GREAT CONFERENCES THIS COMING WEEK
March 27-29, Dallas, TX — Details in Conferences & Events
April 1, Vancouver, BC — Details in Conferences & Events
CLATA announces Cybersecurity webinar
The Cleaners and Launderers Allied Trades Association (CLATA) will be holding a free Zoom webinar on April 1 at 1 p.m. eastern time. Speaker Zachary McCook, IT Director at Nixon Medical, will talk about how to secure your laundry from a cyber standpoint to keep data safe and operations running.
For further details and the link to the webinar, see Conferences & Events.
Throughout March we will be focusing on what’s going on inside the machines and behind the scenes — the chemistry and products that actually get the clothing and other textiles clean. Every sector of the industry (dry cleaning, wet cleaning, industrial laundry, laundromats) is dependent on the availability and an understanding of these key ingredients.
Anyone Can Wash Clothes—Professionals Process Them
By Kevin Marois
The theme this month is liquids. Rather than giving you a sales pitch on our detergent line, I thought I’d give you a few things to consider in your laundry department. You run a professional laundry—it’s time to start thinking like a professional. Commercial laundry is your business.
Detergent Decisions
Why more laundromats are turning to bulk chemicals and auto-dosing
By Jeff Moak
Laundromat operators talk about equipment constantly, but far less about detergent—even though it directly affects wash quality and operating cost. Detergent is rarely treated as an operational decision, even though it directly impacts the quality of the service we provide to our customers.
Customers can tell when it’s real—and when it’s not
By Francis Flair
Many business leaders think trust is built through marketing—through a better slogan, a sharper website, or a polished ad. Those things can help. But they are not what make people trust you. Trust is built when the experience feels real.
NEVER MISS A STORY
Sign up for our weekly eNewsletter. You’ll know what’s posted, and can go straight to read what interests you. WE WILL NEVER SHARE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.
MARCH ARTICLES: Our Liquid Industry
Chemistry: Small Cost with Outsized Impact
How laundry chemistry quietly controls cost, quality, and efficiency
SERIES: Our Liquid Industry
By Becca Anderson
Chances are, unless you need to order supplies, you didn’t arrive at work today thinking about the chemistry behind your machines or the outcomes they produce. You’re focused on how much work needs to be done — and the best way to get from dirty to clean. But chemistry is at the heart of everything you do, and it can have a substantial impact on both your costs and your overall quality of work.
I asked Steve Tinker, Senior Vice President of Research & Development, Marketing at Gurtler Industries, to break down the ways chemistry can dictate your overall success.
YOUR INVISIBLE ASSET
How Chemistry is Strategy in Fabricare
SERIES: Our Liquid Industry
By Becca Anderson
Every industry has a hidden side that makes all the difference to its success. For the fabricare industry, it’s the “liquid side” of your process—everything from solvents and detergents to spotting chemicals, bleaches, softeners, and water. All play an enormous role in the outcome of any given load of clothing or other textiles.
From Chemistry to Craft
AJ Jijeh on the Seitz Way
By Linley McConnell
This month, we’re talking about liquid gold—or rather the solvents and detergents that make everything possible. Who better to interview than Abdularaouf “AJ” Jijeh, Seitz’s Senior Technical Sales Manager.
FEBRUARY ARTICLES: Social Media Stars
How to Win the Web Wars
SERIES: Social Media Stars
By Becca Anderson
Websites—and the people who access them—have changed a great deal in recent years. Have you and your website kept up? Do you even know who is the first reader of your site, and how important it is to give them what they are looking for? Don’t become invisible.
More than just Social
Making an excellent social media post
SERIES: Social Media Stars
By Becca Anderson
In the first installment of this series, I talked about how website searches and rankings have changed drastically in the last few years as AI has become more involved. In the same way, the value and viewability of your social media posts has also evolved from the quest for being viral, to a demand for understanding.
Websites that Work—Example 1
SERIES: Social Media Stars
By Becca Anderson
In this series, I have explained guidelines for successful websites that meet the criteria for selection and recommendation by AI and search engines today. But what does such a website look like? And how labor intensive is it? Let’s look at one company that has put thought and effort into structuring its website to bring it to the top of local searches.
Social Media Posts that Sing
SERIES: Social Media Stars
By Becca Anderson
If you want to get your feet wet in the social media arena and are looking for a role model, look no further than Lisa Loscerbo, CEO of Best Care Dry Cleaning in Winnipeg, MB. Lisa’s posts are engaging, informative, and have her customers talking—everything a good post should be.
Before you call Technical Support, READ THIS
How to get the most out of Tech Support when a machine goes down
By Kevin Marois
Your machine is down. The mechanic won’t be there for two days. The bags of dirty laundry are now waist deep. Who ya going to call?
“Technical Support!”
Where is the Canadian Voice in Laundry’s Social Media Boom?
When laundry advice comes from everywhere but Home
By Jeff Moak
I recently had a call with a client on the distribution side of my business—a new investor looking to get into the industry. We covered the usual ground: locations, equipment mix, pricing strategies. As the conversation was coming to an end, it shifted from logistics to learning—and influencers.
“No problem,” I said. “Let me recommend some people to follow.”
PR Without the Panic
How to Get Media Coverage
By Linley McConnell
If you had told me a few years ago that I would regularly be invited onto national television to talk about ‘laundry,’ I would have been skeptical. Like many dry cleaners, I assumed media coverage was reserved for big brands, famous founders, or companies with expensive PR teams. And yet, today, “Laundry with Linley” (me) has become a regular on Canadian TV, averaging at least one national television segment per month!
This month, I aim to demystify public relations and demonstrate how to build a media list and pitch your business in a way that feels manageable, repeatable, and realistic for your dry cleaning business.
Turn First-Time Customers into Loyal Regulars in 3 Visits
By Francis Flair
Most operators get excited when a new customer walks through the door. New ticket. New name in the system. New chance for business. But here’s the real question: Do you have a plan for turning that new customer into a regular? Or do you just hope they come back?
In dry cleaning and laundry, it’s not the first visit that grows your business. It’s the third. If you can make the first three visits feel easy, friendly, and consistent, you’re no longer “one of many” options. You start to become their place. Here is a simple framework forthinking about those first three visits and what to do at each one.
