Back-to-school season is a circus.

Parents are juggling new routines, sports schedules, forgotten lunch boxes, and trying to get everyone out the door with matching socks. College students are moving into dorms with laundry baskets full of ambition and zero idea how to separate whites and darks.

And right in the middle of it all? Opportunity.

This season is your laundromat’s chance to become an absolute lifesaver. With a smart back-to-school wash & fold strategy, you can turn the fall frenzy into a flood of new customers and recurring revenue.

1. Target Your Audience Like a Pro

You’re not trying to market to everyone. You’re going after:

• Busy families with school-aged kids
• Working parents who value time over money
• College students who hate laundry
• Local schools and sports teams who need bulk laundry solutions

If you try to hit all of them with the same message, you’ll hit none of them effectively. So segment your marketing. Speak directly to each one. Tailor your offers.

2. Launch a “Back-to-School Bundle”

Create a seasonal service package and make it impossible to ignore.

For example: Back-to-School Special

📚 20 lbs of Wash & Fold per week

📦 Free laundry bag & pickup

📆 Monthly subscription available

🎒 Add-on: Sports uniform wash for $5

Call it a “Homework Helper” or a “Dorm Drop & Dash”. The name matters. Make it sound like the solution they’ve been praying for.

3. Offer a Parent-Saver Pickup Schedule

If you have pickup and delivery, adjust your routes and marketing to make it fit school schedules. Think:

• Early morning pickups before school drop-off
• Evening drop-offs before bedtime routines
• Weekend “reset” bundles for the next school week

Promote it as one less thing to worry about. You’re not just doing laundry, you’re giving parents back their time.

4. Partner with Schools, PTAs & Sports Teams

Offer a discount or give-back program tied to local schools. Examples:

• “10% of every wash goes back to [School Name] PTA”
• Wash & fold team uniforms at a discount
• Sponsor a back-to-school night or football game with flyers or booth space

These are not just partnerships, they’re trust-builders.

5. Don’t Sleep on College Students

If you’re near a college campus, you’ve got a goldmine. Dorms don’t come with laundry motivation. Push flyers, run Instagram and TikTok ads, or offer student discount codes for recurring service.

Pro tip: Market to the parents.

“Your college student won’t do laundry… but we will.”

6. Promote It Loud & Local

• Facebook groups for parents? Post there.
• Email list? Fire off a “School’s In, Laundry’s Out” campaign.
• In-store signage? Bright, seasonal, clear.
• Door hangers near family neighborhoods and apartments? Yes, please.
  Bonus points if your flyers include a QR code that books a pickup in seconds.

7. Bundle With Fall Services

The weather is changing, jackets and bedding are coming out of storage. Combine back-to-school offers with seasonal upsells: 

• Comforter specials
• Sports uniform add-ons
• Hoodie & flannel packages

It’s about maximizing the ticket value without overwhelming the customer.

Bottom Line

Back-to-school is not just a season; it’s a built-in excuse for customers to finally outsource the thing they hate most: laundry.

You just need to make the offer, show up in the right places, and make it stupid simple to say yes.

Remember: you’re not selling a wash & fold service. You’re selling peace of mind in a laundry bag.