Today we dive in to another question from Dylan’s Salty Mailbag.
Christian commented on our tour video post with the following:
We’re struggling with laundry and wondering if you are happy with your situation. A commercial washer and dryer is almost 10x the cost of a residential model, and while certainly more robust, we can’t justify the cost. Are you happy with your laundry equipment? Do you send any laundry out or do you do it all in-house?
The decision you make is going to have a huge impact on time spent at your float center. If you get a washer that is too small or one that takes too long to dry, you are going to fall behind on laundry. Purchase a cheap washer/dryer and you'll start having issues with it sooner rather than later and it isn’t going to be worth the headache.
Capacity
The first question I think you will want to consider is: “What size center am I going to have 1-2 years from now?”
If you plan on expanding, don’t purchase a washer that is going to meet your needs for today but for tomorrow; taking into account any additional float tanks or modalities you may add. This is too large of a purchase to not invest in for tomorrow.
We purchased an LG WT5001CW (the WT1201CW and DLEY1201W are the newer models) which does not have an agitator in the center of it. This means it’s able to hold more laundry in its 2.5 cubic feet bin. When we first opened, we had two float tanks running and laundry was hardly something that required our constant attention. Currently we have 3 tanks in operation which for each transition include a hand towel, body towel and a floor towel. We also have acupuncture and massage which require new sheets after each use. We also have hand towels for our bathroom. Finally, we have robes that we offer to customers who have purchased combinations of modalities (such as acupuncture then float then massage). Currently our washer and dryer are always on.
Time
Washers and dryers take different amounts of time to wash and dry your towels. Do your research first so that your needs will be met when you have your first fully-booked day! There are new units available now that are washer/dryer combos, but know that these take longer to get through the full wash/dry process. These all-in-one units do not use vented drying and instead use an condenser drying process which takes 2x-3x longer than traditional vented dryers and their drying capacity is only half of their washing capacity. (This may have changed in recent years, hopefully Nashville Float will comment on this as I believe they have a combo unit).
Warranty
Inevitably, your washer and dryer is going to experience wear and tear during its tenure at your float center. You can get warranties on everything these days, and that’s because the companies selling you warranties know that their products are most likely to last longer than your warranty. Because of this they get to profit beyond the sale of your item. This is great for you! You are going to use the heck out of your washer and dryer, so buy the longest warranty possible!
We have only had 2 issues so far, but the savings of having it under warranty has already made it worth it. If this is not clear, ABSOLUTELY GET A WARRANTY!
When purchasing a washer and dryer for your float tank business, decide on a quality product that is still going to be working for you years down the road. Look at size, quality of product and the amount of time it takes to get your laundry washed and dried. Oh, and did I mention that you should get a warranty?