Wash with Wally: Selling Detergent – Large and Small?

By Wally Makowsky | Sep 24, 2010

I recently opened a 5,000-square-foot store, with 80 washers and 60 dryers. I’m selling large containers of detergent over the counter, as well as selling smaller boxes out of a soap vending machine. Does it make sense to do both?
Yes, you should sell both. After all, some customers prefer a single-wash size while others prefer multi-use sizes. However, you don’t need mega-size bottles of detergent to satisfy your customers’ needs. In fact, a six- to 12-use container is probably as large a size as you need to offer.

Also, don’t lose focus as to what business you’re really in. You’re in the self-service laundry business, not the soap merchandising business. Your main mission is to satisfy your customers so that they continue to return to your store to do their laundry. Unfortunately, some operators spend more time buying and trying to sell merchandise than actually operating and managing their coin laundries.

I recently came across a great example of this. I was at a large store that sells products over the counter, so I asked the owner a few questions, and the final answers were amazing – especially to the owner himself.

The store’s sales of laundry products average between $1,000 and $1,200 per week. The markup on the products is 35 percent, and the owner’s average profit is between $600 and $650 per week.

But it is costing him $800 per week to run the operation, so he is actually losing money on merchandise sales.

He has two attendants – one whose job is to clean the store and the other who just sits behind the counter and waits on customers. That doesn’t make sense. He is losing money behind the counter.

In addition, he isn’t keeping a tight inventory, so he’s not really certain how much he is making or losing.

My advice: There are vending machines available that handle large containers of soap. Get out of the merchandise business. You’re in the self-service laundry business. Keep your labor costs down and control your inventory.

I have new dryers with stainless steel drums, which my customers love. The only problem I have noticed is that the rear of the drums have developed some burn marks and other blemishes in the stainless steel. How can I clean these off?
As you know, there aren’t any “miracle cleaners” on the market. The problem with such scorch marks is that they probably have been caused by a number of different materials, such as vinyl, rubber, polyester, plastic and others. These materials literally have been baked into the stainless steel, making it quite difficult to dissolve.

In addition, many of the chemicals that might prove effective in removing those scorch marks are flammable and dangerous. Unfortunately, others that would be successful in removing the stains might permanently discolor the stainless steel.

Therefore, I would recommend using a cordless drill with a buffer pad attachment. Be sure to use a synthetic pad with an extra-fine coarseness to it. Use this in place of sandpaper. Wet the buffing pad and then buff the stains off the back of your dryer drums. This process should work well at eliminating those marks.

You can buy buffing pads at any hardware store. Be sure to remember to get ones with an extra-fine grain. If you use a pad that’s too coarse, you may end up putting large marks on the stainless steel. However, with an extra-fine or even a fine grain pad, you should leave a clean, smooth surface

By using any type of buffing pad, you are creating a new grain within the stainless steel. Be forewarned that the backs of the dryer drums may lose some of their luster, but the stains should definitely be gone.

I have a customer who brings in garments stained with iodine. How can I best remove these stains?
First of all, I would suggest that you isolate the iodine by soaking the garment for 12 to 18 minutes in warm water (approximately 90 degrees) with an enzyme detergent. After this process, re-wash the item with your regular detergent-and-bleach formula.

If the stain persists, your next step is to wash the item in hot water (150 to 160 degrees) with sodium silico fluoride. This should be an extended wash of about 30 minutes. Then follow up with a normal detergent-and-bleach wash.

Also, there are various enzyme products out there, which are effective at removing iodine stains. With those, soak for two to three hours. In many cases, this process will remove most of the iodine. If a slight stain remains, proceed with an after-wash, because you may have loosened the stain enough to remove it with the wash.

When using enzymes, be sure that your water temperatures aren't too low or too high. Approximately 70 to 95 degrees is preferable.