This post is brought to you by Laundry Care.

I consider myself incredibly fortunate. I have a job where I can work out of my own home during the hours that fit my schedule. This is especially huge for me as a single mom. Even with my mom close by providing me with so much help, I don’t think I could work a traditional job.

And when I say traditional, I mean anything that took me outside of my home. I wouldn’t be able to afford childcare for after school hours, or a nanny to get them on the bus in the morning. It wouldn’t matter if I was building burritos or skyscrapers; my personal circumstances probably would have forced me out of the workplace by this point.

I’m so grateful for my job as a writer, and the fact that because everything is online now, I do, in fact, have a job that has not required me to drop out of the workforce in any way, shape or form. These same opportunities were not available to my mother’s generation.

An Easier Route to a Home-Based Business

Building a blog and a business was not something that happened overnight, though. It was something that I did for free for years before it became a profitable business. If I were looking for a way to immediately start an income-generating business from home, I would not recommend a blog.

Recently, though, I had a chance to talk with Betha McClelland, a fellow Pittsburgh mother who also runs her own business. It is one that she built over a few years of work, but she was also making money from Day One.

Laundry Care

Betha works for Laundry Care, a laundry service which matches you with local, professional-level cleaning from Providers who work out of their own home. Laundry Care provides her with the layer of tech needed to find customers, pick up and drop off home deliveries, and get paid.

How do I get my laundry done with Laundry Care?

I gave Laundry Care a shot as a part of researching this article. They send you generously-sized, cotton laundry bags to fill up with your dirties.

Then, you use the app or online portal to let Laundry Care know when you’d like your stuff picked up for cleaning. They then dispatch your order to different Providers they have in the area, who can turn the order down or pick it up. Set your bags out on your porch during the pickup window of your choosing and you’re good to go!

How long does it take to get my laundry back from Laundry Care?

A normal order takes about two days to complete. Just as with pick-up, you get to pick the delivery time, too – the Provider will leave your clothes on your porch! Betha ended up being my Provider, and happened to have a light schedule that particular day, so I got my clothes back the same evening!

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen clothes so professionally folded. I gave her two massive laundry bags full of dirty clothing. This is what I got back:

It was so nice not to have to worry about laundry for a day, and even nicer that it came back so professionally done.

How much does Laundry Care cost?

In my area, service was about $30/bag. While not a weekly service for our house, when Betha started telling me about her clientele I started to appreciate how this service could be used by individual consumers. She told me about family members gifting laundry services for college students. Moms overwhelmed by a crazy weekend of extracurriculars, psychically unable to clean that uniform before the next game because human beings still haven’t mastered the art of being in two places at once.

Yes, there are some families who enlist Betha’s regular services on a biweekly basis. They must have far less messy children than I because we could never go two weeks!

But I heard Betha’s voice light up when we started talking about those less-regular clients, like one college student who was sick, so the parents long-distance ordered her services.  In these moments, she gets to see her work make a tangible difference in someone’s life, often when they’re otherwise stressed, sick or overwhelmed. And that’s meaningful.

Earning with Laundry Care

I didn’t just want Betha to do my laundry, though, as immaculately folded as it was. I wanted to learn more about her business, what made her decide to start working with Laundry Care, and what has made her so successful.

“I enjoy doing laundry!” she told me. “It’s weird! I know it’s something most people don’t like. I’m one of eleven, so I’ve been doing laundry all my life. Then I had four children of my own. So I’ve spent a lot of time doing laundry. I’m good at it. I like it. I can be home and work it around my schedule. Now my children are adults, and I have grandchildren. I can work around their schedules and continue to grow my business.”

That business started about three years ago on the side. It was a hustle on top of her other job. But with her work ethic and love for the work, Betha kept taking on new assignments, getting fairly regular repeat customers. She nurtured her business into a thriving profession which allows her the flexibility she enjoys today.

Many of her clients today are commercial clients – businesses that need their laundry done. Betha has a fair amount of them. Enough that she has used her business profits to reoutfit her home with three washers and four dryers.

You don’t have to go big-time.

But she stresses that you don’t have to turn your house into a laundry mat to make this work. Her daughter has taken an interest in the family business, but doesn’t do anything quite as intense. She uses it as a side hustle as her mother originally did, allowing her to tend to all the other needs in her life and still pull in some extra cash. As requests come in, she can accept them or decline them as they match her schedule, releasing assignments that don’t match to other area Providers.

Betha says her daughter works about 25-30 hours/month, and estimates that she pulls in about $2,000 over each 30-day period. 

How much does the average Laundry Care Provider earn?

Betha and her daughter are two specific case studies, but Laundry Care also has metrics for its average Provider.

Laundry Care Providers are typically paid $20 per bag. There is also extra compensation for additional services such as rush orders (24 hr service), ironing and dry cleaning courier service.

On average, providers earn $120-$300 weekly.  This information is based on 7-12 clients and can be achieved with a small 10-15 hr commitment.  Laundry Care’s top earners make $500-$700 per week with a larger commitment of 15-35 hours weekly.

What do I need to start making money with Laundry Care?

Startup costs with Laundry Care are low. You’ll need to fill out the application, have a washer and dryer which you can use to do the laundry, and purchase the $45 startup kit, which includes:

• Laundry Care branded reusable nylon bags.
• Bag tags.
• Garment covers.
• Hanging scale.

What will my job responsibilities be as a Laundry Care Provider?

When you sign on as a Laundry Care Provider, you’re taking on the following responsibilities:

• Accept orders within their service area and availability.
• Pick-up and deliver laundry at client’s location within scheduled time frame.
• Wash, dry, fold/hang and package laundry according to client’s laundry preferences.
• Provide additional services like occasional ironing and dry cleaning courier service by request. Each extra service needed is compensated accordingly.

Laundry as a sustainable side hustle.

Laundry Care makes earning money from home super easy if you have access to a washer and dryer. It’s the layer of tech that connects you with people who need and are willing to pay for your services. And on the other side of things, Betha, her daughter and all those that Laundry Care empowers are there ensuring the laundry you get hand-delivered to your home is done right.