How To Start Dry Cleaning (Laundry) Business in Nigeria

How Much Do Dry Cleaners Make in Nigeria?

Dry cleaners make a lot of money from the Laundry business, it all depends on how you set up and the scale. In Nigeria, dry cleaners make around ₦20,000 to ₦30,000 daily depending on the location and area of the shop.

Some dry cleaners in big cities charge up to ₦500 to wash and iron a shirt. You can charge more or less, it all depends on the location of your business. In a day, you wash about 20 shirts. That is 20 x 500 = ₦10, 000.

Assuming you also wash suits and you charge ₦1500 for that. In a day, you wash up to 10 suits. That is 10 X 1500 = ₦15, 000

From the above, washing shirts and suits can make you ₦25, 500 every day. That will be ₦175,000 in a week and ₦700, 000 a month.

But this is just a snippet into it. You can make ten times that or even lower. It all depends on how you run your business. You can make millions a month.

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Steps To Start A Successful Dry Cleaning (Laundry) Business in Nigeria

Follow this guide below to run a successful washing business in Nigeria.

1. Develop A Good Business Plan

A good laundry business plan in Nigeria is essential in explaining and covering to people the advantages of the dry cleaning business.

It is also essential for getting grants, small business loans and even attracting serious investors to invest in your business.

Furthermore, a good business plan does not only tell you the advantages and what to expect but it gives you an insight into how much capital you will need to run the business in a good location.

2. Choose A Good Location

I can not speak highly enough of the importance of choosing a good location for any business you wish to venture into.

A good location is very essential for the success of your laundry business. Where your business is located can help it massively.

When choosing a business location, It is advisable to find a location with less saturation. If you can find a place where there is not much competition, it will be good.

However, it should not be a write-off as you can win over customers with your good service and manipulative skills to win clients.

Consider locations in open places. Places that are close to the road where people can see and notice your business when passing. That means the place should be a busy place where people coming from work or going pass through.

It should be in a residential area, that is places where people are living. An estate is a good place but it should be at a place where people pass through a lot.

Also, note that the geographical location can influence how much you charge. If your location is in a high-income neighbourhood, then you will charge more money. However, your rent will be higher.

And again, Having a large space will allow your customers to feel comfortable at your shop. Having a spacious place can also be beneficial as it allows you to have a big billboard showcase.

Your dry cleaning should be accessible, where people can conveniently come and go out easily.

3. Give Your Business A Sweet Captivating Name

Most times people underrate the emphasis of giving a business a good name. In setting up a good laundry shop, always give your shop a cool name that clients will never forget or get tired of calling. You should avoid vague names and other names that may be too difficult to pronounce.

In conclusion, choose a name that sounds professional. Make sure your choice of name is very unique and does not conflict with any other business.

4. Register Your Business With CAC

One important reason why you should not just choose a business name but choose one that is unique from the others is the opportunity and ability to register it with Corporate Affairs Commission.

There are so many benefits of registering your business with CAC and the most common of them being that the business is officially recognized by the government and there is proof of legitimacy and transparency.

If you need a trusted CAC expert to register your business, kindly contact Legacy Benjamin Enterprise

Lastly, give your business a classic logo flyer, and logo design that will always attract customers to your shop.

5. Get A Business Card

A business card is necessary to keep your customers connected and it also gives them the opportunity to reach out to you at any time.

Once there is a new client in your shop, ensure to hand over your card to him/her so that you will win him over and turn him into a perpetual and long-lasting client.

Your business card should contain your branded business name, phone number, address, motto, or slogan of your business as well as a warm note for good patronage.

6. Get All Needed Equipment

You can’t run a dry cleaning business without having the right equipment. Make sure you purchase the right equipment to keep your business and customer base running. You may need a delivery van (optional), but this has the potential to maximize your profits, as you are running a home delivery service.

Below are some vital types of equipment you must have for the laundry business

1. Washing machine(s)
2. Varieties of washing basins. (You need at least three bays in order not to wash multiple clothes together)
3. Dependable generator set
4. Hangers of different kinds – suits and trousers
5. Decent-sized water tank(s)
6. Washing Buckets
7. Powerful washing chemicals
8. Varieties of laundry detergents to be used on separate clothes
9. Industrial size pressing board (You can improvise this with a table – wooden or iron)
10. Cloth starch in bulk quantity
11. A garment conveyor to hang washed clothes
12. Wooden shelves
13. Strong transparent nylons for wrapping the clothes
14. Cloth drying machine(s)
15. Delivery van (Optional)
16. Musical sets

In case you later purchase a delivery van, consider having your logo and dry cleaning name printed on your vehicle.

Best Laundry Detergents in Nigeria

If you are looking for the best detergents for laundry, consider the following

• Virony detergent
• Ariel detergent
• Nittol detergent
• WAW detergent
• Zip detergent powder

7. Get A Staff

If you have other business to attend to and also depending on the size of your dry cleaning business, you may wish to hire a staff that could handle the shop, but before doing so ensure he possesses the following

• He must be able to understand what is expected of him to do (the nature of the work)
• Ability to handle the shop with all honesty
• A good manner of approach
• He should be able to dress neat and smart always, dry cleaning is not a farm business
• Must be focused and able to deliver services on time
• He should be able to win clients over his competitors

8. Set Up Your Price

You should take into consideration the cost of labour, materials, and overhead, and determine how much to charge for your services and simultaneously make a profit.

Conduct market research to determine what other dry cleaners charge for their services. You are free to negotiate prices with your new customers, but be sure to be on the right track before you start losing your profits.

In addition, you need to be optimal in setting up an accounting system. Keep store records of your dry cleaning business, this helps in keeping track of all your transactions, income, expenses, loss, and profits.

9. Promote & Market Your Business

By now your business is all set and ready. You should focus on good marketing strategies that will protect your business. This is what will bring customers to you and ultimately help you make money. Don’t overlook it, put a lot of energy into marketing.

Here are ways you can market your laundry business:

• Attach a flyer outside the shop to let people know what you do
• Utilize social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram
• Offer promotions discounts and giveaways. People love discounts, offer a discount like 20% off.
• Print flyers and share them in your neighbourhood
• Word of mouth. Tell people you know and urge them to help you tell their friends
• Do home delivery and pick up. You can offer to go pick up clothes and deliver them after washing, all your customers need to do is call you
• Go to offices and inform the workers of your services (leave your business cards with them)
• Most importantly, you need to be trustworthy, work with dignity and satisfy your customers and they will attract more clients to your dry cleaning shop

From the analysis about starting a dry cleaning business, You can estimate the cost of opening a dry cleaning business by calculating the equipment needed, business registration, shop rent, staff salaries, marketing budget, and most especially the size of the business.

You should budget around ₦300,00 to ₦500,000 on a small scale, ₦1,000,000, and above for a large-scale dry cleaning business.

Laundry Price List in Nigeria

Before getting into a dry cleaning business, it is also important to understand how much they charge for each service rendered. However this price list may vary depending on the location of your shop and city.

However, as I suggested earlier, it is best to run a dry cleaning business in big cities.

Before is the general price list today for each dry cleaning service

Fabrics/Wears and Prices (₦)

Tie – ₦50

Shirt – ₦150

Shirt with Anger – ₦200

Trouser – ₦200

A Complete Suit – ₦600

Safari Suit – ₦400

Native Wear(Buba and Agbada) – ₦850

Jeans – ₦200

Women’s Native – ₦350

Men’s Native – ₦300

Shirt and Blouse – ₦300

Small Bed Sheet – ₦300

Large Bed Sheet – ₦600

Blanket Duvet – ₦550

Small Towel – ₦100

Medium Towel – ₦250

Large Towel – ₦300

Wedding Gown – ₦2500

Full Aso-oke Wear – ₦500

Little Bride Gown – ₦300

Pyjamas – ₦150

Native Cap – ₦150

Socks – ₦50 (Per pair)

Singlet – ₦100

Sweater – ₦300

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Conclusion: Dry Cleaning Business in Nigeria

Conclusively, the laundry business is a very lucrative and promising business to make money from in Nigeria. All you need is the right amount of capital, an unsaturated location, and the application of good marketing strategies.