P&G’s Tide Cleaners expands into apartments and condos

The average American spends about an hour a day sorting, washing, drying and folding laundry, Procter & Gamble’s researchers discovered. The Cincinnati-based consumer products giant saw an opportunity there to take its Tide brand beyond the home laundry room and into storefront locations around the country.

P&G says it will double the size of its current out-of-home laundry footprint by the end of 2020, making Tide Cleaners’ services available in more than 2,000 locations, including more than a dozen in downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine. Consumers, building managers, interested franchisees, and retailers can now request that Tide Cleaners consider opening a location in their city, building or on their campus by going to www.tidecleaners.com/start.

“Many people believe that in order to get laundry done right, they have to do it themselves,” says Sundar Raman, vice president of P&G’s North American Fabric Care business. “Tide is taking this challenge head-on and aiming to give people clean, cared-for clothes and some time back.”

The service comes in a few options:

Drop boxes in urban locations: Drop boxes are available 24/7 inside some high-rise apartment buildings, offices, and storefronts. To use, consumers download the Tide Cleaners app and submit cleaning instructions and the box number, then Tide Cleaners will send a notification when the clothes are ready for pickup.

These boxes now exist in about 20 locations at apartments and condos in Cincinnati, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia, Boston, and Nashville. The model is expanding with about 350 new boxes installed every month.

24-hour stores: Valet drop-off locations are available to handle environmentally friendly dry cleaning, alterations, wedding dress preservation, and other special issues. Currently Tide Cleaners has more than 125 standalone stores across 22 states, in cities such as Houston, Phoenix, and Omaha. The majority of these locations are local, family-owned franchises.

On-campus van delivery: College students can now hand laundry over to attended service trucks parked outside residence halls. Students are notified when the truck is nearby. To start the service, parents or students can purchase a monthly laundry plan and deposit laundry in a Tide Cleaners laundry bag. Tide Cleaners exists on more than 20 campuses already including the University of Alabama, Indiana University, and Southern Methodist University.

Drop boxes in existing retailers: Consumers can drop off and pick up laundry and dry cleaning through boxes installed in existing retail locations, including supermarkets and other high-traffic areas.