by Steve Gilbert
Walk into many multifamily laundry rooms, and you’ll likely find the same scenario—fluorescent lighting (probably one flickering), plastic chairs, and a handful of machines. Maybe one has an out-of-order sign that’s starting to crinkle with age. A few residents may be there, focused primarily on their phones, waiting for cycles to finish.
It’s not particularly exciting, and why should it be? It’s just a laundry room, right? This is an amenity that’s frequently overlooked, unless there’s a big problem. Owners and operators, however, can turn this amenity into a significant differentiator and a source of ancillary revenue. Both of these are achievable with basic, affordable upgrades. For any community undertaking a major remodel of its facilities, there are ambitious options to turn laundry rooms from utilitarian to a value-add.
The Basic Necessities of a Laundry Room
A room with a few washers and dryers may have worked in the past, but for today’s renters, that setup falls short of the minimum. Residents are looking for a well-functioning and secure area to do their laundry. If it’s not easy, it’s obsolete.
Cleanliness
This is, without a doubt, the most important item for your laundry room. Residents don’t want to deal with a filthy area when trying to clean their clothes. Keeping the laundry room neat and tidy helps keep resident satisfaction high and can serve as a selling point on tours.
Upgrade and/or Add Machines
One of the first steps needed is an evaluation of your current laundry facilities. Outdated or insufficient machines can lead to frustration among residents. Upgrading to newer and more efficient machines will alleviate those frustrations and reduce complaints to onsite teams.
It’s also a good time to move away from coin-operated machines, which are susceptible to vandalism, and adopt more technologically advanced machines. In addition to the convenience of digital payments, these machines can alert users when cycles are complete for those who are unable or prefer not to remain in the laundry room. This technology will alert management or the provider to issues with machines. This reduces downtime and can prevent small problems from growing.
Adequate Signage
It may seem small, but the laundry room will be a much more peaceful place when residents are clear on the rules for the space and can easily understand how the machines work. Adequate signage explaining all of these points is critical, not to mention easy.
Improved Lighting
Residents are less likely to utilize the onsite laundry if they don’t feel comfortable in the room. Better lighting can put them more at ease and increase usability. Better lighting also reduces the risk that darker clothing items will be missed in machines and allows maintenance teams to more easily evaluate the cleanliness of the laundry room.
Secure Access
Vandalism has frequently been an issue with laundry rooms, and while technology can help with these problems, there’s no sense in taking a risk. Communities also want to ensure that the machines are there for their residents and not the entire neighborhood.
Brighter Walls
Better lighting is enhanced by better walls, which can help create a more pleasant and relaxing environment. Look for lighter colors in a durable finish that are easy to clean and maintain.
Comfortable Seating
While seating is appreciated by residents, cheap plastic chairs are not, especially if people will be there for a while. Comfortable seating that’s affordable and simple to maintain is the best way to go. Communities could even consider couches rather than chairs.
WiFi
This may have been a feature in the past, but a modern laundry room requires access to WiFi. It makes it easier to pay via app, it helps gather data on machine usage and operability, and residents today expect WiFi everywhere.
Small Improvements Residents Will Love
For communities with limited budgets or space constraints, there are still improvements that can enhance the laundry room’s appeal.
Folding Tables/Rolling Carts
Transporting clothes, especially when they’re wet, can be unpleasant. Also, many people prefer to fold laundry when it’s fresh out of the dryer rather than shove it into their laundry basket, risking wrinkles. Stocking the laundry room with carts and tables can create a more positive image of the laundry room and the community.
Smart Vending Machines
Just about anyone who’s done laundry has experienced that moment where you’re out of something you need—detergent or pods, dryer sheets, stain remover—whatever it is, it can be frustrating. Smart vending machines are perfect for fixing those moments for residents. They can also combine refreshments for those who get thirsty or hungry waiting for the dryer to wrap up.
Tables
Whether it’s a coffee table or smaller tables that can be moved between chairs, tables that can be used for laptops or tablets can make the room more functional and make the residents much happier.
Aesthetic Additions
Plants and artwork make the laundry room a more enjoyable atmosphere for users. There’s also the functional route, such as a community bulletin board, traditional or electronic.
Entertainment
Offering either a television or a music system in the room can be considered an added bonus, enhancing the guest experience by providing entertainment options for relaxation and leisure.
The Big Ideas
For those who are feeling highly ambitious about creating a stunning laundry room for their residents and standing well above the competition, there are some avenues that will truly set a community apart.
Food and Beverage Service
Depending on the layout of the community and the location of your laundry room to other amenities, this can be a full-service amenity or a simple area in the laundry room that offers coffee, tea, water and snacks for your residents. Many already offer this to residents in their main lobby, so why not extend that to those spending a couple of hours washing clothes?
Co-working Spaces
The return to work hasn’t hit all industries, and multifamily communities still have numerous residents who are hybrid or work full-time at home. Having appropriate charging stations, wifi and work seating can make hitting the laundry room a nice break from their apartment and allow them to multitask.
Community Events
The laundry room may not be the first place that comes to mind for bringing the community together, but it will be one of the few places all residents use. Gathering everyone for a fun event—laundry-related or not—can help build trust and togetherness in an area where people would like to see it most. Raffles, community giveaways and other perks can perk up the laundry experience with little extra effort.
Higher resident retention becomes natural when laundry rooms evolve beyond coin-operated machines. Residents develop emotional and social connections to spaces they need to utilize. This investment translates directly into lease renewals, higher reputation scores and positive referrals. Residents are willing to pay for amenities that enhance their daily lives. A redesigned laundry room that considers their needs and desires can lead to a significant boost in ancillary revenue and net operating income.