Usually when one finds themselves in a rut it’s considered a bad thing because it indicates being in a very boring routine. Yet much of being a success in any enterprise, especially operating Laundromat businesses, is the ability to do routine, dull, unexciting and boring things well.

Successful laundry owners will either do these things personally or will routinely check up on those who are assigned to undertake the undesirable activities to be sure they’re done right. One of the surest ways to get things done, as scheduled, is to make lists of all the things to be done and specifically set the times they are to be done.

Such lists don’t have to be fancy printouts. They can be handwritten and taped some place where they won’t be missed. A great place is inside the changer door. Most owners handle the change machines personally, so having a list posted inside the door means it will remain confidential, but will be seen each time the bills are removed or the changer bins are reloaded.

The list should cover those chores which are often neglected because they are to be done infrequently.

A good example could be cleaning out the dryer vent lines. This task should be performed every four to six months, depending on how busy the laundry is.

What’s undone for six months is likely to be forgotten altogether, or at least until the results of not doing the job becomes apparent. Such as the dryers don’t function as well as they should , and you begin to hear customer complaints about drying too slow.

Other periodic jobs that are often over looked include:

Lubricating or oiling motors as is called for in the manufacturer’s specifications and in the service manuals.

Cleaning beneath and behind the washer rows what a dirty and difficult job that is, but it should be done to keep the laundry business neat and clean smelling.

Checking the tie down bolts on front load washers to be sure there will not be destructive vibrations. When these bolts become loose, it can sharply shorten the life of those expensive front loading washers.

Inspection of plumbing bulkheads and water heating systems for evidence of any leaks can drip, drip, drip away lots of water over time. Water, as you know, costs money.

Cleaning out the dryer lint traps. We all know that accumulated lint restricts the air flow of a dryer, cutting efficiency. Most of us don’t know that it is also a fire hazard. Quite a high percentage of laundry fires originate in the dryers.

Making customer refunds. Customers who lose money in a machine are entitled to get it back. When they don’t, they’ll leave and do their laundry elsewhere. Refunds are an unpleasant and boring job, and may be forgotten if it is not put on a schedule of things that must get done.

Plus a hundred other things you will think of to do periodically.

As you itemize your list, perhaps you can do that on a calendar, and get yourself in the habit of checking that list each time you open the changer. You will soon find that your laundry has become a better managed and more successful laundry business.

Keeping a schedule for maintenance, or list of other things to do will pay off in many ways. Not the least of these is your laundry’s washers and dryers and other equipment will perform better, more efficiently and will last longer, because it is so regularly kept and maintained.