5 Ways To Make $50 or More a Day Doing Laundry
Are you good at getting stubborn stains out of a piece of clothing? Do you have experience with cleaning clothes without damaging them? Do you know the difference between linen and wool and what detergents and temperatures you should use to wash each one? If so, you can put those skills to good use and make some extra cash.
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Here are five ways you can make money doing laundry.
Start a Local Mobile Laundry Business
Starting a mobile laundry business can be a great way to make money by tapping into the needs of busy people who might not have the time or inclination to do their own laundry. You can pick up their laundry, wash, dry, iron and fold it, and then deliver it right back to their doorstep.
To get started, you’ll first want to think about your area and your ideal target customer — perhaps families, busy professionals or students. Try to find neighborhoods with a high concentration of your audience, whether that’s richer areas of your town or locations with lots of families, and focus your advertising there.
Most mobile laundry services charge by the pound, with rates landing at around $1 to $2 per pound. This means that your earnings will largely depend on how much laundry you’re handling and how efficiently you’re able to process it. As you get more clients and streamline your operations, your potential to earn more increases.
You’ll need a reliable vehicle large enough to transport laundry to and from your clients’ homes. In the beginning, you can either wash and dry the laundry at home or use a local laundromat. Depending on the prices of electricity and water where you live, it might be cheaper to do larger loads in a commercial machine at a laundromat. Don’t forget about the detergents and fabric softeners you’ll need, plus any special products for handling stains or delicate items.
One of the most important parts of the job will be marketing your services. You can set up a website, create flyers and post on social media and local Facebook and Craigslist pages. Try to stand out and show people why they should trust you with their clothing.
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Go Freelance
If you’d like to start smaller and aren’t sure about how to market your laundry services in your area, you can sign up for an online platform like Poplin.
Poplin, previously called SudShare, is like the Uber of laundry. Users can go on the app and match with a “Laundry Pro” who will pick up, wash, dry, fold and return their laundry. Poplin prices its laundry service at $1 per pound, which it says comes out to about $10 per hamper.
How much you can earn will depend on how many orders you receive and how efficiently you can fulfill them. Poplin pays its Laundry Pros $0.75 per pound of laundry, or $1.50 per pound for same-day service. Poplin claims its top 100 Laundry Pros make around $2,900 per month. However, users on Reddit report making around $300 to $500 per week, or $1,200 to $2,000 a month. Remember that this isn’t pure profit. You have to factor in costs like gas, vehicle wear and tear, detergents, water and electricity.
While working through an app like Poplin might be an easier way to find clients than running your own business, you might earn less than you could on your own. You still have the same costs as a mobile laundry service, but Poplin takes a cut of your earnings. If you can market yourself successfully in your area, you might be able to raise your prices and make more on your own.
Provide Specialized Laundry Services
If you’re considering diving into the laundry business, you can try to stand out by offering specialized laundry services. This is where you focus on niche markets that are looking for something more than the standard wash-and-fold. Think eco-friendly cleaning methods, allergen-free detergents and delicate materials like wool and silk. You could also specialize in cleaning other items, like shoes or leather clothing.
Because you’re offering something distinct and of higher value, you may be able to charge premium prices. Depending on your area of specialization and the demand for it, you could price your services at as much as $3 per pound of clothing or $60 per item for things like sneakers. It’s pretty simple: The more specialized your service, the higher the potential for earnings.
Make sure you do your homework before you dive in. Whether it’s understanding the best eco-friendly cleaning practices or knowing which hypoallergenic products to use, your expertise will be your biggest selling point.
Launder and Flip Clothing
If you’re already good at cleaning and restoring old clothing, then cleaning and flipping used clothing could be a good way to make some extra money. You can search thrift stores, garage sales and online marketplaces for items that others have overlooked. Be on the lookout for hidden gems — used or vintage clothing that, with a bit of love and care, can be transformed and sold for a tidy profit.
Then launder, repair or even creatively upcycle your finds. Your goal is to breathe new life into these garments, making them desirable for a new audience. List these revamped items on a platform like eBay, Etsy or Depop.
Depending on your knack for spotting deals and your skills in refreshing garments, you could make anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars a month. Of course, the profit you make on each item will vary. It all depends on how well you buy and the value you add through laundering, repairing or upcycling.
Getting started might mean setting aside a budget for sourcing your initial inventory and investing in the necessary cleaning or sewing supplies. Don’t forget about the costs associated with listing your items online, including platform fees and shipping supplies.
Run a Laundromat
Setting up and running a laundromat has a high upfront investment cost, but it can be a great way to make money on laundry. While some laundromats only let people pay to use their machines themselves, others have a full-service laundry offer, as well, where you wash and fold customers’ clothes for an extra fee.
The beauty of a laundromat is its potential for profitability. With the right location and management, you could see profit margins between 20% to 35%, according to Martin Ray Laundry Systems. Of course, your profits will depend on your laundromat’s size, location and how well you run it. Adding services like wash-and-fold can increase your revenue.
However, you will need to invest some money into this business before you see those returns. There’s the cost of commercial-grade laundry equipment, which is designed to withstand the heavy usage a laundromat demands. Then, there’s the question of real estate — you will need to buy or lease a space.
Final Take
If you have laundry experience, you should be able to put that knowledge to good use and make some extra money. If you’re looking for something easier to start, you can sign up with an online laundry service like Poplin. If you’re ready for something more involved and with more potential upside, you could start a local mobile laundry business or even invest in a laundromat.
Whatever you choose, make sure to calculate all of your costs carefully, so you know how much profit you are making.
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