5 Signs It’s Time for New Laundry Equipment

Whether you are a laundromat owner, run a multi housing laundry room, or are laundry management for on-premise laundry equipment in your short-term vacation rental home, it is a good idea to ensure your commercial dryers and washers are up to date, working well, and safe.

As much as you and your business partners may wish to try and extend your coin laundry machine’s life just a few more years, you will find that as time goes on, they will begin to cost you an increasing amount of money in utility bills, repair costs, and parts, while becoming more beat-up and dingy looking as time goes on.

You want to re-invest in your laundry room before you hit the point of diminishing returns, as your detergent vending machines will not pay the increasing energy bills alone.

Here are some of the most tell-tale signs that it is time to upgrade to new commercial laundry equipment:

1. You are receiving customer complaints

Along with cleanliness, security, and availability, customers also value efficiency. You and your business partners are offering a service to your customers, and if your equipment cannot do that service, or if the coin slides are always jammed and the machine is always being repaired, it is time for it to be replaced. If your industrial washing machine is not cleaning clothes properly, or if your dryer is not getting the laundry dry, customers will not return to your business.

Upgrading laundry equipment to new Speed Queens or Maytags will provide your customers with a higher quality, quicker, and more efficient experience in a nicer looking and more inviting facility, while using brand name equipment they recognize and trust, which will lead them to return next time there is a load of laundry to be done.

Customers also love the convenience of app-based payment methods and card laundry payment systems over coin operated systems with coin slides. This way they do not need to worry about carrying pockets full of change, and there are fewer coin-jam situations to tend to.

New washers and dryers often have a larger capacity and/or higher efficiency, resulting in fewer, energy-saving loads needing to be done, and less time they need to spend inside the laundry facility. This new laundry system install also results in higher turnover, allowing laundry owners to serve more customers in a day and increase your revenue.

2. Your utility bills are high and rising

Older or malfunctioning laundry equipment can cause operating costs to rise. Replacing them with new high-efficiency machines will reduce water, gas and energy usage (thousands of gallons of water per month), reducing overall costs, increasing profitability, and allowing to pass the savings on to your customers.

You may also be able to apply for tax credits or rebates with energy efficient products, and customers will also appreciate your business taking a greener approach to the laundry industry.

3. Your machines look old and dingy

Although shiny new machines may not be a priority, especially if your older machines are still working fine, but old laundry equipment can make even the cleanest and nicest laundry business look older, unprofessional, and untrustworthy to the average consumer. Having new, trusted brand name machines will give a good first impression to anybody who walks through your doors and give your business a boost. When there are several choices, the consumer will tend to gravitate toward the new and efficient choice.

4. Your equipment is always out of order

As stack dryers and washers, front-load commercial washers, top-load washers, tumble dryers, and other industrial laundry equipment age, they tend to break down more often, needing expensive repairs.  This affects your business in three ways:

• You have to pay for the repairs, costing you money
• Your regular customers cannot use these machines, reducing your profits
• You will not gain any new clientele when the machines are broken, costing you future customers

Even if you read all the spec sheets and technical literature, follow safety tips and maintenance tips, and do your best to keep the machinery running like clockwork, there is always a time where the costs outweigh the benefits of keeping an older cards or coins laundry equipment around. Replacing equipment is the best move at this point.

5. Your business is growing

When your laundromat, on-premises laundries service, or commercial laundry system first opened, you may have purchased a few mid-range machines, which was sufficient for the amount of foot traffic you were generating. If you find that your business is outgrowing your capabilities, it may be time for an upgrade.

Serving your growing clientele may include:

• Purchasing commercial laundry equipment that will last a long time, with service and repairs provided by trained laundry professionals
• The newest technology available with smart laundry solutions, so you can keep your customers happy, while monitoring your profits and the goings-on in your business from your home, office, or wherever you have your smart phone or tablet
• Most importantly, providing laundry equipment that will do a good job cleaning and drying your clients’ laundry in an energy saving, efficient manner

At the same time, upgrading as you grow will ensure your business stays competitive, profitable, and keeps your utility costs and service interruptions to a minimum.

If you are ready to upgrade your on-premise coin operated commercial laundry machines, coin-op laundry machines, or even just the payment system you are using, contact Commercial Laundries today. 

We are the leader in commercial laundry products and can help you decide which washers and dryers will best suit your facility, whether you are running a green laundry facility, a light commercial laundromat, or have an on-premise laundry (OPL) vended laundry company. At Commercial Laundries Miami, we provide trusted brand names including Speed Queen, Maytag, Whirlpool, and Miele, and with our expertise and our customized leasing plans, you can upgrade your business in no time.