We recently published a response to the Coronavirus Impact on the Laundry Industry. One of the points in that post was that raw building materials now cost approximately 2-3 times their historical average costs (and that's actually for anything construction related, not just the laundry industry). Unfortunately, rising costs have put a halt to a lot of strategically planned commercial laundromat renovations for the coming year, and has caused many others to rethink going into the laundry business altogether.
We get it. Who could have predicted a worldwide pandemic that would cause manufacturing plants to shut down for months at a time leading to a rise in materials costs and construction delays. That said, just because you can't renovate your commercial laundromat does not mean that the game is over. In fact, we've got a few ideas for "renovating" your commercial laundromat that go beyond construction.
1. Power Clean
When was the last time you gave your business a good scrub? Like a pull out all the machines, get behind them and remove every inch of dust that's built up behind them kind of scrub? If you have an older laundromat, chances are that things are starting to look a little bit dated.
Buying new machines may or may not be an option. Building a new building is out of the question, but there's no reason you can't do a thorough power clean. This type of clean may take a few days to complete, so plan to "close up shop" for a few days and hire professional cleaners to assist. Then separate your laundromat into parts. For example, consider cleaning in quadrants. Pull out all of the machines in that quadrant and clean from top to bottom. Once complete, move to the next quadrant.
2. Fresh Coat of Paint
Another option, beyond a power clean is to add a fresh coat of paint to either the interior or exterior of your business (OR BOTH!). While many building materials are either unavailable or just too expensive, there are still plenty of materials that are still easily accessible, including paint.
We have actually watched a number of industries take on this approach, especially in situations where there is new ownership. Fresh paint does wonders for changing people's perception of your laundromat and can encourage new customers that may have walked right past you to walk in. Consider how you want your customers to fill when they enter your place of business and choose a color that evokes those feelings. For example, a pop of color such as yellow can added some much needed joy to an otherwise boring chore. We'll cover this idea a little more in a future piece, but here's some other ideas to inspire you.
3. Rearrange Your Space
We can also work with you on a commercial laundromat design, layout or footprint that makes sense from today's perspective. It's what we do. We can make sure that you have room to grow and scale your operations such that you're completely ready to leverage market changes rather than be crushed by them or missing the opportunity entirely. You shouldn't have to carry the entire weight of staying in business alone and we want to partner with you.
When manufacturers are ready to respond to new orders, we'll be right there with you to fully outfit your commercial laundromat with the best washers and dryers you could imagine.
AFFORDABLE SPEED QUEEN DEALERS IN NC | T & L3
Looking to buy equipment for a new facility or replace your old commercial washers and dryers in North Carolina? Call T & L today and ask about our great deals on vended and on-premise commercial washer extractors and industrial dryers. We’ve been around for over four decades, so we can give you valuable advice on our Speed Queen vended laundry equipment for your new laundromat.
