Laundry Left Over, and What to do With Them

In years long past, it was principally on Sunday morning that you’d find them. Now it’s been switched to Saturday, but it can be on any morning of the week. Loads of clothing and linens are left behind from the night before by laundry customers who may have left their wash in the machines to go partying.

Yes it’s possible they may have just been forgetful, but why does this always seem to happen on party nights and week ends?

Often, these lost or left items are well made and of good quality, and expensive too. Even the cheaper linens and clothing that are being forgotten are going to cost lots of money. You’d expect the customers would call to inquire if their stuff was found. Sometimes they do, but quite often no one calls. They are either embarrassed at having forgotten or else are sure that someone else has already taken it.

When you or your employees do find clothing or other leftovers in the machines, the items should first be dried and packaged. Just in case the customers do inquire over lost garments, you will be able to charge them for the cost of drying and also for the labor required to fold and package the clothing. Besides, you don’t want to have a bunch of damp items mildewing in the back room.

It’s questionable whether or not coin or card operated laundry owners have any responsibility for a customer’s loss of clothing, especially in an unattended laundry. However, it’s so easy to sue someone in small claims court today that it pays to have a policy in place protecting yourself from such suits.

Owners should have clearly posted signs saying that the laundry is not responsible for any lost or stolen items. With having such signs posted, laundry customers have been properly warned to watch over their own items. Such signs are usually the only protection a laundry needs in small claims court.

Next, you should know that most states have what are called Bailey laws which require that you retain anything you find in your laundry, keeping it for 60 or 90 days when it can be claimed by it’s owner. After that time has passed, it becomes claimable as your property and can be disposed of in any way. The question now becomes, how can you dispose of this material doing the most good for your business?

Some laundry owners just accumulate things and then every now and then sell to used clothing stores. This doesn’t bring much, but it is spendable cash.

One old time operator told the News that he and his family have not needed to buy any new sheets or pillow cases, towels or wash cloths or any children’s clothing for many years.

Other laundry operators make donations of the clothing to the Salvation Army, Hospice, or to other church or charitable groups. They usually are given a donation acknowledgement, kind of a reverse receipt, which they can use for taking tax deductions for making a charitable contribution.

There is also another way to get the maximum cash value while earning some local publicity benefit. Most local churches and civic groups hold a clothing drive sometime during the year. With the extra clothing you have on hand, offer the use of your facilities to do the laundering they will need to do and at a slightly reduced cost per load. It puts a laundry owner in a good place to have a receipt for donations, make a little extra income and have the chance to gain new customers too.

Church bulletins can be a powerful tool for local publicity. Take advantage of that tool to promote your business. Contact one of the larger churches in your area and offer to help with their clothing drive. The publicity follows naturally. The chief benefit of this publicity is that it can bring in some new customers who also belong to that particular church, or from their family and friends.

Several old time operators keep all of the terry cloth towels they find. They sell or donate everything else. Wash cloths make excellent rags for repair work on laundry machines. They are also great for cleaning almost anything and they can be laundered to be used again.

Many old time laundry people keep leftover -towels in ready stacks for use when there is a flood in the laundry. Instead of mopping up, they drop the towels on the floor to soak up the water then spin them out in a washer to be dropped again until the floor is dry. It takes a huge amount of labor out of the chore. When the flood is handled, dry, fold and stack the towels again for use in the next such emergency. This is a truly great time saver for those times when there is a floor flooding situation in your laundry it saves a huge amount of mopping and wringing out time.

Date:-05/28/2011
By:-Admin


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	Laundry Left Over, and What to do With Them In years long past, it was principally on Sunday morning that you’d find them. Now it’s been switched to Saturday, but it can be on any morning of the week. Loads of clothing and linens are left behind from the night before by laundry customers who may have left their wash in the machines to go partying. Yes it’s possible they may have just been forgetful, but why does this always seem to happen on party nights and week ends? Often, these lost or left items are well made and of good quality, and expensive too. Even the cheaper linens and clothing that are being forgotten are going to cost lots of money. You’d expect the customers would call to inquire if their stuff was found. Sometimes they do, but quite often no one calls. They are either embarrassed at having forgotten or else are sure that someone else has already taken it. When you or your employees do find clothing or other leftovers in the machines, the items should first be dried and packaged. Just in case the customers do inquire over lost garments, you will be able to charge them for the cost of drying and also for the labor required to fold and package the clothing. Besides, you don’t want to have a bunch of damp items mildewing in the back room. It’s questionable whether or not coin or card operated laundry owners have any responsibility for a customer’s loss of clothing, especially in an unattended laundry. However, it’s so easy to sue someone in small claims court today that it pays to have a policy in place protecting yourself from such suits. Owners should have clearly posted signs saying that the laundry is not responsible for any lost or stolen items. With having such signs posted, laundry customers have been properly warned to watch over their own items. Such signs are usually the only protection a laundry needs in small claims court. Next, you should know that most states have what are called Bailey laws which require that you retain anything you find in your laundry, keeping it for 60 or 90 days when it can be claimed by it’s owner. After that time has passed, it becomes claimable as your property and can be disposed of in any way. The question now becomes, how can you dispose of this material doing the most good for your business? Some laundry owners just accumulate things and then every now and then sell to used clothing stores. This doesn’t bring much, but it is spendable cash. One old time operator told the News that he and his family have not needed to buy any new sheets or pillow cases, towels or wash cloths or any children’s clothing for many years. Other laundry operators make donations of the clothing to the Salvation Army, Hospice, or to other church or charitable groups. They usually are given a donation acknowledgement, kind of a reverse receipt, which they can use for taking tax deductions for making a charitable contribution. There is also another way to get the maximum cash value while earning some local publicity benefit. Most local churches and civic groups hold a clothing drive sometime during the year. With the extra clothing you have on hand, offer the use of your facilities to do the laundering they will need to do and at a slightly reduced cost per load. It puts a laundry owner in a good place to have a receipt for donations, make a little extra income and have the chance to gain new customers too. Church bulletins can be a powerful tool for local publicity. Take advantage of that tool to promote your business. Contact one of the larger churches in your area and offer to help with their clothing drive. The publicity follows naturally. The chief benefit of this publicity is that it can bring in some new customers who also belong to that particular church, or from their family and friends. Several old time operators keep all of the terry cloth towels they find. They sell or donate everything else. Wash cloths make excellent rags for repair work on laundry machines. They are also great for cleaning almost anything and they can be laundered to be used again. Many old time laundry people keep leftover -towels in ready stacks for use when there is a flood in the laundry. Instead of mopping up, they drop the towels on the floor to soak up the water then spin them out in a washer to be dropped again until the floor is dry. It takes a huge amount of labor out of the chore. When the flood is handled, dry, fold and stack the towels again for use in the next such emergency. This is a truly great time saver for those times when there is a floor flooding situation in your laundry it saves a huge amount of mopping and wringing out time. Date:-05/28/2011 By:-Admin