Relocating a Laundry or Dry-Cleaning Business: Machines and Customer Garments

On the last Saturday in the old shop, there are forty ironed shirts on hangers waiting for pickup, three bags of wet wash still in the drum, and a landlord who wants the keys by evening. A laundry is one of the few businesses where your move involves other people's clothes, and a mistake is not just your loss.

Treat the relocation as two separate jobs: moving the machines, and moving the garments that belong to customers. They need different handling and a different order of work.

Start with a closing date customers can see

Tell customers at least two weeks ahead that you are moving, with the last day for drop-off and the first day at the new address. Put it on the counter, on your WhatsApp status and on each ticket. Then stop accepting new work a few days before the move, so the shelves are nearly empty when the truck arrives.

Aim to return every garment before moving day. Whatever cannot be returned goes in a separate load that you control, not in the middle of the machinery.

Machines: drain, disconnect, secure

Commercial washers, extractors, dryers, boilers and steam presses are heavy and often fixed to the floor or wired in. Get the technician who installed them, or one you trust, to do the disconnection.

1. Switch off at the mains and isolate each machine. Do not pull wires yourself.
2. Close water and steam valves, and drain every machine fully. Water inside a washer or boiler can leak or shift weight on the truck.
3. Dry-cleaning machines need extra care. Solvents and residues have their own handling rules, so follow the manufacturer's guidance and ask the supplier or technician before anything is moved.
4. Fit transit bolts or locks where the machine has them, and tape doors and panels shut.
5. Take photos of the wiring and pipe layout before disconnecting, so the new shop can be set up in the same order.

Pressing tables, finishing boards and steam irons are lighter but damage easily. Wrap the irons and cables separately, and keep boiler hoses coiled and labelled.

Garments: keep them dry, clean and countable

Customer clothes need a plan of their own.

• Return clean garments to customers before the move wherever possible.
• For anything still in the shop, count the pieces against the tickets and record the numbers on paper and on your phone.
• Keep hanging clothes on rails or in covered garment bags, and fold the rest into clean, labelled bags or boxes with the ticket numbers on the outside.
• Never put garments on the floor of the truck. Use a blanket or plastic sheet, and keep this load away from oily or dirty machinery.
• Keep wet or damp laundry out of the move. Finish or return it first.

Ask a trusted staff member to travel with the garment load, and have them sign the count again at the new shop.

Plan the loading order

Put machines in first, against the front, with the heaviest low. Then the pressing equipment, racks and tables. The garment load goes in last, so it comes off first, away from the heavy items and the machines. If everything cannot fit on one vehicle, use two: a truck for machines and a pickup van for garments and small items. Check how to choose the right truck size before deciding.

Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer. Commercial machines often need extra hands and a ramp or trolley, and that should be settled in advance. Check the access at both ends too: gates, stairs, narrow doors and any building rules about heavy items.

Set up the new shop in the right order

1. Get power and water checked by an electrician and plumber before the machines arrive.
2. Place the heaviest machines first, level them and reconnect with the technician.
3. Run an empty cycle on each washer and extractor before taking real garments.
4. Set up the counter, rails and ticket system so the first customer finds everything where they expect.
5. Put a sign at the old address telling customers where you moved to, if the landlord allows it.

How to do this on Sphere

Request a truck or pickup van on Sphere and describe the load honestly: number and type of machines, rails and bags, and the floor you load from. Propose a price and wait for drivers to accept or send counter-offers, then choose the one that fits your plan and your schedule. For an out-of-hours move, see moving a shop overnight in Lagos. For more on business moves, read about truck hire in Lagos.