*Nationwide Services for New Investors & Current Laundry Owners*
Laundromats are an "Essential Business"!
March 20, 2020 Update:
It is time to get serious. The following steps may seem burdensome but the safety of your employees and customers are critical.
Please consider implementing the following procedures immediately if you have not done so already. If these procedures will not work for you, please feel free to call for individual consultation as to what you can do. There will be no fee for your call.
1. Open only during attended hours.
Consider an Even/Odd system (by year of birth on ID) and otherwise by appointment. This will allow you to help more customers.
2. Hire temporary employees, until things change, likely in 6 months.
3. Employees are to enter the laundry with gloves on, go immediately to hand wash station and wash gloves 20 seconds, remove gloves, wash hands for 20 seconds, put on (new gloves if possible) and put on clean apron (all). Employee should then immediately begin cleaning doors and ALL other items touched by people.
*Employees should also change aprons and gloves frequently throughout their shift and continually wash hands.
4. Have signs instructing customers to immediately wash hands upon entering the laundry.
5. Make gloves and masks available in vending machines when possible.
6. Have wipes available in dispensers in several locations.
7. Keep doors open to allow fresh air in.
8. Ask customers to come in alone to wash.
See our other recommendations below, which mostly still apply.
*Laundromats can remain OPEN*
March 18, 2020
We are in uncharted territory and we hope you all are staying safe.
The CDC and California Health Department has limited business and is only allowing "Essential Businesses" to be open.
Laundromats are on the list of the essential businesses, identified as important and a necessity, therefore can remain open. Laundries provide a product and a service which is not only valued and needed but may be the only sense of "normalcy" to many customers during this time of uncertainty.
In the short term, you may have to now change your business model to accommodate this Coronavirus Pandemic and the governments 10 person max per gathering.
Please take steps to ensure that your laundry can serve as many people as possible.
Providing Fluff and Fold Laundry Services during this time is essential.
It is very important to follow these precautions:
- DO NOT be handling dirty laundry (no matter what). The Fluff and Fold customer will need to load their clothes into a washer/washers and wash their hands immediately after. Your attendants will take it from there.
- You will still pay for the wash, wash it, dry it, and fold it as you always have. This will eliminate risk of spreading germs through soiled clothes but still give you the ability to provide a much needed service to your customers.
- You should still charge the same Fluff and Fold prices as you always have.
- Offering Fluff and Fold Services to the elderly at a discounted cost and prioritize their needs is also a good idea.
*Note, the same procedure should be enforced as stated above.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please stay safe and wash your hands constantly. We are all in this together!
PBI Laundry Consulting
*RE: the Coronavirus Pandemic*
March 12, 2020
Dear Laundry Owner,
It is quite likely that your business will decrease as we get deeper into the affects of the Coronavirus Pandemic; I know many already have seen declines. The manner in which you respond to this situation may be the difference between getting through this with tolerable and possibly controllable losses or having your business damaged, long-term.
It is important that you address these health concerns with immediate action.
Here are some steps that you can take to help minimize your losses.
- The Attendant, if you are attended, create an immediate requirement that all Employees wear gloves, at all times when inside the laundry. You may also include Masks and Aprons a requirement.
- If your laundry is not attended, you should consider hiring one, at least until this situation has been absorbed into our daily lives.
Note that an attendant, if costing, all inclusive, 15.00 per hour, you could have an attendant on duty for Three hours in the AM and Three Hours in the PM shift, to closing. This is $2,700.00. By reducing that to 5 hours (2 in the AM and 3 PM) $2,250.00. Note that the closing and PM cleaning would be covered in this, so you would deduct what you pay now for that.
3. Employees should be cleaning all surfaces with a sanitizing product; constantly and visibly, after each use or as close to it as possible; including all washing machines, dryers, counters and seating. The germ lives on hard finishes for up to 3 days (from what is reported).
4. Post signs and promote on social media what steps you are taking to combat this and keep your customers safe.
For many, this may seem expensive at a time of declining revenues but consider losing your customers, who still need to do their wash go to your competitors, that do rise to this occasion. For many, who do respond, their business will likely grow further as this event is adjusted to.
Please take this very seriously and take protective measures.
We must do everything possible to protect our customers, our employees and our businesses.
The laundry is a Community Business and shares the responsibility to do its part to keep Customers safe, Employees safe and the Business itself safe.
We welcome your feedback and any additional ideas you may have. And we encourage anyone reading this to please share this information.
PBI Laundry Consulting
Update - Precautions to consider:
1. When possible, have gloves and masks available in your Vending machines or over the counter. Sell cheap.
2. Have wipes (when available) in dispensers in several locations.
3. Make a sign in front saying, Please wash your hands immediately upon entering. And have soap and towels available.
4. Adjusted Hours:
a. If you laundry is doing under 2,500.00 per week, you may shorten your hours to better afford staffing.
b. If you are a very busy laundry, you should consider lengthening hours and limiting amount of customers at one time. You may consider a reservation system for those customers that are impatient.
The laundry is a "Necessity of Life" service business. You should stay open and be sure you are taking appropriate precautions, immediately.