How This Mom Makes $1,000+ a Month Doing Laundry
One of the most loathed chores on the planet: LAUNDRY. Did you know you can get paid for doing other people's laundry? And the amount you can make is upwards of $1,000 (or more!!) per month. Syrena is on track to make $1K a month and only works two days a week!
I love featuring other side hustlers and entrepreneurs. Today's feature is Syrena, a mom of two (3 years old, and 11 months) from Houston who has a side hustle doing laundry for busy people!
Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. I earn a commission when you make a purchase through them. 🙂 Click to learn how to increase your affiliate earnings on your own blog.
What is hampr?
It's basically like Uber, for laundry!! 🙂
hampr is an on-demand, membership-based wash-and-fold laundry service. Whew, what a mouthful!
You can sign up as a customer at tryhampr.com – use code wsyrena10 to get $10 off your membership.
How does hampr work?
The first thing I asked was “okay, how does this work?” Syrena explained:
Pickup/drop off is at their house. They will leave it on the front porch and within 24 hours it is returned. One hampr costs the customer $10-15 depending on their market. Where I am in Houston, they are charged $15 and I get 70% of that, plus 100% of any tips. I normally only get 3+ hampr orders unless they're very close to me.
When hampr users place an order in the app, eligible washers will be notified and allowed to “claim” an order.
If you claim an order, you must pick up the user’s hampr(s) during their indicated pick-up window and deliver their clean, folded laundry within the following 24-hour drop-off window. That is why people love hampr: their laundry is delivered within 24 hours!
It's easy to set up the hampr app and connect your bank account, to get direct deposits. Take time to fill your profile out and set a delivery radius you're comfortable with so only local orders will pop up. 🙂
What are the requirements to become a washr?
Those who wash clothes for Hampr are called “washrs.” Washrs must:
- be at least 18 years of age
- be able to pass a general background check
- have a valid U.S. driver’s license and auto insurance
- have access to a reliable vehicle
- be able to lift 20-30 pounds
- have an iPhone (iOS 10 or newer) or Android (5.1 or newer) smartphone
- have a washing machine that is at least 4.2 cubic feet
- you CANNOT be a smoker
And as a side note to follow up on the NO SMOKERS rule, I would be very careful if you have cats. My daughter is VERY allergic to cats, so I would definitely not be able to use a washr who has cats.
Supplies needed:
All hampr washrs are required to use Dropps detergent. Otherwise, members may decide to include their own detergent or fabric softener in a specially-lined pocket within their hampr—this choice will be indicated on the order.
In addition to the detergent, you'll need to make sure you have a washing machine that is at least 4.2 cubic feet.
Other supplies that may be optional but will give you optimal results include:
- business cards
- flyers
- social media images
- stickers and thank you cards
How much money can you make doing laundry for other people?
Syrena averages about $25+ an hour, which is decent for a side hustle you can do at home while your kids are there if you ask me! 🙂 More info on how much she works and makes per week later in this post.
You get paid weekly through direct deposit.
Costs associated with being a washr
Besides the obvious (water and electricity for the washer, electricity or gas for the dryer), your expenses will include:
- gas for your car – set up a route before leaving and get gas at Costco or another place that charges less than average
- detergent – you get a coupon code for the Dropps which makes them super affordable
- dryer balls
- dog hair remover (like this one)
- folding mat
The last few things on the list aren't necessarily required but they will help you be more efficient and consistent.
Your first hampr order
When you're ready to get started, you'll receive a notification when there are available orders in your desired radius. Leave notifications ON so you don't miss anything!
To claim an order, you're going to double tap the “CLAIM” button – you are contractually obligated to complete this order after you claim it, so ONLY claim loads you can complete and deliver within 24 hours.
Choose your window
There are three order windows: morning (6AM-8AM), lunch (12PM-2PM), and evening (5PM-7PM). Once you've claimed your orders and are ready to pick them up, you'll use the app to plan your route. The app ensures an efficient route – saving time and money.
Picking up your first order
The majority of the time, members will leave their hamprs outside of their door. There are pick-up instructions on the app. Scan the QR code located on each hampr, letting the member know their order has been picked up.
Processing orders
Once you start working on the laundry, open the hampr app and click “start washing” – you'll see your customer's order preferences including detergent, temperature, load type, etc.
You don't have to separate the laundry; members are told to place one load per hampr so the load that goes into your washer comes straight from the hampr – nothing more, nothing less. No guesswork.
Folding
Your folding space should be pet-free and far from the kitchen. If your customers complain about a pet smell, food smell, etc you may not get paid.
It's nice to know that nothing is left up to the imagination: there are instructions for pretty much everything! 🙂
Dropping off
Once you've washed, dried, and folded the clothes, it's time to load up the hamprs and deliver them.
Orders must be dropped off during the same time frame they were picked up the day before. So if you picked up during the morning window (6AM-8AM) on Thursday, the laundry must be delivered by 8AM on Friday.
Scan the hamprs as you drop them off, so the member is alerted that their laundry has been delivered!
How to get more customers
If there is an influx of people signing up to become washrs, how do you stand out?
Advertise via social media and include a handwritten thank you card with your orders. Syrena includes a thank you card that asks them to favorite/rate her and includes 2 stickers in every order. The cost here is minimal but the impact is huge!
You can request these cards to pass out and leave places. You will get a new picture to share on your socials every month. Hampr encourages you to get the word out however you can! With code wsyrena10, for example, the customer will save $10 on their yearly membership and Syrena gets $20.
If this was a side hustle I was trying out, I would play up the “the best gift for mom is freshly washed, dried, and folded laundry – delivered within 24 hours” or something of the sort… this will grab the dads, mothers-in-law and moms, even brothers and sisters who will gift someone with a laundry subscription.
Pro tip: Members can choose you as a FAVORITE in the app, so do what you need to to stand out and be awesome.
What does a day in the life of a “laundry fairy” look like?
Syrena wakes up, feeds the kids and animals, and logs into Hampr to claim available loads. She then plans out when nap time is so she can fit it between pickups.
After the laundry is picked up, she immediately start washing the clothes. Once a load is out of the dryer, she hangs everything up so it doesn't wrinkle – in case the kids need her while she's folding. It does take a few more minutes, but it's totally worth it. Folding is the only part that takes more than a few minutes, so it's easy to care for the kids in between folding the laundry.
After the kids go to bed, she finishes any remaining Hamprs and go to bed. The service is still fairly new in her area so she's not super busy like other markets.
Is the side hustle worth it?
I always want to know, IS IT WORTH IT? Because I'm not about to work 100 hours a week to make $100, right? So, I asked Syrena her thoughts:
Right now, I get between 10 and 30 Hamprs a week, earning me up to $250 per week so far.
The past 2 weeks have been around $250 each time and I only pick up order on 2 days so within a month or so I will be able to consistently make $250 and then more. At first I was driving 10+ miles for orders. Now I don't drive further than 8 miles and have many fairly regular that are within 5 miles.
In addition to earning 70% of all orders, you get to keep 100% of your tips!
While this is definitely an active stream of income, ESPECIALLY for stay at home moms, I can see it being worth it if you don't mind doing laundry, are good and fast at it, and have a reliable vehicle with a flexible schedule. You can put TV on for the kids, have a dance party, or listen to podcasts all while folding clothes. You can do it during nap times, at bed time, etc. Overall, this side hustle seems like it is definitely worth checking out.
If you have the space, make more money by having two washers and dryers. Enlist the help of your spouse, older kids, etc and make it a family business. If you live in a busy area with enough orders, you could make more than $500 per week. In fact, top washers make $2,000 a month – an achievable goal and an income that will pay quite a few bills!
How do I get started?
Download the hampr app. There are other laundry fairy apps out there (like Poplin), you just have to look around!
Thinking “no way!!” when I talk about doing laundry for other people? Perhaps you'd rather someone do the laundry for you – that's how I feel, too! In that case, you've gotta make some more money, right?
Start here:
- Side Hustles to do From Your Phone
- Best Side Hustles to Start This Weekend
- Make Money Selling Planners on Etsy
Syrena's advice: just take the leap and do it!!
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