September 15, 2025 | By PayRange

Clean Show 2025 in Orlando once again proved why it’s the premier event for the laundry industry. While the show was packed with innovation and energy, one speaker session stood out, offering a powerful look into the generational shift happening in laundromats.

This session, “From Tradition to Innovation: A Generational Shift in Laundromats,” was a must-see. It featured a candid discussion with multi-generational owners who shared their journeys of taking over the family business and modernizing it for today’s customer.

Here’s what we learned from their powerful conversation.

One of the most powerful takeaways from the panel: younger generations of small business owners are embracing collaboration over competition. While legacy small business owners may have guarded their territory, today’s owners are building partnerships—with peers, with distributors, and with their communities. The result? Shared resources, referrals, and faster growth.

Takeaway for Small Business Owners: Partnering locally (whether with other stores or local businesses) can create a stronger presence in your market. By collaborating with fellow business owners in your area—even competitors—you can strengthen your position, raise industry standards, and protect the small business community from larger firms looking to push independents out. Working together creates more opportunity and resilience than competing alone.

Modern laundromats are no longer just about clean clothes. Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, children’s play areas, even plants and music—these “extras” are becoming the standard. Customers expect more, and they’re quick to leave negative reviews if they don’t feel valued.

Takeaway for operators: Think about your laundromat as a destination, not just a utility. Even small changes – like more comfortable seating or offering more amenities and even more payment options – can make your store the one customers choose.

The panel warned about over-relying on technology and losing the human touch. Data and automation are essential for efficiency, but business owners who succeed will use tech to free up time for real customer connection.

Takeaway for operators: Use platforms like PayRange Manage to streamline operations and uncover insights—but don’t lose sight of the relationships that keep customers coming back.

There’s a clear divide in how generational business owners approach innovation: veteran owners often take a cautious, “test and see” approach, while younger generations tend to “go all in” on new technology. Both approaches have merit—but moving too slowly risks falling behind evolving customer expectations.

Takeaway for operators: Start where you’re comfortable, but don’t wait too long. Every month you delay modernizing your machines, you risk losing customers to competitors.

Pickup & delivery and Wash-Dry-Fold are no longer “nice-to-haves.” Younger generations, especially, want the convenience of outsourcing laundry entirely as they have less experience with laundry—and many don’t know how to do it at all.

The fastest-growing laundromats are already diversifying beyond self-serve.

Takeaway for operators: Think about how you can expand your offering, whether it’s Wash-Dry-Fold, pickup, or delivery. With PayRange Turns, you can manage these services seamlessly alongside your self-serve business — all in one platform. It’s becoming a key revenue driver for growth-minded operators, and Turns makes it easy to get started without the complexity of multiple systems.

Private equity groups and large chains are entering the laundry space, creating pressure on independent operators. But small businesses have a secret weapon: agility, authenticity, and community connection.

Takeaway for operators: Independent operators can win by modernizing their tech stack while staying rooted in local relationships. The right tools help you compete without losing what makes you unique.

Whether you walked the floor or followed along from afar, here are three big ideas to carry forward when it comes to managing your laundromat business:

• Collaboration creates growth. Work with peers and partners to strengthen your business.
• Experience matters. Customers choose laundromats that feel modern, welcoming, and easy.
• Adaptability wins. Use technology and service expansion to stay ahead of shifting expectations.

At PayRange, we believe in sharing insights that help operators think smarter, manage better, and grow faster. If you’d like to talk through how these industry shifts apply to your own business, our team is here to help.

📅 Book a 1:1 Demo with a PayRange Expert

We’ll show you how PayRange can help grow your business by increasing sales, lowering costs, and delivering greater convenience to your customers.

Thanks to everyone who joined us at The Clean Show 2025. See you in 2027 — until then, let’s continue leading the industry forward, together.