Download Article
Download Article
In order to run a laundromat, you'll have to handle the more hands-on duties like cleaning the laundromat, maintaining the equipment and collecting money from the coin-operated washers or a “smart-card” machine (customers deposit money in a centrally-located machine and use the “smart-card” to run the washers). You will also perform administrative tasks like bookkeeping, banking and marketing.
Steps
Download Article
-
Clean the laundromat. Some light cleaning may be necessary, such as emptying lint from lint screens in the dryers, emptying trash cans and washing tables used by customers to fold laundry. If your laundromat has a lavatory, you will also need to keep that in good order.
-
Perform regular maintenance on washers and dryers. You will have to maintain the washer and dryer according to the type of machine.
- For a washer-extractor , it is important to inspect the door lock and the water inlet valve hoses and connections on a daily basis. At the end of every day, the door should be left open to allow for moisture evaporation.
- For top load and front load washers , the lid should be left open after each use to prevent unseemly smells. On a monthly basis, all hoses should be checked and replaced if there are any visible cracks or other wear and tear. The filter screens in the fill hoses should be monitored annually for debris or damage.
- For tumble dryers , the lint compartment should be cleaned daily, and the cylinder should be monitored for any foreign objects on a daily basis. The exhaust duct should be checked monthly for any lint or other debris. The tumbler will need to be cleaned by an authorized service representative every year.
- For regular dryers , the lint screen should be cleaned before every load (it also helps to annually remove the lint filter and vacuum the duct under it). The exhaust duct should be monitored every 1 to 2 years as needed. The outside weather hood should be checked frequently to ensure that the dampers are working properly. An annual cleaning by an authorized service representative is also recommended.
Advertisement -
Empty coin-operated machines or smart card machines. If your laundromat has coin-operated machines, it will be necessary to empty each one, while if your machines take smart cards, you will only have to empty the smart card processing machines.
-
Deposit and record daily earnings.
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Tips
- If your laundromat is having profitability problems, it may help to move to an area where there are a lot of renters who may not have access to their own laundry facilities (e.g. college towns and cities). It may also behoove you to provide special perks like snack machines, video games, coffee or a children's play area in order to bring in the business.Thanks
- Also, most laundromats are self-service. You may consider offering wash, dry and fold services for busy individuals who may not have time to do their own laundry in order to set your laundromat apart from other businesses, and to appeal to a broader demographic.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
References
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 25,348 times.
Advertisement
81%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
