Mobile Laundry Startups Rise as Workloads Surge Amid Consecutive Cold Waves

Orders Double on Days When Temperatures Drop Below Minus 10 Degrees Celsius
Non-face-to-face laundry services see a surge as concerns about frozen pipes rise
Demand for everyday laundry and large items increases sharply during cold waves

As temperatures recently plummeted below minus 10 degrees Celsius, non-face-to-face laundry services are experiencing a boom. This is due to an increase in households finding it difficult to use washing machines amid concerns about pipe freezing and other issues. Running washing machines in extreme cold can cause drainage pipes to freeze, and in apartment complexes, lower-floor units may suffer from backflow damage.

According to Uisikju Company, which operates the non-face-to-face mobile laundry service 'Laundrigo,' on days in January when temperatures dropped close to minus 10 degrees, orders for everyday laundry doubled compared to the previous day. Last month, Laundrigo processed 30,000 everyday laundry orders, amounting to 150 tons by weight. Laundrigo has an advantage with its subscription service focused on everyday laundry, enabling it to stably handle increased volumes during cold snaps. Laundrigo operates three smart factories and has a cumulative subscription customer base of 150,000.

In the contactless laundry service, the customer's laundry is collected, completed within a day, packed, and delivered back to the doorstep. Provided by Uiksujoo Company

Laundry services are broadly divided into dry cleaning and everyday laundry involving water washing. The reason orders for everyday laundry surge during cold waves is convenience. According to Samsung Electronics Service, after the cold wave began on the 3rd, requests for washing machine freezing repairs more than doubled in a single day compared to the previous day. In such situations, large laundry items like blankets are especially difficult to wash at home. To address this inconvenience, Laundrigo allows customers to request laundry pickup via its app until 10 p.m., and the washed and dried laundry is delivered back to the doorstep the next evening. A Laundrigo representative said, "We are processing the surge in water-washed laundry caused by the cold wave on schedule and completing next-day delivery."

Another non-face-to-face laundry platform, Setakteukgongdae, also saw a 34% increase in overall everyday laundry service requests on January 9 and 10, when the minimum temperature in Seoul dropped below minus 10 degrees, compared to the average. In addition to everyday laundry, total laundry including dress shirts, dry cleaning, and other large items increased by about 6% compared to the average.

An industry insider said, "The laundry industry has traditionally focused on dry cleaning, but with the rise of single- and two-person households, demand for water washing is rapidly increasing, and this trend becomes more pronounced during cold waves. During cold periods, companies are preparing systems to maintain quality by adding staff to handle the surge in orders."