All businesses / Commercial laundry and linen

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a commercial laundry and linen: the real numbers

Washing for hotels, restaurants, salons. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€30,000–€100,000

Hours / week

30–55

First income

~14 wks

Net margin

40%

Saturation

low

Realistic ceiling

€800–€4,500+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

About as unglamorous as business gets, and precisely why it is profitable: hotels and restaurants need it every single day and switch supplier almost never. The capital and the energy bills are both serious.

The route, in five steps

  1. Sign two anchor clients before buying a single machine
  2. Rent the linen out rather than only washing theirs
  3. Buy industrial, not commercial — the duty cycle matters
  4. Route collections on fixed days
  5. Energy is the biggest cost after staff: model it

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every commercial laundry and linen pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

industrial machinespremisesvanlinen stockinsurance

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack