Airbnb hosting is becoming more popular. Sharing your home, or investment property with short-term renters is a way to earn extra money. However, being an Airbnb host comes with its own set of responsibilities, and one of those is laundry. It’s expected that as a host, you will provide clean sheets, towels, and linens for your guests. Maintaining this can be quite
expensive and time-consuming, especially if you’re washing them at home, outsourcing them to a commercial laundry service.
This article will explain how you can save time and money by washing your Airbnb laundry at a Laundromat.
Laundry for Airbnb’s is expensive and time-consuming
The downside of doing your Airbnb laundry yourself
As we said earlier, laundry is an ongoing cost for Airbnb businesses. However, doing all that laundry at home is extremely time-consuming. Hosts that do their laundry usually find that:
- Their washing machines and dryers are not fit for purpose
- They’re running their machines 2-3 times a day
- The constant use of machines is increasing their utility bills.
- Folding linen is time-consuming.
All that cost and effort usually make the extra income from your Airbnb not worthwhile. That is when many Airbnb hosts turn to outsourcing their laundry to a commercial laundry service.
Outsourcing Airbnb Laundry to a commercial laundry service is expensive
Providing a laundry service for an Airbnb creates unique challenges for a commercial laundry service. This is because in most cases there are unique instructions for picking up and dropping off laundry. In addition to this, delivery dates vary from location to location and season to season.
Because of this, laundry services for Airbnb’s are usually charged a premium and this can sting your Airbnb’s bottom line.
So what is the alternative? Well, you could consider washing your Airbnb laundry yourself at your local laundromat.
Why should you consider washing your Airbnb Laundry at a Laundromat?
Laundromats have washing machines and dryers that are fit for purpose
The largest washing machines available at laundromats can wash 27 kg of laundry. This is 3 times the capacity of a domestic machine! They can easily fit a whole laundry bag of laundry in one load. Not only that, the average wash cycle at a laundromat is 24 minutes, that’s less than half the time a domestic machine needs to complete a cycle!
Dryers at laundromats are not only larger, they are also powered by gas. This produces a much more effective, even heat distributed through the machine. This means less drying time and better results. Nina’s Laundrette even has a drying time calculator to help you determine how much time you’ll need to dry your laundry.
Using your nearest laundromat is a less expensive option that will still save you time
Using a laundromat can be a smart move for Airbnb hosts. It will be cheaper than outsourcing your laundry to a commercial laundry service. It will also take much less time than doing your laundry at home. At the time of writing this blog the largest washing machine at Nina’s Laundrette costs $13/$15 per wash, and the large dryers are $1 per 5 minutes. You could realistically wash 1 laundry bag for a total cost of ~$22 and it takes no longer than an hour and 15 minutes.
How to make the most of your time at the laundromat
As you can see, there are many benefits to using a laundromat for your Airbnb business. That being said, there is still a minor inconvenience of your needing to take your laundry to the laundromat. Here are some tips to use that time to your advantage:
Build Airbnb laundry days into your routine
Schedule your laundry days around your schedule and incorporate other times into this time. You might plan to exercise while your washing cycle is running. Or better yet, dedicate the time in the laundry to managing your Airbnb’s bookings and accounting.
Find the best laundromat near you, not the cheapest
When you Google ‘laundromat near me’ look for a laundromat that has great reviews and will meet your needs. Usually, the laundromats with the best reviews offer amenities that the others don’t, like free WiFi and large folding tables. More often than not they will also have newer laundry equipment and be cleaned regularly.
Sure it might cost you a few extra dollars, but the comfort and benefits will outweigh the inconvenience that a poorly maintained laundromat will offer.
Ask if the laundromat offers deals for commercial laundry customers
Many laundromats offer loyalty programs or special deals for commercial customers who use the laundromat regularly. At Nina’s Laundrette, we can provide customers who wash their own Airbnblaundry with prepaid laundry cards or an individual fob that allows them to start our machines and then be billed monthly. Complete the form on our website if you’d like to learn more.
Both these options are great for business owners are they are provided with an invoice that they can then use a tax to claim the expense.
Laundromat can save time and money for Airbnb hosts in the long run. As we discussed, it’s less time-consuming than doing it at home and way cheaper than outsourcing it to a commercial laundry service. Have you tried using a laundromat for your Airbnb laundry?
If you live in Melbourne’s northern suburbs then why not try it out at Nina’s Laundrette? We are located at 267 St George’s Rd, Northcote. Open from 6 AM to midnight, 7 days a week (including public holidays).