Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Make money from dirty laundry
Isobel Lawrance
24th Jun 2022
There are a surprising number of ways you can make money from dirty laundry. You may have seen our previous articles on making money selling your knickers or used tights. But there are many other weird, wonderful and quite frankly interesting ways you can make money from your dirty laundry.
They aren’t all seedy ways, either. Some of them are quite practical and could become a nice little earner. Every little helps, as they say. Especially at the moment with the cost of living through the roof!
- Utilise your washing machine
- Sell your underwear
- Sell your shoes
- Make money ironing
- Sell laundry bags
Utilise your washing machine
If you spend a lot of time at home, getting paid to wash clothes could be a nice little side earner. Perhaps you just love doing laundry (to each their own!) and want to pocket some extra pennies from doing it.
You could start your own business from home, using your own washing machine. You can offer laundry services for the price you choose, and can do anything from washing to drying, ironing and even folding. Bonus points (and cash!) if you can do clothing repairs too.
The good thing about setting up the business yourself is that you have full control over the rates you charge. Set your rates fairly, though. Check out how much laundrettes in your area charge per wash, or how much other laundry services cost to use. Remember to charge enough to cover the costs of the energy being used by your washing machine and make a little extra, but not so much it puts people off. If you have a tumble dryer or steamer, you could even charge slightly more.
If you have a car, you have the flexibility to pick up and return items of laundry you have cleaned for your clients. You can also charge a little extra for transporting laundry straight to your customer’s door.
Advertising
Create a Facebook page or a website using a fast website builder like SquareSpace to help spread the word about your business. You could even put posters up in your local area, in shop windows or community notice boards. Offer discounted rates for friends and family to begin with and let them trial your services. Then, ask them to spread the word.
There are apps available on which you can offer your services, too. WaShare is a community app which allows you to advertise your laundry services in your local area. Clients can book in a time and date with you through this, look at the services you offer and how much you charge for these. The cost is almost half that of traditional laundrettes, so you can make money whilst your clients save.
The great thing about this line of work, is that you will likely get regular clients who grow to know and trust you. You will also have random clientele here and there, who may have a specialist item they want you to wash, or who’s washing machines have packed in and they urgently need their piles of laundry done.
Things to remember
There are things to consider when starting your own at home laundry business, though.
The first tip is to always make sure you check all items before washing them to ensure there is no damage already there. You don’t want to find yourself being blamed for a missing button or a rip in a seam if they were already there when you received the item.
Similarly, make sure you are always prepared to be honest with your customers. If you do accidentally cause a tear, stain or cause damage to an item, be open and honest with your customer about this. Be prepared to cover any costs, if this does happen, and perhaps even offer a discounted or free wash next time to appease your client.
It is important to make sure your buy the right equipment for the services you are offering. Having equipment which works well will make your work far quicker and more efficient.
If you offer to take on items made from a particular material, make sure you are knowledgeable about how to wash and care for these garments as to not damage them. Different materials need to be washed or dried on different settings. Some materials can be ironed, whereas others cannot. Always do your homework!
If this sounds like a good plan, but you aren’t prepared to do laundry in your own home, why not look for a steady income stream by working at your local laundrette. Many laundrettes need workers, and you could do it a day or two a week to supplement your income. It is a way to meet new people, socialise, and make money from dirty laundry!
Sell your underwear
Yes, really. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but it can be a very big earner for many people. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, here at MoneyMagpie we have recently written articles about how to sell your knickers and your used tights to make money.
Don’t get us wrong – we understand not everyone may be totally comfortable doing this. This is okay, just keep scrolling! But for those who are interested, read on.
Last year, The Metro released an article by a woman who claims to make up to £4,000 a month selling her used underwear online. Yes – £4,000 Great British Pounds a MONTH.
It’s not just knickers and socks, either. You can make money from all dirty laundry. Bras, skirts, dresses and even sweaty tops sell online. It’s easy money, really. Websites like Sofia Gray are specifically made for this purpose. It is a good place to start if you are unsure of how to go about it.
Reminder
As with anything like this, you may get inappropriate requests or messages. That’s why it is important to go with a site set up specifically for this purpose. Not only does it allow you a safety blanket, allowing you to delete or block anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable, but you set the rules. You can decide what items you choose to sell, and for how much.
It may not be the most conventional way to make money, but it sure is lucrative. It’s a great source of passive income and a brilliant side hustle for many. You can read our full article about selling your knickers here and our articles about selling your tights here.
Sell your shoes
As with socks, there is a big market for all things feet. Shoes, particularly well-worn ones, can be very popular online. The Savvy Sloth even wrote about someone who made almost £400 in just three months by selling their – in their own words – ‘smelly’ shoes.
As with selling your underwear online, it is important to use a trusted website. You could also use online marketplaces such as eBay, but it is imperative you word any listings you make wisely. Avoid using words like ‘smelly’, ‘stinky’, etcetera. Your listings may be taken down by the website and you could face a ban on your account. Phrases such as ‘worn’, ‘well-worn’ and ‘well-used’ are preferable.
Again, using a website allows you to block or delete people who make you feel uncomfortable or make requests too bizarre for your taste. Keep in mind, though, that many selling platforms, whether they are designed for this purpose or not, may take a small selling fee. Some websites even charge you monthly to use their platform. If you gather a bigger clientele or start getting regular buyers, this may be cheaper than giving a percentage of your profits to the site.
Some people may want you to wear shoes for an extended period of time before posting the item to them. Others may even just want a picture of your feet in well-worn shoes. Some might want the insoles of your shoes. The possibilities are endless. If you are willing to wear shoes for extended periods, then this may be the money maker for you.
Make money ironing
Now, this is not necessarily dirty laundry, but it is handling laundry. We recently wrote a great article all about making money from ironing. We discussed what is involved, what you will need, where to begin and some top tips to make as much money as possible.
If you work part time, are retired or are a stay-at-home parent, this may just be the gig for you. Doing ironing for money in your spare time as a college or university student for some cash in hand during your studies is also a great idea. Stick the telly on, make a cuppa and get ironing.
Top tips
Although it may seem straight forward, there are thing to bear in mind, as with any time you are offering a service for money.
Of course, you need to think about what services you are going to offer. Of course, you are going to do ironing. But are there any particular add-ons you are willing to do, like picking up and dropping off people’s garments? As with starting a laundry service, could you include extras such as sewing on a missing button or restitching a seam?
Next, you need to start thinking about what you are going to charge. You don’t want to charge so much that people don’t bother. If prices are too high, people will begrudgingly do their ironing themselves, even if it is a chore they despise. They may also go elsewhere, so make sure you have done your research and know what your competition is charging.
Make sure you have a working iron and a good ironing board. Old irons can wear out and do a less efficient press. It is also a good idea to practice on your own clothes if you are fairly new to ironing – especially items such as shirts and blouses which can be tricky to get right.
Sell laundry bags
This may not be making money from dirty laundry itself, but you are making money from the needs of people who have dirty laundry. (A.k.a., most people!) If you have an artistic flare, why not make laundry bags to sell? On the online marketplace Etsy, many people sell personalised laundry bags. The current sale prices are anywhere from around £9.99 to £30. This depends on the size or print on the bag.
Now, this may not be for everyone, that is completely understandable. But, if you love arts and crafts and have a keen eye for design, it may be something to think about. We have previously written an article about making money by selling personalised items and selling personalised laundry bags is no different.
Some websites sell drawstring bags in bulk, for less that £1 per bag. These plain white cotton drawstring bags are 96 pence each. If you bought 100 for £96 (plus £7.95 shipping), you’d be investing into your business. If you sold each bag for say, £10 a pop and asked the buyer to cover postage costs, you could be making a nice profit of almost £9 per bag. That’s almost £900 in your pocket!
What could you sell?
Now of course, it won’t be THAT straight forward, especially if you are going to personalise your bags. Perhaps you could hand stitch a person’s name or a print of their choice into the bag.
You could put a photo or design of their choice onto the bag using fabric transfers. You could even decorate the bag yourself with cool gems, buttons, beads and badges. If you have a little bit of money to invest, you could even buy a textile printing machine, which allows you to print onto fabrics.
Of course, you would charge the customer extra for specific designs, add-ons and personalisation. As previously mentioned within this article, shop around and look at how much the competition is charging. You want to find a happy medium between covering any costs for materials, your time and still making a bit of cash to put away.
This may not be for everyone, but if you are looking for a new, fun way to make money, why not explore it as an option? You never know, you may love it!
I will do all that’s required for some extra cash
Hi,can you send me more info on selling laundry bags to make a profit please?
Thank you sharing for this great post.