WDF Procedures

[CDJ]

Hi all. Thanks for all your great advice.

I'm going to start offering W/D/F on a part-time basis, and I'm wondering what kinds of policies other use on the following issues. I know that everyone does things differently, so I'm interested in all the different ways you handle these items:

Separating by color. Light/Dark? Light/Dark/White?
(& What about bright colors that look like they might bleed?)

Separating by fabric. Do you just assume that all clothes go into the dryer on high unless a customer asks for something else?

Turn around. Is 24 hour turn around too long?

Minimum pounds.
(And if you have a minimum of 10 pounds, will you separate 10 or 11 or 12 pounds into 2 loads -- light and dark?)

Stains & Spotting. How do you handle stains on incoming clothes? Do you charge extra to spot clean? Do you ask customers about spots? Do you ever reject clothes that are too stained?

Drying. Do you remove all the clothes at once or a little at a time?

Folding/hanging. Do you ever hang button-up shirts or skirts?

Bagging. Do you bag all of your customers' laundry?

Thanks again!!

[blueridgemat]

We do have a minimum of 10lb for wdf. We currently charge .75 per lb but checking other mats we see most charge $1.00 or 1.10 per lb.

We would make the sorting lights and darks call on a case by case basis. if it was all new clothes i would be worried, but most wdf i get the clothes are older so i just wash all together and use the cold water wash cycle.

Also be very careful to charge a higher minimum on large items such as comforters, blankets, etc. We usually start at a $10.00 minimum for a regular size comforter and go up to $15.00 for a queen size. If customer balks at those prices, tell them to check the drycleaners prices on those same items. They will be back once they see what the cleaners are charging ($30 and up) !!

We seem to do most wdf on the weekends. My niece has been doing those and I do all the wdf during the week. mostly you'll get businesses during the week and individuals on the weekend. We also have a set of scales we bought from the laundry equip. co that sold us our machines but check around for a used one too. Tell them the price up front so you don't get in an agrument when they come to pick up there clothes.

Any other advice we can give, just e-mail me!

Thanks,

Kevin B.

[PeterL]

Hi there:

I'm relatively new to this, but here is what i can pass on from our experiences. All of these practices have been in place for may years.

Work times: WDF is done by all attendents all hours we are open allowing for self-service business and routine customer service and clean-up.

Pricing: out here in sunny CA we charge $1.25/lb for general WDF. We charge more for certain other labor intensive types of laundry such as kid clothes. This seems to be the market rate and most people seem happy with it. We also charge out sleeping bags, comforters etc on a per piece basis.

Intake/prespotting: Many of our customers or repeat cutomers for years ( 17 in one case ), but we always mark on the ticket the specifics. This would include water temp prefernces, wether to bleach, drying temp, use of "bounce" etc. We also air-dry delicates on hangers. We Always get a contact phone number

We pre-spot with a commercial pre-spotter called "Alex" which seems to work well. All incoming clothes are pocket checked unzipped and pre-spotted if needed.

Turn-around: Our attendents manage the scheduling based on work-load and customer needs. We have a lot of "regulars" who are in no hurry and are perfectly happy if stuff takes a week. We also have pretty good storage space, so we have a "long term parking" area for "no-hurry" work. We almost always are able to do 24 hour turn around if needed, often same-day if the stuff comes in before noon.

Seperation: Colors are seperated as directed by the customer. otherwise clothes are split up in an efficient way to get them done right. we are carefull to take care of our customers stuff and call them up if there is a question. Again, we have lots of loyal repeat business.

Bagging: Folded clothes are bagged in plastic trash bags. hanger items are hung and then sleeved in D/C plastic to keep them clean. Everything is tagged to reflect the total bag and hanger count for the order.

Service and communication are really the keys.

good luck.

[Rich]

I just want to add one thing to all the good advice you have got so far. My WDF is cash only, and pay when they drop off. This way there are no bounced checks, credit card companies to deal with. And by paying up front most orders are picked up right away, not a week or two later. I have limited space.

[CDJ]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. It's greatly appreciated.

Does anyone know where to get a good scale that's certified for trade?