Leah Dailey • 11 AM EST • November 14, 2025

Introduction

Turnaround times are the single biggest friction point between traditional dry cleaning and today’s on-demand consumer. The industry still runs on a multi-day rhythm while a growing group of customers expects near-instant convenience. This discrepancy presents a clear, high-margin opportunity for any laundry operator capable of consistently offering premium, same-day service.

Current Industry Turnaround

Most dry cleaners operate on a 2-to-3-day schedule. An industry survey found the average turnaround to process garments is about 2.1 days, and only 10% of shops offer same-day service while 19% offer next-day — meaning roughly 29% provide same- or next-day returns and 71% do not (Cleaner’s Supply, 2025 State of the Dry Cleaning Industry Report).

Consumer Preferences

That matters because a large share of consumers prefer speed. In a 2023 consumer study, 34% of respondents said they want their dry cleaning ready in one day or less, and two-thirds said they’d bring in more garments if turnaround were faster (CINET / Cleaner’s Supply, Dry Cleaning Consumer Pulse Report 2023). In other words, customers are constrained by the current pace, not by willingness to spend.

Challenges for Laundromat Owners

This becomes especially critical for laundromat owners who offer wash-dry-fold or pickup and delivery. Many of these operators have successfully built routes that bring in consistent revenue and recurring customers, but when dry cleaning gets added to the mix, it often breaks the “on-demand” promise. Because few laundromats have in-house dry-cleaning capabilities, those items must be outsourced to a third-party cleaner. That adds at least 2–3 days of delay, breaks operational flow, and eats into margin — sometimes cutting profits by as much as 30–40% once transport, coordination, and markups are factored in.

So while customers may expect a 24-hour pickup and return cycle, the laundromat ends up waiting several days for dry cleaning to come back, forcing a second delivery run and introducing unnecessary complexity. Multiply that by dozens of customers a week, and the lost time, fuel, and labor hours quickly add up. Worse yet, customers don’t distinguish between wash-dry-fold and dry-cleaning — they simply perceive slow service, which can erode trust and loyalty.

Market Opportunity

At the same time, the market signals show that the demand and economics for fast-turn, on-demand garment care are real. The on-demand laundry/delivery segment is one of the fastest-growing categories in the fabric care industry, expanding at double-digit rates annually. And since the broader dry-cleaning and laundry market remains multi-billion-dollar and stable, even capturing a fraction of that volume through premium, express offerings represents meaningful growth potential.

One documented case saw a local cleaner use app-based pickup and delivery to scale from zero to roughly $5,000 per week in revenue and acquire nearly 700 customers in a year; proving that customers will adopt tech-driven garment care quickly when the experience is simple, fast, and consistent (Impressive Cleaners & Laundry / Starchup Case Study).

Implications for Laundromat Owners

Translation for laundromat owners: there’s a large underserved market of busy consumers who are willing to pay a premium for guaranteed same-day or next-day pickup and return — especially when it’s all handled under one roof. When you outsource dry cleaning, you’re effectively outsourcing both your control and your customer experience. Bringing those garments back in-house can protect your revenue, simplify logistics, and keep your brand promise intact.

Solution: Presso

And this is exactly where Presso steps in — not as a replacement for your business, but as an enhancement. Presso’s instant garment care technology allows laundromat owners to process dry-cleaning-level garments on-site, in minutes, without needing to outsource. That means faster turnaround, higher margins, and a true on-demand experience your customers can rely on — finally aligning dry cleaning with the speed and quality today’s pickup-and-delivery world expects.