Starting a laundromat business may require a significant amount of initial overhead, but a laundromat is one of few businesses that will pay for itself without requiring a lot of maintenance and expenses. Upon starting a laundromat business, you’ll need to secure a piece of property with ample parking, plenty of floor space, and adequate utility hookups.
Necessary equipment will include coin-operated or smart-card-operated washers, dryers, and washer-extractors – washing machines that spin at very high speeds, using gravity to “extract” stains and soil in fabric. While coin-operated machines may seem antiquated and will require more work (emptying coins from machinery and refilling change machines), newer smart-card-operated models (in which the customer purchases a card with a microchip in it, then buys credits from a machine that stores the balance on the card) can be expensive and are prone to hacking (a person can purchase a smart-card reader and, through their personal computer, add to the balance on their card).
Aside from the actual washers and dryers, SunnyDaze Laundromat will also need tables and areas for customers to sort and fold their laundry, a restroom, a large sink for hand wash-only items, a change machine (or smart-card center), and perhaps some video games and a snack machine. Starting a laundromat business should be focused on the customer: if your laundromat will be in a residential setting, have something for kids to do while their parents do the laundry; if your laundromat is in a college town, consider placing it within walking distance to campus, dorms, and other student housing.
The business will begin to pay for itself within no time. After your customer base is established, your laundromat will make money every day. And because a laundromat does not need to be attended, you are not losing money paying employees. Starting a laundromat business is a great way to ensure you’ll always have a separate, steady source of income. After initial fees for equipment, installation, etc., your only expenses will be for power, water and sewer, and the occasional repair to your equipment.
Essentially the only physical work that would need to be done in the laundromat once the business has been established is day-to-day upkeep. Most of these tasks will be fairly simple: cleaning lint screens, cleaning the restroom, and refilling the change machine if you use one. Since all of these tasks can be completed quickly and may not need to be done every day, starting a Laundromat business is a good idea for anyone looking to start a business that doesn’t require a lot of “attention.” For anyone with the money to invest, you can be guaranteed that, if properly placed, priced, and maintained, starting a laundromat business will pay for itself, and then put money in your pocket every day. You’ll have clean clothes, too.
