Kline published the second edition of Laundry Chemical Products USA.: Market Analysis and Opportunities recently, and the report contains a wealth of information on market sales, growth, forecasts, and insights from more than 500 structured surveys of professional end-use decision makers.
Commercial laundries were asked the importance of various emerging trends, and 55% rated energy saving/conservation as very important. Washing machine servicing is very important to 47% of commercial laundries. New sources of revenue from more rental activity is rated third, with 45% giving it very important ratings. Cold water washing is aligned with energy savings and is rated fourth in importance.
Growth in hospitality laundry is being restrained by the increasing popularity of AirBnB and other short-term rental options. Laundry from some of these properties is done on site in home-style machines. However, a large portion of short-term rentals are operated by property management companies who either do the laundry elsewhere in a home-style machine or at a commercial laundry.
Commercial laundries with high-volume tunnel washing machines often require a higher level of service from laundry chemical manufacturers because, as several complain, blame for low-quality outcomes fall on the chemicals being used rather than the tunnel operations, dispenser adjustments, or improper sorting/pretreating by the facility’s staff. Some chemical manufacturers avoid selling to commercial laundries with tunnel washers because of this time- and resource-intensive customer group. Given that tunnel washers use far less laundry chemicals than conventional washers/extractors, chemical manufacturers are sometimes not compensated enough for by the higher level of service required.
Green cleaning is a modest trend in laundry chemicals. Water reuse/recycling systems are slowly being mandated by more municipalities. Ozone systems still are not widely accepted or deployed, with many pros cited by system manufacturers and cons cited by chemical manufacturers. However, there is increasing interest in efficacious cold or warm water chemicals to save energy costs.
The condition of a region’s water will also affect sales of laundry chemicals. For example, locations with soft water or that need to use water softeners will often spend less on laundry chemicals whereas regions with untreated hard water need more laundry chemicals to ensure good quality outcomes.
For a full analysis of the commercial laundry market focusing on key challenges, changes, and business opportunities, download our brochure to learn more.
