Laundromats make it easier to get laundry done when customers either don’t have a washing machine at home or need to wash more clothing than their machines can handle at home. Laundromats also sell detergents and soaps, dryer sheets, and other related items to help customers get their laundry done.
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Start a laundromat by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Laundromat
- Form your Laundromat into a Legal Entity
- Register your Laundromat for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Laundromat
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Laundromat
- Get Laundromat Insurance
- Define your Laundromat Brand
- Create your Laundromat Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your laundromat. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Laundromat Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a laundromat?
Costs for starting a laundromat are significant. Depending on the location, it can cost you between $100,000 and $200,000 to buy an existing business or it can cost up to $1 million or more.
Businesses you buy in larger cities tend to cost more. Also, some states are inherently more expensive than others. For example, buying a laundromat in California, Florida, or New York may be much more expensive than buying one in Idaho or Alabama.
If you’re starting out of your home, you can start with little to no money upfront.
Expect total startup expenses for a small business outside the home to be between $100,000 and $250,000.
A big part of the startup cost is the machines. Get “like new” machines that have been well-serviced and you can save yourself some money and lower your startup costs. However, be aware that used machines may not come with reliable or accurate service records. New machines may initially cost more, but you will also know the entire service history.
If you finance the business, rather than pay cash, you may only need to put down 10% to 30% of the total cost. Utility costs are a big expense. While the machines themselves can cost you $500 to $700 each for top loader and $3,500 and $20,000 for front loaders, utilities to run them (water, heating, etc.) can run between $200 and $2,000 per month, each.
Read our laundromat purchasing guide to learn about the materials and equipment you’ll need to start a laundromat, how much to budget, and where to make purchases.
What are the ongoing expenses for a laundromat?
The biggest ongoing expenses are the utilities. Expect to pay between $200 and $2,000 per machine just for the water and heating. You should also set aside money for maintenance. Maintenance costs can range from $50 to $150 per machine for simple maintenance and repairs.
Who is the target market?
Preferred clients are businesses with long-term service contracts. However, a laundromat can also service the general public and bring in a consistent stream of revenue. Ideal customers are those living in apartments where there are no onsite laundry services or washers and dryers for self-service. This might mean placing the laundromat near low-rent or poor neighborhoods.
How does a laundromat make money?
A laundromat makes money by charging customers to wash and dry their clothes. A laundromat may choose to operate as a self-serve operation, where customers insert quarters into machines to operate the washers and dryers, or it may be run as a full-service business in which customers pay to have staff do their laundry for them.
This business usually handles transactions in cash. However, some laundromats do offer the use of credit cards, checks, and even laundromat-specific cards. Cash-based transactions help to keep costs down for the customers and owner because there are no credit card fees. However, accepting credit cards increases convenience, potentially leading to more customers.
How much can you charge customers?
Costs for laundry services are driven almost entirely by the location. In bigger cities, you can charge more. In smaller towns, less. On average, you can charge customers $3 per load of laundry, washed and dried.
How much profit can a laundromat make?
The average annual income of a laundromat in the U.S. ranges from $30,000 to $1 million, according to Brian Wallace of the Coin Laundry Association. Average profit margin is between 20% and 30%. Some laundromats make significantly less, however. An owner-operated laundromat may be able to sustain a high profit margin by doing his own maintenance, and working in the business instead of paying an employee.
A larger business, with multiple locations, may only net a 10% to 20% margin after operating costs.
How can you make your business more profitable?
One of the best ways to make your business more profitable is to offer additional services. For example, you could offer self-serve dry clean machines, sell detergent, snacks, and coat hangers, dry cleaning bags, and laundry bags. Offer free or discounted wifi Internet services for customers to help them pass the time while they wait for their laundry.
Another way to dramatically reduce costs is to operate your business in an area where taxes and utilities are lower. Check county taxes and water utility rates. These can vary significantly from one location to the next.
Do your own maintenance. Maintenance on washing machines and dryers isn’t too difficult for someone with basic handyman skills. If you purchase washers and dryers that are easily serviceable, you can save yourself several thousand dollars per year.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your laundromat is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your laundromat were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?
Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
In most states, it is necessary to obtain a dry cleaning license. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
It is also important for laundry businesses to comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements related to laundry machines.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Laundromat needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Laundromat.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a laundromat
Promoting a laundromat is pretty straightforward. Advertise in local neighborhoods and spread your marketing to areas in your town or city where there is limited access to machines and other laundry services.
How to keep customers coming back
The best laundromats are ones that maintain a clean and friendly environment. When the inside of the building is clean and well-maintained, and when all machines are functioning normally, then customers are more likely to clean up after themselves and treat the machines as their own.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that make the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
This business is good for people who are looking for a full-time business but who also want something they can start in their spare time. Running a laundromat can either be a very hands-on or more passive business, allowing the entrepreneur to have flexible hours and scheduling.
However, as this business grows, it requires a great deal of management. Unless you can afford to hire a manager, this is a time-consuming business to own long-term.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a laundromat?
Running a laundromat can be simple or more involved. It all depends on the type of laundromat you want to run. A simple business model for this type of business is an unmanned laundromat service.
A more involved version of this business would include daily monitoring of the laundromat, collecting money from customers, folding clothes for those who paid for full service, and managing the books.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful laundromat?
Aside from having good business sense, good negotiation skills, and being mechanically inclined, there are no special skills or education needed to start a laundromat.
What is the growth potential for a laundromat?
Growth potential for this type of business is almost unlimited. Laundromats can be operated at a small scale, with a single building servicing many customers with a handful of machines. You can even start a small business out of your home, offering full-service laundry and folding services.
It can also be operated at scale with multiple locations across a town or city. Some laundromats operate near colleges and dorms where college students can easily access the building to wash their clothes.
Should you consider joining a franchise?
Joining a laundromat franchise can be a good option for entrepreneurs who prefer to use a proven model rather than start from scratch. While joining one can mean slightly higher initial costs and less control, a quality franchise offers great benefits such as initial and ongoing support, marketing assistance, and brand recognition.
Opening a laundromat franchise typically requires $230,000-$600,000.
Interested in joining a laundromat franchise? Check out our favorites.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
What are some insider tips for jump starting a laundromat?
These businesses sink or swim based on location. Try to get good real estate for your laundromat. Usually, this means setting up shop in neighborhoods where local residents don’t have easy access to laundry services and machines.
Another tip is to focus on securing a few small corporate clients, like janitorial businesses and restaurants, as clients. This will give you a strong base of income to work off from.
How and when to build a team
A coin laundromat doesn’t need a large staff and might be able to be non-staffed. However, you should consider hiring at least one to two employees to watch over the place, encourage customers to pick up after themselves, and to keep the place clean.
Each location can be minimally staffed, however.