r/Laundromats

Hi,
as the title says, my mom has decided she wants to buy a laundromat and believes whoever she purchases it from they will train her in owning a laundromat.
Does that actually happen? sounds a bit too good to be true.
Also, how does one start it? (she has the capital, and the want... just doesn't know the how)
She doesn't have reddit so I thought to ask here.
thank you for anything

Can someone please give me guidance and tell me where to start for laundromat business?

I'd love to hear what owner/operators used to purchase a business. My preference is an existing business (vs. new construction), so vendor financing is not an option.

Other than SBA or owner financing, what other resources should I look into? TIA.

Looking to buy a laundromat in the Southern California area. I’m looking at the nearby competition and for example, they are pricing their 6 load washes at 6.25. The laundromat I’m looking to buy is at $8 for 6 load. The competition also have newer machines and is remolded. The prospective laundromat I am looking at has 10 year old machines and is not attended and needs work.

How do I deal with this if I end up buying it? If I lower the prices to try to get more volume, I risk staying afloat and if I need to go back to original prices, I will lose a lot of customers. I’m on edge on buying this. The rent also doesn’t help as it’s outrageous for its smaller size.

Hi everyone! so I’ve been thinking about starting a small laundry business because apartments are increasing in my area and there isn’t one nearby yet. My plan is to start with maybe two or three units first and then grow depending on how things go. But I’m not sure what type of commercial laundry equipment I should be looking at. Should I start small and test demand or invest in more units early so I don’t struggle later. I’ve seen different machine setups people talk about and even noticed that some models look similar across suppliers like online stores which makes me think there are standard builds out there. I don’t want to overspend at the start but I also don’t want machines that can’t handle the workload. If you’ve started a laundry business before, how did you decide on your first machine? Any advice would really help.

I have been in the tech industry for 6 years now. I have been interested in buying a small business and hiring a manager, more like an absentee owner company. I have looked into:

1. Vending machines - Need to buy a lot to make profit, quite a bit of effort on loading, unloading, etc.
2. Laundromats - Leaning towards this as rate of success is greater than 90% and investment is not as car washes which have even higher success rates. Plus I plan to buy from those who are retiring so that I can scale the laundromat, probably through inculcating Artificial intelligence/Tech since it's my background.

Has anyone been in this similar path or did you end up buying something else which worked out for you? How did you go about it and how do I find mentors? Trying to find a community too.
Any other opinions/suggestions are welcome.

Realistically, how much are you bringing home when all is said and done? I’m eyeballing a medium mat in a medium sized metro-area. I realize there are 101 different variables in play, but what’s my ballpark earning? 50k?

Hello all. Wanted to change my front double and single back doors to automatically open and close with online access. Anyone have a good experience or currently using one you can suggest.

I want to own a laundromat one day

For some reason, the idea of owning a laundromat really appeals to me. I like the simplicity. The opportunity to get to do machine repair and maintenance (but not have to learn engineering). I like how laundromats serve as a gathering place and a family space for many. I like the idea of opening the machines to collect the coins and physically counting the profit. I’ve read it generates stable income which would be particularly helpful to me as a intermittently disabled person (ASD, chronic pain)
And, I could watch a machine conduct a whole wash cycle and never feel bored.

The other side of it: I don’t think it’s a super ethical thing to charge people to wash their clothes. In my opinion, everyone should have access to somewhere clean and resourced where they can wash their clothing and linens, and it doesn’t feel right to charge money for it.

I recognize there is really no way to have my cake and eat it, too.

What are some real practices and policies I could implement at my future laundromat to make it accessible and equitable for everyone, even though a laundromat would have to be run for-profit?

Anyone out there have experience with continental genius series? A lot of people rave about dexters but wondering if the current genius series beats them or if anyone noticed a notable improvement compared to there old washers. Need to upgrade machines and would appreciate any insight.

Hey everyone,

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on a vertical SaaS specifically for dry cleaning businesses (starting with small-to-mid sized operators).

Most tools I saw were either super outdated or too generic (just basic POS), so I tried to go a bit deeper into actual day-to-day problems.

Here’s what I’ve built so far:

• A vertical POS designed specifically for dry cleaners (not a generic retail POS)
• Predictive inventory forecasting (so shops don’t run out of solvents, packaging, etc.)
• A driver app for pickups and deliveries (route + order tracking)
• AI-based stain analysis (helps staff identify stains and suggests treatment methods)

The goal is to reduce manual work, avoid stock issues, and make pickup/delivery smoother.

I’m still early, so I’d really value feedback from:

• Dry cleaning / laundry business owners
• People who’ve built vertical SaaS
• Anyone who’s dealt with inventory or logistics headaches

A few things I’m trying to figure out:

1. Does this actually solve a painful enough problem?
2. Which feature sounds most useful vs. gimmicky?
3. What would make you actually pay for something like this?

Happy to share more details or give a demo if anyone’s interested.

Appreciate any brutally honest feedback 🙏

I'm planning to open a laundromat in 1-2 years. I'm 20 years old and want to learn the basics including running the store, repairing laundry machines, and bookkeeping. Any advice for beginners would be highly appreciated. Please give me help for starting learning. Thank you.​

I run a small SaaS for dry cleaners and I'm always trying to understand how shops actually operate day-to-day — not how I imagine they do.

Specifically trying to understand:

1. When a customer drops off clothes, how do you log it? Paper slip, phone, app, or something else?

2. How do you let customers know when their order is ready? Call, WhatsApp, SMS, or they just show up?

3. What's the most stressful part of a busy Saturday?

I'm not here to pitch anything — genuinely building in public and trying to make something useful. If you're a shop owner or work at a dry cleaner, your answers would be gold.

Will share what I learn from the replies in a follow-up post.

I’m familiar with the sage advice to retool with the distributor you like (vs. picking a machine manufacturer). Besides the obvious, can seasoned vets share a list of things I should be thinking about in terms of making this decision? Things that have served you well in your decision, things you’ve learned were important with experience, etc etc.

Two kids under 8, two adults, and one washer that's on its last legs. We go through 40 to 50 lbs of laundry a week easily, between school clothes, sports gear, sheets, and towels. I finally gave in last month and tried poplin after my sister recommended it. Los angeles pricing is $1.40/lb with a $30 minimum, so a typical week's order runs us about $60 to $70. Been 4 weeks of consistent use and nothing has come back damaged, the detergent preferences are actually respected, and my youngest with sensitive skin has had zero flare ups from any order.

What i want to know is whether the quality holds at volume over months, and whether anyone with a similar family size has found a better option in la specifically.

Hey everyone, I’m trying to understand the real, day-to-day challenges in running a dry cleaning business.

If you own or work at a dry cleaners, I’d love to hear:

• What are the most frustrating parts of your workflow?
• Do you struggle more with operations (orders, tracking, staff) or customer-related issues?
• How do you currently manage things like stain identification, order mix-ups, or lost garments?
• Any problems with inventory (chemicals, tags, packaging, etc.)?
• What’s one thing you wish was easier or automated?

Even small annoyances are helpful to know. Trying to learn from people actually in the field instead of guessing.

I need to start bringing in some more wash and fold clients, anybody have any recommendations for marketers? Someone mentioned Laundroboost.