A new laundromat with a modern touch is under construction in Whitehall with a fall opening planned.

The opening is part of a broader national expansion for the Clean Laundry chain, which operates a facility in Toledo and plans additional locations in Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.

The Whitehall location, at 2597 East Main St., will provide "extremely, modern and efficient facilities," according to the company.

Co-founder Ethan Akin said Clean Laundry's goal is to give customers an alternative and enjoyable laundry experience, with machines able to hold up to eight loads of laundry at once with a wash-and-dry time under an hour.

Clean Laundry's expansion illustrates the evolution of the laundromat business, which has been "pretty hot" with several hundred new locations opening every year, said Brian Wallace, president and CEO of the Coin Laundry Association.

Because laundromat ownership is a very fragmented business, Wallace said it can be difficult to statistically track, but newer operations typically focus on high-capacity washers, such as Clean Laundry.

"We're doing more laundry with fewer locations collectively as an industry," Wallace said.

While coin-operated services are expected to stay relatively steady, laundry and dry cleaning facilities are expected to grow through 2028, according to market research.

Wallace said the COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the laundry industry, as laundromats were deemed essential businesses.

"It was further affirmation for a lot of folks that, in the past, we have proved to be sort of recession-resistant business," he said.

Due to an emphasis on delivery services within a number of industries brought on by the pandemic, Wallace said, full-service laundry facilities are expanding rapidly. In addition to more advanced machinery, laundromats are becoming more technologically savvy by incorporating features such as apps.

Some laundromats in the Columbus area are taking more unusual approaches, such as Dirty Dungarees Laundromat and Bar, near Ohio State University, which allows users to grab a beer while waiting for their laundry.

@E_SkidmoreGS

eskidmore@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Construction begins for new Whitehall laundromat