When you think of laundry services, you might automatically imagine the neighborhood laundromat with rows of washing machines and dryers upgraded with commercial laundry parts from Laundry Replacement Parts.
But have you ever considered that laundry businesses, like many other business ideas, can start at home? Wash and fold laundry businesses can start off that way with a smaller startup cost and without the need to invest in dozens or washers or dexter laundry parts!
The typical home laundry business model would work like this: Clients will leave their laundry in a certain location for a scheduled pickup or drop it off in your home. You will then get the laundry to wash, dry, and fold the laundry, then return it to your client in their preferred address.
If you’re considering starting a business like this, we share tips to follow!
How to Start a Home Laundry Business
You can begin an in-home laundry business by utilizing platforms like TaskRabbit or LaundryCare. These platforms allow you to find clients looking for someone to do their laundry for them within your area.
But before you start marketing your services, you need to have the basic equipment down. Here are the must-haves to run your mini laundry business at home:
- A high quality washing machine and dryer. You can go to a coin-op place but you won’t make much profit, and while handwashing can work, it’s time-consuming, which customers won’t want.
- A way to pickup and drop-off laundry from the client to your home and vice versa. You may need access to a vehicle. For areas that are walking distance, you can go for a cart or bike.
- Dedicated area to fold and prepare the laundry.
- Laundry bags or hampers
- Garment covers for certain clothes
- Bag tags to easily identify who owns what laundry load
- Hanging scale to charge your clients per pound or kilogram, though you can also choose to bill by the hour
Once you have your equipment ready, you must develop clear policies, setting expectations for clients. This is crucial to ensure both your safety and avoid any miscommunication. Communicate the following before taking on a job:
- How the contactless pickup and delivery process works
- The items you can and cannot wash
- How you ensure safety when handling orders (wearing gloves when handling laundry, disinfecting equipment, washing hands, etc)
How Much Can You Earn?
You can make between $15-20 an hour with an in-home laundry business. As you begin getting more customers and gaining positive reviews, you can charge even more. You can charge per bag, per pound, or per hour. If you get more customers, then you might have to invest in more equipment!
It’s recommended to estimate how much your utility bills increase with the business. This will help you set the appropriate costs while still gaining profit.
Wrapping It Up
If you want to earn extra cash and believe you have the equipment and skills for laundry, then you can consider making it into a business!