In addition to providing care for those who are struggling financially, Laundry Love is a  great way to begin friendships and network within your neighborhood and city. Laundry  Love offers time to engage in meaningful relationships both with those who are committed to the effort, and those who benefit from your care  and support. All you have is time in a laundromat, make the most of it.

A laundromat is one of the great remaining third spaces where people collide. Within the  four walls of laundromats you meet people locally, you meet people from different parts  of the world, from different cultures with interesting and heartbreaking experiences and  stories. The laundromat is one of the most beautifully diverse places to be. We  sometimes say, “If you want to meet the world, just walk to your local laundromat.”

It’s best to choose a laundromat that’s accessible to those you seek to care for and  support. Find a laundromat within walking distance for your potential guests/friends with  transportation restrictions. Look for laundromats that are close to motels, low income  housing, shelters or city transit stops. Look for laundromats that provide adequate  space, working restrooms, are well lit, and have an adequate number of working  machines.

1. Approach the owner/manager of the laundromat directly. 
2. Begin by explaining who you are and who you represent (group, community effort,  faith community, student organization, etc.). 
3. Share how your group would like to host a LL on a particular evening/day, perhaps  once a month to start. 

Present the general information of who LL is nationally and what we do. 

An information card and video from a laundromat owner have been created to help you with this, you can find this on the website / LL facilitators page. 

4. Share with them the benefits of hosting a Laundry Love. Here are just three. 

• The laundromat will be listed on the Laundry Love website for hundreds to see each week. 
• Additional economic benefit to the laundromat. 
• The laundromat will be known as a socially concerned business.

5. Stress that your group will finance the effort and that the laundromat will benefit from the patronage and the advertising. Assure them that you and your group will be present for the duration of every event.  

Discuss with the owner/manager about the business days and times that might be the least intrusive and explain that Laundry Love does not want to interfere with their regular business operation. 

Remember you’re not asking them to shut down their business for you to be there, you will host your Laundry Love during regular business hours and will welcome all who come in whether regular customers or guests of Laundry Love. 

6. Be sure to leave the laundromat owner/manager your contact information and follow up with them in a few days with a phone call or personal visit. 
7. If you are looking at a self-run laundromat, check for contact information posted on the walls or ask a customer if they know when the manager/owner comes in, and then follow the steps as outlined. 
8. Use non-objectifying language or labels. e.g. “homeless”. Choose language like “low  to no income families and persons.”

To protect the integrity of Laundry Love in regard to intellectual property and trademark please read the following. 

Permission is required to use all Laundry Love collateral material (logos, designs,  images, language) for any and all use, including but not limited to print, apparel, Internet  (including social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, websites, email, blogs, Pinterest, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.)  

Permission is also required to change, augment, redesign, or share any element of  Laundry Love promotional materials (name, people, prior names i.e. Laundry Love project, logo, design, etc.) with anyone anywhere. 

Laundry Love was established as a partnership, we give away nearly everything created for the sole purpose of resourcing the local effort while expanding Laundry Love to as many cities, towns, and neighborhoods as relationally possible. 

The following agreements are to be established between the Laundry  Love national and local effort(s).

1. The Laundry Love story/movement doesn’t start and stop with your local effort. Each location is connected to Laundry Love National and needs to be communicated that way. 
2. The Laundry Love icon is to be visible on all local Laundry Love materials, both print and digital. 
3. All information regarding your local Laundry Love is to be updated on the Laundry Love national map regularly. 

4. You are to submit your load count and people served after each of your Laundry Love sessions. See more below. 5. Any local Laundry Love effort seeking non-profit 501c3 status using the Laundry Love name and/or icon needs written permission from Laundry Love National before entering the tax-exempt process. This is a non-negotiable.

If your Laundry Love effort is reported on via a local news source, magazine, newspaper,  digital, radio or website, any media correspondence, Laundry Love National needs to be mentioned, the national logo/icon needs to be used, and the link needs to be emailed to  camilla@laundrylove.org. 

For PR, media, and other communications regarding the national effort please direct  people to: 

www.laundrylove.org & camilla@laundrylove.org 

ALSO:  

Please be sure to share where the story of Laundry Love originated.  Thank you. 

There are downloadable LL printables in English and Spanish available for you to write in the  location and time for your LL. You can place these in the laundromats, surrounding motels and  shelters, businesses, churches, social agencies or hand them out directly to people in need.  They are available to all registered Laundry Love locations. 

We recommend the following: 

• Group of at least 3 to  5 people. 
• Pens and paper, a paper or digital logbook for counting loads so you can calculate how many  guests/friends are served and how much money was spent. 
• Earth Breeze detergent is provided for free, you can order it for your location on the Facilitators  Page on the LL website.

It typically runs for 1-3+ hours, but it depends on the number of guests/friends participating. Start  exactly at the time advertised and explain to the guests/friends that the last load must go in 60  minutes before the LL session ends. Be hospitable to the laundromat staff and regular  customers, and remember, if your LL happens during the evening be mindful of the hour the  laundromat begins its closing process.

How should we structure the session? 

Arrive early because the word gets out, and participants will often get there early and save  washing machines which interrupts the laundromat’s regular business. This is something we  advise you address right away if it occurs. Set up a check-in and detergent station.  

There are different ways the washing process happens; some hand out vouchers, some use  sticky notes, others have laminated cards for each wash and dry. You will have to navigate this  for yourself and figure out what system works best.  

Let guests load laundry into the machine(s) and welcome your guests to use  Earthbreeze detergent. In order to respect privacy, we advise not touching a guest  laundry. Once the machines are loaded, have your team administer the quarters/cards  as necessary. Once a load is finished, guide the guest to load their clothes into the  dryers, and again, go to each machine and administer the payment.

This entirely depends on the group sponsoring the LL, the money you have, and the number of guests making use of your effort. Things can change from month to month,  so we highly encourage you to have a financial system in place and communicate what guests can expect.  

You will need to discern the number of loads for families and individuals based on funds and participation. We are frequently asked “how much money does a group need to start a Laundry Love”? — We suggest you do some homework on the laundromat locations close to you, and the washer/dryer costs associated with those locations. This will help create a cost estimation which will help create a budget for your first and future  Laundry Love effort. Remember, it’s difficult to guess how many people will attend your first effort, so calculating washing/drying costs will be a great help in preparation. 

Most of the time, expect nothing but gratitude. Most people who are truly under resourced will welcome not only the LL care but your conversation and friendship.  Be mindful and considerate of those who come with mental impairments, chemical  addictions, physical and emotional abuse, or an attitude of entitlement due to the rigors  of marginalization and poverty. Each person carries a story that is original to them and  will require patience, graciousness and discernment from you and your team.

Bottom line: get creative and build monthly donors. 

Our partnering fundraising organization and platform PURE CHARITY is a very easy way for you to set up a donation portal for potential donors. Make sure you connect with the LL Director of Operations to learn more about Pure Charity.  

Quarter collection: Purchase or make cheap coin containers, put containers into the hands of people, their homes, local businesses, faith communities, schools, dorm rooms,  etc. This is one way to have many people participate regardless of age and availability. 

Local sponsorships: Individual or business, one-time or ongoing. Place their name on your fliers, Facebook page, etc. to give them public sponsorship credit. 

Other ways to generate funds: Garage sales, bake sales, and other assorted events. 

Again be as creative as you can and let us know how we can support or help you process further. 

While inside the laundromat. 

• Partner with local tutoring programs to tutor the children who are participants at your  LL. 
• Designate a children’s area inside the laundromat with coloring, learning and play options. 
• Create food, toiletries, and clothing distribution options. 
• Work with a student nursing program or local medical personnel to give basic medical care to participants. 
• Set up Wi-Fi access for those you serve to read e-mail and explore job and housing opportunities. 
• Create or work with an interagency alliance in your neighborhood or city. Seek housing  options, health care, addiction recovery, financial planning, safe houses, etc. 
• Host birthday or holiday events for your LL friends. 
• Ask stylists to volunteer and offer haircuts inside the laundromat.
• Create off site educational opportunities such as personal finance, nutrition and health,  job training, GED graduation and study. 
• Have bilingual team members if possible. 
• Help build resumes or assist in filling out forms for possible living or work opportunities. There is so much good that can happen inside a laundromat.