Commercial Washers for Vended Laundries

ExpressWash Energy-Efficient, Soft-Mount Frontload
MG-Series High-Performance, Hard-Mount Frontload
M-Series Hard-Mount Frontload
L-Series Hard-Mount Frontload
Econ-O-Wash Topload

Commercial Washers for On-Premise Laundries

E-Series Energy-Efficient, Soft-Mount Frontload
MG-Series High-Performance, Hard-Mount Frontload
M-Series Hard-Mount Frontload
L-Series Hard-Mount Frontload
Econ-O-Wash Topload

Commercial Dryers for
Vended Laundries

ExpressDry High-Performance Drying Tumblers
E-Series Dry Compact Drying Tumbler
Econ-O-Dry Small Load
Efficiency Dryer

Commercial Dryers for On-Premise Laundries

ProSeries II High-Performance Drying Tumblers
E-Series Dry Compact Drying Tumbler
Econ-O-Dry Small Load
Efficiency Dryer
Gear Dryers for Fire Departments

Commercial Ironers for
On-Premise Laundries

Heated-Roll High-Performance Flatwork Ironers
Heated-Chest High-Volume
Flatwork Ironers

Folders & Stackers for
On-Premise Laundries

FT-LITE Drywork Folder
FL-LITE Flatwork Folder
AP-LITE Stacker

Find Equipment

Find My Industry

Store Videos & Testimonials

Show me more about the
card- and coin-operated
laundry business.
New Investor Section
Existing Owner Section

ExpressWash Soft-Mount vs. Hard-Mount Washers

See how much you can save!

Crystal Clear Wash

Harnessing Multiple Revenue Streams—Three Self-service Businesses in One

June 2011 | Download case study as a PDF

Capturing three revenue streams—a car wash, pet wash and vended laundry—Crystal Clear Wash, in Montrose, Colo., is not only distinctive and profitable, it makes easy, even easier…

Crystal Clear Wash is dedicated to making life simple for customers, according to Omar Bou-Matar, who co-owns the business with his father, Walid, and wife, Hannah. Not only are all services in one location—making cleaning the car, dog and laundry simpler—customers enjoy choosing whether to use coins, debit card, credit card, or the company's WashCard for all services.

Pet Wash

crystal clear wash The pet wash, which is unique to Montrose, is already paying for itself in revenue, says Omar. It makes washing pets quick and easy. Once a pet is placed into the tub and its collar is clipped onto a chain in the tub, customers select the desired products to use and finish the job with a blow dryer.

Car Wash

The car wash—complete with a water reclamation system—includes a touch-free, automatic car wash and four self-service bays, including one for trucks and RVs. The self-service bays feature nine wash options, from triple foam and bug remover, to tire cleaner. The automatic wash offers a Quick Wash, Super Wash, Deluxe Wash and The Works.

Laundry

Meanwhile, the fully attended laundry—complete with Continental high-speed equipment—features the convenience of a 60-minute wash and dry. The laundry equipment, which is highly efficient, is expected to maintain lower utility bills for boosted profits. Other services include wash-dry-fold and load and leave.

Thus far, the car wash makes up 37 percent of Crystal Clear Wash's revenue, the laundry delivers 29 percent, and the pet wash generates 12 percent. By combining the three, the Bou-Matars gain steady sales.

Crystal Clear Wash morphed from a property that held an old convenience store, gas station and car wash. Walid, with a decade of experience owning and running another car wash, purchased the property with the idea of developing three self-service businesses in one. Around the time Walid purchased the Montrose property, Omar and his wife, Hannah, entered the picture. “I quit my job managing an oil field service company to help get the laundry going. The laundry business offers a unique business model.”

Simplifying Life for Customers

New to the laundry business, the Bou-Matars researched the industry extensively, partnering with Tom Millman of Washtime Industries, in Greeley, Colo., who helped them plan, design and equip the new laundry.

Executed in a phased approach, the laundry was completed and opened for business about a month prior to the pet wash and car wash. It was a good thing, according to Omar. “We learned a lot about our equipment during that month,” he says.

Selecting High-Speed Washers

The 2,300-square-foot store is equipped with 28 Continental high-speed ExpressWash Washers. The washers generate extract speeds of up to 354 G-force and slide into place easily.

“Hard-mount washers must be bolted to concrete foundations and most only hit extract speeds between 70 and 120 G-force,” says Millman. “Because ExpressWash Washers produce considerably higher extract speeds, they remove more water from every load and can cut dry time by up to 50 percent.”

Customers Enjoy 60-minute Wash & Dry; Owner Enjoys Lower Utility Costs

At Crystal Clear Wash, this means customers can wash, dry and fold laundry in under an hour. And, by shortening dry time, the business uses less electricity and natural gas—cutting utility costs.

crystal clear wash Omar's customers appreciate this timesaving convenience. “Some people will put five or six quarters into a dryer,” he says. “We tell them they don't need that many quarters because loads dry in 20 to 30 minutes max. They say our dryers work really well, but I tell them it's because of the high-speed extract on the washers; loads don't take as long to dry. They like getting in and out of the laundry more quickly.”

The store's ExpressWash lineup includes 18 20-, six 30- and four 40-pound capacity machines. Additionally, it features Continental Drying Tumblers, including eight 45-pound capacity dual-pocket stacks, 12 30-pound capacity dual-pocket stacks and two 75-pound capacity single-pocket machines.

There are no top-load washers. Rather, customers use the more efficient 20-pound capacity frontloads—which save significantly on water costs. The store's 20-pound capacity washers are Energy Star qualified and use as little as 13.4 gallons of water per load compared with the 31-40 gallons used by a typical topload, according to Millman. The washers are also simple for Omar to program for further utility savings. He can program extract speed, mechanical action, wash temperature by degree, water levels, and wash or rinse time by minute. “I love that I can charge different amounts for hot, cold, warm or Superwash,” he adds. “After all, each of those cycles uses a different amount of water, natural gas and electricity.”

Large 75-pound PowerLoads

Appealing to a variety of clientele, the laundry also boasts two 75-pound capacity Continental PowerLoad Washers. Typically used for cleaning heavy and bulky laundry loads, including quilts, blankets and throw rugs, according to Omar, they draw customers with large families and lots of laundry.

The laundry's washers are turning, says Omar. “Our most popular washers are the 40s, which are turning nearly three times per day, followed by the 30s and 75s with two turns per day, and the 20s with one,” he says.

Payment Options

Making it easy is this laundry's mantra. “We give people flexibility to choose their payment type,” says Omar. Right now, 65 percent prefer using coins and 35 percent use cards. But, card users enjoy significant perks. Each time a customer adds money to the card, Crystal Clear Wash adds another 10 percent to its value.

crystal clear wash A similar program for business accounts offers a 10 percent discount and the option of using the WashCard like a credit card. It allows a business and its employees to access all services using the WashCard as needed. The business is then billed at month's end.

Building Wash-Dry-Fold

By providing Load & Leave and wash-dry-fold services, Crystal Clear Wash is capturing additional business accounts. Because Crystal Clear Wash offers more than just laundry services, it can potentially capture a wider breadth of business accounts, according to Omar.

Since opening last November, business is already exceeding expectations, according to Omar. Especially helpful is a low utility bill that makes up just 15 percent of Crystal Clear Wash’s total revenue, attests Omar.