Laundromat vs. pickup laundry service: which is right for your business?

Two options, very different total costs

If you're running a salon, spa, gym, or clinic in Brisbane, there are basically three options for getting your laundry done:

1. In-house, on a domestic machine 2. Laundromat trips — a staff member ferries loads between your business and a coin or card laundromat 3. Outsourced pickup service like The Washing Club

This piece is about option 2 vs option 3. (We covered option 1 in What in-house laundry actually costs your salon.)

What a laundromat trip actually costs

Laundromat coin or card pricing in Brisbane sits roughly in this range as at writing:

• $4–$7 per wash cycle
• $4–$6 per dryer cycle
• Plus detergent (BYO or vended)

So a single load is around $10–$13 in coin cost.

For 2 loads, that's $20–$26 in wash and dry fees. Sounds cheap until you add what it actually takes to get to and from the laundromat.

The hidden cost: the trip itself

A laundromat run is rarely under an hour door-to-door:

• 10–15 min drive each way (Brisbane traffic dependent)
• 35–60 min of cycle time (wash + dry)
• Plus folding once you're back

For 2 loads, you're realistically looking at 75–120 minutes of staff time off-site, plus vehicle wear and fuel.

If you do this twice a week for a salon, that's 2.5 to 4 staff hours per week. At a junior wage with on-costs, that's around $80–$130 a week in time alone, on top of the $40–$50 in coin costs and fuel.

So 2 loads a week, twice, comes to roughly $120–$180 all in via laundromat trips.

The pickup service comparison

Two pickups a week at 2 loads each is 4 loads per week with us. That's the minimum 2-load booking twice — $120 subtotal + $12 GST = $132 a week. Free pickup and delivery is included.

For roughly the same money — or less, once you fairly value the staff time — you:

• Don't send anyone off-site
• Don't tie up a junior driving Brisbane traffic
• Don't unload and reload at a public laundromat
• Get folded laundry delivered ready to put away

When the laundromat still makes sense

There is one scenario where laundromat trips are genuinely cheaper: when the staff member doing the trip would otherwise be idle and unpaid for that time. For a sole operator with no other staff and zero appointments during the laundromat window, it can pencil out.

For most multi-staff salons, spas, and gyms — where someone is on the clock during business hours regardless — pickup services come out ahead.

Next step

If you're currently doing laundromat trips, run one week of pickup service as a comparison. Track what your team gets done with the time back, and what your week feels like without the run.

Book a pickup here — flat $60 + GST for the first 2 loads, $25 + GST per additional load. No contract.