Maybe you are a busy individual looking to outsource a time-consuming aspect of your life (the never-ending stream of laundry that must be sorted, washed, dried, folded, and put away. Repeat.) Maybe you own a business (restaurant, gym, salon, spa, medical facility, etc.) that generates a large quantity of dirty linens, towels, and/or uniforms that you don’t have the capability (or desire) to launder onsite.
Regardless of your unique circumstances, the solution is the same: Hire a laundry service. Or, more accurately, hire the right laundry service. Make sure you know what to expect before you select your provider!
Does the Service Pick Up and Deliver?
People hire laundry services because they want to simplify their lives. They want to mark a necessary task off of their to-do list, and relax knowing that someone else is taking care of it. If you have to drive to a facility to drop off your dirty laundry and pick up your clean laundry, that is contrary to your goal of convenience!
Is the Service Flexible?
Every laundry service client is different. Clients using the service for their personal and/or family’s use may not need or want daily pickup and delivery. Business clients, on the other hand, may absolutely need a next-day pickup and delivery option. Before choosing a laundry service, make sure the service allows you to designate how often you want pickups to occur, the days of the week you want pickups to occur, and even the timeframe you want pickups to occur. Make sure you’re able to specify the ideal turnaround time for your laundry.
Does the Service Cater to Your Preferences?
If you stroll through the laundry detergent aisle at your local store, you’ll see myriad options. There are scent-free detergents, tropical breeze-scented detergents, floral bouquet-scented detergents, etc. There are fabric softeners, dryer sheets, bleaches, and spray starches. Make sure to choose a laundry service that lets you specify your detergent and softener preferences. If you’re allergic to lavender, the last thing you want is for your sheets to have been washed in lavender scented detergent.
Additionally, choose a service that lets you specify washer and dryer temperature preferences (if you have them) and how you want your clean items presented to you. Do you prefer your socks or towels rolled or folded? Do you want your blue jeans folded or on hangers? These are minor details, but as the saying goes, “the devil is in the details.”
Does the Service Separate Your Laundry from Other Clients’ Laundry?
If a laundry service’s answer to this question is “no,” it’s probably grounds to move on to the next company on your list. You probably have no desire for your undergarments, sheets, and towels to commingle with strangers’ undergarments, sheets, and towels.
Does the Service Offer Reminders?
For owners and employees of laundry services, laundry is top of mind all the time. For the rest of us, other things occupy our minds. Ideally, the laundry service you choose will be able to set you up with automated voicemail, text message, and/or e-mail reminders prior to each of your scheduled pickups. After all, your service can’t clean your clothes and linens unless you leave them out for pickup!
Is the Price Reasonable and the Payment Setup Convenient?
Look for a laundry service that is forthcoming about its pricing. Many services provide customers a per-pound fee for typical items and a menu of additional fees for large items like comforters or washable furniture slipcovers. To determine what’s reasonable, check the prices of a few services in your area. Keep in mind, the lowest price is not always the best value, and the highest price is not always indicative of the best quality.
Additionally, it’s convenient to choose a laundry service that can provide automatic monthly billing via credit card. That eliminates the inconvenience of having to remember to pay an invoice you receive in the mail.
Will You be Compensated for Items that are Lost or Damaged?
Even the most professional business or individual is not perfect. Laundry services depend on humans, and there is a very real thing called “human error.” Accidents happen. As a potential customer, you should be most concerned about how a laundry service will respond if an accident happens that affects your property. Carefully review a service’s lost and damaged items policy, and only contract with a service whose policy you are comfortable with.
Deciding to hire a service to take control of the unavoidable and never-ending chore that is “laundry” is the first step in freeing up your time for more worthwhile pursuits. The next step is to do a bit of research to make sure the laundry service you choose is a laundry service you’ll be completely happy with!
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