If you’ve ever run a laundromat, you know the toughest part isn’t getting someone to try your wash and fold service once. It’s getting them to keep coming back week after week. That’s where the magic of a well-built “wash and fold funnel” comes in. *as I’ve met with hundreds of operators across the country the past few years, conservatively, less than 40% of first time wash and fold customers return for a second visit!

Think of your funnel like a slide at a water park. You don’t just shove people down it and hope for the best. You design it so it’s smooth, fun, and easy to ride again and again. Same idea here. A great wash and fold funnel takes a curious first-time customer and turns them into a loyal weekly subscriber who can’t imagine doing laundry any other way.

Let’s break down how to make that happen.

Step 1: Start with an irresistible first offer

Your goal is to get people to try your service once. That’s it.

Create a limited-time, low-risk offer that grabs attention. Something like:

• “First bag of laundry for 50% off!”
• “New customers get $15 off their first wash and fold order!”

When people see a simple, valuable offer, they’re more likely to say yes. But here’s the trick: don’t just run a discount. Pair it with a great experience so they immediately see the value.

Make sure their clothes come back folded neatly, smelling fresh, and packaged beautifully. The goal of the first visit is simple: blow them away!

Step 2: Collect contact info from day one

If you’re not collecting customer emails and phone numbers, you’re leaving money on the table.

Use your POS system (like CleanCloud) to automatically collect contact info when someone places their first order.

Once you have that, you can send:

• Thank-you messages after their first wash
• Text reminders like, “Hey, it’s laundry day again! Ready for pickup?”
• Occasional promos or loyalty offers
• Drip campaigns to encourage the next visit

Automation makes this easy. You can literally set up a workflow once, and it keeps running in the background forever.

Step 3: Educate, don’t just sell

Here’s where most laundromats drop the ball. They go silent between visits.

Instead, use email or text to share quick tips and reminders that keep your brand top of mind.

Examples:

• “3 ways to make your laundry last longer (even if we wash it for you!)”
• “Why most people overpay doing laundry at home”
• “Behind the scenes: how we sanitize every load with ozone cleaning”

Educational content positions your business as helpful, not pushy. When customers see you as a trusted expert, they naturally come back.

Step 4: Offer a subscription or loyalty plan

Once someone has used your service a couple of times, invite them to join a weekly or bi-weekly plan.

Keep it simple, like:

“Join our Weekly Wash Club. Set it and forget it! We’ll pick up, wash, fold, and deliver your laundry every week. You’ll never run out of clean clothes again.”

Make it easy to join, easy to pause, and easy to cancel. The less friction, the better.

When you combine convenience with consistency, you turn “occasional” customers into dependable, long-term subscribers.

Step 5: Reward loyalty and make them feel known

People love to be recognized. Send a personal thank-you after their 10th order. Offer an occasional bonus like, “You’ve been with us 3 months, enjoy $20 off your next wash!”

You can even give your regulars VIP treatment: faster turnaround times, priority pickup slots, or a “members only” discount.

When customers feel appreciated, they stay.

Step 6: Track and optimize your funnel

Here’s where you shift from guessing to growing.

Use data from your POS and marketing tools to answer:

• How many first-time customers reorder?
• How long does it take before they subscribe?
• Where do people drop off in the process?

Tweak your funnel to remove bottlenecks. For example, if few people reorder after their first wash, maybe the packaging needs a refresh. If people stop after two weeks, maybe your reminder timing is off. Small changes can create big results.

Bottom of the Funnel

Turning one-time customers into weekly subscribers isn’t about luck, it’s about building a thoughtful system.

Start with an irresistible first offer, collect contact info, follow up with value, make subscribing easy, reward loyalty, and keep refining the process.

When you get this right, you’re not just running a laundromat, you’re running a subscription-based business with predictable, recurring revenue.

And in the laundry world, that’s how you go from loads of laundry to loads of profit!