Should you run your own laundry or outsource it? The honest answer depends on your numbers, but most operators underestimate the true cost of in-house. Here is a framework for comparing the two fairly.
The full cost of in-house
In-house laundry costs more than the machines on the invoice. Add staff wages and management, water and energy, maintenance and downtime, chemicals, and the floor space the laundry occupies. Together these are the figure to compare against.
What outsourcing replaces
An outsourced laundry turns all of that into a single cost per piece or per kilo, with no capital outlay, no staffing to manage, and capacity you do not have to build or staff for. You pay for clean linen and nothing else.
The factors beyond cost
Cost is only half the decision. Consider capacity for peaks, reliability of turnaround, hygiene standards, and the risk of a breakdown taking your only machines offline. Outsourcing spreads that risk across a facility built for it.
When in-house still makes sense
Very large, very steady operations with the space and staff to run laundry efficiently can sometimes justify it. For most hotels, restaurants, and clinics, the flexibility and lower risk of outsourcing wins.