat Business by Serving Your Community

There’s no doubt laundromats are closely tied to the communities they serve. In fact, more than 80% of your clientele likely live within one mile of your laundromat facility. Laundromats provide a necessary service to many who may have no other option for clean clothes. With that in mind, more and more laundry business owners and non-profit organizations are finding that the laundry industry is in a unique position to give back to the communities in which they serve in ways that other businesses simply can’t. Let’s take a look at some of the ways your laundromat can serve people better, improve business, and make a real difference in the world – one community at a time.

Free Laundry Days

The LaundryCares Foundation, part of the Coin Laundry Association, hosts Free Laundry Days around the United States with the goal of helping those who couldn’t otherwise afford it to clean their clothes and linens for free. Other non-profits and privately owned laundromats have followed suit with similar events. It almost goes without saying that these types of events can literally be life-changing for participants. Studies have shown that simply having access to clean clothes can make a difference in both your physical and mental health. It’s also a great way to bring people together and raise awareness about issues of homelessness and financial insecurity in your neighborhood.

Disaster and Crisis Relief

Laundromats are also in a unique position to offer help and support to families following disasters, such as fires and flooding, by offering laundry services at a discounted or free rate to those impacted. Some laundry businesses have also teamed up with hospitals and non-profits to offer free or discounted laundry services to cancer patients or families with loved ones in the ICU. In times of high stress, taking the burden of mundane but necessary tasks like laundry off of those who are struggling allows them to focus on more important things – like recovery, rebuilding, and caring for their loved ones.

Discount/Themed Days

Discount days and themed events that are tied in with what’s happening in the community can be an awesome way to connect with new and existing customers. Did the local sports team win the big game on Friday? Great! Show your support by offering a free wash cycle to anyone who brings in their ticket stub from the game. Is it finals week at the local college? Extend your hours, brew some coffee, provide Wi-Fi, and turn your laundromat into the perfect study spot for students. These are just a few examples, but playing an active role in the lives of your patrons is a great way to better serve your community and customers.

Filling a Niche

Sometimes, the best way your laundromat can serve the community is simply by filling a niche that others businesses are missing out on. Laundromat hybrids – like laundromat-cafes and laundromat-bars – can help make your laundromat facility a go-to destination, rather than simply a place to do laundry. While these laundry hybrid businesses are nothing new, they do seem to be popping up and becoming more popular as laundry investors tap into younger demographics. The possibilites of unique services and business opporunities are endless! As you look to improve your coin laundry, be sure you’re doing research into the surrounding businesses and asking customers about additional services they’d like to see in the nearby area, or what would make your laundromat more valuable to them.

Why It’s Good For Business

Not only are you giving back and making a big impact in the community, but these types of events and services are good on a financial and business-level too. Serving your community improves your business in a number of ways, including:

• Generating positive buzz about your business through media coverage, social media, and word-of-mouth
• Attracting new clientele into your laundromat
• Helping to increase customer loyalty at your coin laundry
• Providing an easy way to get customer contact information through event sign ups
• Creating additional revenue opportunities
• Any many more!

Of course, these are just a few of the ways your laundromat can serve your community and help make it a better place to live, work, and do business. Whether it’s charitable contributions or a unique event or service, the important thing is that you find a cause or demographic that aligns with your business values and mission.

There’s really no industry like the laundry industry! We’d love to hear how you and your commercial laundry equipment are making a difference in the communities you serve. Share your stories with us on Facebook!