Laura’s Laundromat: A Commitment to Clean

By Jayson Knight
editor@tuttletimes.com

Laura Ridley has been the owner/operator of Laura’s Laundromat in Mustang, located at 361 North Mustang Road, for 13 years.
The location was a laundromat long before, but Laura revitalized the location so that is the finest laundromat anywhere near Mustang.
“Number one is definitely cleanliness,” Ridley said Thursday, October 26. “I am a very clean, neat, organized person by nature. That is just who I am, so that spills over into my business as well. I always say nobody wants to come to a dirty laundromat to get clean clothes. We have walk in. It’s a coin-op, meaning you can come in and do it yourself. Or you can drop it off, and let us do it for you.”
Besides a commitment to clean, another thing that helps Laura standout is her updated equipment.
“When I took over,” Laura said, “there was a bunch of yellow top loaders that were already 20 years old, same with the dryers. All the equipment in there was already 20 years old, and it was not in good shape. When we first bought it, we just had to repair what was there. A couple of years after we bought it, we were finally in a financial position that we could start replacing the old equipment with new equipment, and I had to do that in shifts, because I didn’t have enough money to do it all at one time. Eventually all the equipment got replaced, and that is a huge thing. Customers want updated, working, newer equipment and I want that equipment as well. It’s less maintenance. It’s less expensive. The new washers are more energy-efficient washers, and the dryers are more energy efficient than the older ones were.”
Laura’s Laundromat doesn’t do any dry cleaning, alterations, shoe repair or leather work, all of which have been requested at one time or another.
“I’m sticking to what I know, which is laundry,” Ridley said. “We used to have a lady, her name was Sharon, and she did alterations, but she’s gone on to do other things. When I very first started, for maybe the first couple of years, I did dry cleaning, meaning that they would drop it off, and then I would send it out to someone else to do. I don’t do anything like that on premises, but it just wasn’t profitable for me and it was more hassle than it was worth. With the drop off, I don’t have room for anything else. I wouldn’t have room to accept dry cleaning anyway, and there are three other dry cleaners in Mustang. I am the only laundromat in town, so I want to make sure that I’m a good one. If people don’t want to drive very far, and they have to come to my laundromat, then I want them to have a good experience while they’re here.”
Laura’s is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Laura’s also offers free Wi-Fi, snacks & sodas, a children’s play area, a well-lit parking lot, a phone-charging station, big-load washers, knowledgeable attendants (who can even fold fitted sheets), an ATM, camper/semi parking, and more.
For drop-off rates and more information, go online to lauraslaundromat.com.