Most laundromats already have a vending machine, and most of them sell the same few things: single-load detergent, softener, dryer sheets and laundry bags, plus snacks and drinks for the wait. The questions that matter are narrower. Which products earn their slot? Does a soap machine still pay if your washers dose detergent? What does each vend actually leave you, and which machine fits the wall or floor space you have? This guide answers those with survey data, published supply prices and clearly labelled illustrative arithmetic.
Quick answer
- What sells: single-load detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, bleach and stain remover, laundry bags, snacks and drinks. In the 2024 CLA survey, 87% of US self-service stores sold soap by vending, 84% had soda or snack vending and 73% sold laundry bags.
- Margin per vend: a single-load detergent box can cost about $0.58 at published case prices and typically sells for $1.25–2.25. The total depends on how many customers buy.
- Machine fit: a shallow wall-mount machine for detergent, sheets and softener; a full-size coil machine (often refrigerated) for snacks and drinks; locker cells for bulky items such as bags.
- Payment: match what the washers take. 71% of surveyed stores use quarters and 42% accept cards. A cashless terminal removes the coin box. See payments.
- Price: KioskForce publishes starting prices from USD 800–1,500 (compact wall-mount) to USD 2,100 (KF10X22), before freight and duties. See vending machine cost.
What laundromats sell from vending machines
The 2024 CLA Laundry Industry Survey asked 377 US store owners which ancillary services their store offers. Vending is at the top of the list, ahead of Wi-Fi and wash & fold.
| Ancillary service (2024 CLA survey) | Share of stores offering it |
|---|---|
| Soap: vending | 87% |
| Soda and/or snack vending | 84% |
| Laundry bag sales | 73% |
| Wi-Fi access | 73% |
| Wash-dry-fold: drop-off | 65% |
| Soap: over-the-counter sales | 39% |
| Wash-dry-fold: pickup/delivery | 38% |
| Prepared food and/or drink | 16% |
Source: CLA 2024 Laundry Industry Survey, question 4 (2023 data, 377 responses, margin of error ±4.9 points).
Two things follow. First, a store without soap vending is the exception, so customers expect it; a broken or empty machine is noticed. Second, only 39% sell soap over the counter, which matters because the same survey found that 49% of stores are attended for all their opening hours, 10% are never attended and 18% are open 24 hours. For the hours nobody is behind the counter, the vending machine is the shop.
Product, format and the machine that suits it
Pack size decides the machine, not the other way round. Single-load laundry products are small and uniform, which is why they suit a shallow cabinet. Bags, bottles and chilled drinks are not.
| Product | Usual vend format | Typical machine |
|---|---|---|
| Detergent (liquid or powder) | Single-load box, about 1.3–1.8 oz | Wall-mount coil or push-plunger soap vender |
| Fabric softener (liquid) | Single-load box or sachet | Wall-mount coil |
| Dryer sheets | Box of 2 sheets | Wall-mount coil |
| Bleach, colour-safe bleach | Single-load box, about 2 oz | Wall-mount coil |
| Stain remover | Single-use box or sachet, about 1 oz | Wall-mount coil |
| Laundry bags | Folded mesh or plastic bag | Wide coil, tray, or a locker cell |
| Snacks | Standard snack packs | Full-size coil machine |
| Drinks | Cans and bottles, chilled | Refrigerated full-size machine |
| Full-size detergent bottles, bulk packs | Retail packs | Locker cells (too large for a coil) |
Pack sizes from a US laundry vending supplier’s product list (accessed 3 October 2026). Check your own products’ packaging before specifying coils.
A compact wall-mount cabinet is typically 200–350 mm deep and runs 6 to 30 or more coil selections, with coil pitch chosen per selection: narrow coils around 40–50 mm and wider coils around 70–90 mm can sit in the same machine. A small detergent box fits that easily. A bulky laundry bag eats the depth, so a machine full of bags empties fast and costs more to restock than it earns. Send the packaging dimensions before anyone designs the cabinet. The planogram configurator and coil options let you check fit first.
Soap vending versus free detergent
Some laundromats include detergent in the wash price. Chemical injection systems built for vended laundries dispense detergent, brighteners, softeners and disinfectants into compatible washers, so customers do not have to carry or load detergent (American Coin-Op, June 2020). It is a positioning decision, not a vending decision, but it changes the vending maths:
| Soap vend model | Detergent included in the wash | |
|---|---|---|
| Detergent revenue | Per box, at your vend price | Built into the wash price |
| What the vending machine sells | Detergent, softener, sheets, bleach, bags, snacks | Sheets, stain remover, speciality detergent, bags, snacks |
| Machine size | Wider laundry range, more selections | Fewer laundry selections; more room for snacks |
| Customer pitch | Low headline wash price | “Just bring your clothes” |
If you run injection on some washers only (often the large ones), keep detergent in the machine for the rest. If you run it on every washer, re-plan the range around what customers still buy, and expect detergent to stop being the top seller.
Machine types compared
There are four realistic ways to vend in a laundromat. The first is the classic mechanical soap vender that many stores already have. The other three are KioskForce platforms with published starting prices.
| Machine type | Best for | Payment | Footprint | KioskForce starting price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical push-plunger soap vender | Detergent and softener boxes at a fixed price | Coins (coin slide) | Wall | Not a KioskForce product |
| Compact wall-mount | Detergent, softener, sheets, stain remover, small items | QR code, MDB cashless card terminal, or coins at the cost of depth | Wall; cabinet roughly 400–600 mm wide, 200–350 mm deep | 800–1,500 |
| BG10X10 touchscreen (10-inch sidecar screen) | Laundry range plus snacks, or chilled drinks | QR code, MDB cashless, MDB coin and note | Floor; 1,110 mm wide | from 1,200 |
| KF10X22 full-size (22-inch screen) | Larger ranges, drinks, on-screen promotions | MDB cashless, note reader, coin mech | Floor; 1,310 mm wide | from 2,100 |
| K180-6C locker kiosk (21.5-inch screen, 6 cells) | Bulky or higher-value items: bags, bulk detergent | Specified at order | Floor | from 1,800 |
KioskForce prices are indicative starting prices published on our product pages, before freight, import duties, installation and stock. The BG10X10 and KF10X22 come ambient or refrigerated.
Every KioskForce machine is built connected, over 4G or Wi-Fi, and reports sales and stock levels to a cloud dashboard. That is what separates a smart vending machine from a mechanical one: you see which selections are running low before you drive to the store. The full price list, including landed cost, is on vending machine cost.
Cashless versus coins
Match the washers. In the CLA survey, machines in 71% of stores take quarters, 42% take a laundry card, 42% take credit or debit cards and 25% take Apple Pay or Google Pay. A customer who paid for the wash by tapping a phone will not have quarters for a detergent box.
- Card and phone payment on a KioskForce machine runs through an MDB cashless terminal: Vending on Track VendCoin, Nayax, Cantaloupe or another device you nominate. Which cards and wallets it accepts is set by the terminal and your processor. Money settles through your processor, not through us.
- Item-level sales data comes from the machine, not the terminal. You see which product sold on a card transaction, not just the amount.
- QR payment needs no reader at all and suits a screen-free wall-mount unit.
- Coins are possible, but a coin mechanism and cash box compete with product depth in a shallow cabinet, and cash hardware is the highest-maintenance part of any vending machine.
- Laundry card systems are store-specific. If you want the vending machine to take your laundry card, send us the card system’s make and its MDB documentation; compatibility is confirmed at quotation, not assumed.
Details and the full compatibility matrix are on payments.
Placement and capacity
Put the laundry machine where the need arises: by the washers, within sight of the entrance, not tucked behind the folding tables. Snacks and drinks belong near the seating. Before drawings are issued, check each position for:
- Wall substrate for a wall-mount: brick, block or drywall, and what is behind the fixing points. We supply the engineering drawings for the mounting backplate; the installation is done locally by your contractor or, in some regions, a local distributor.
- Power within reach, on your local supply.
- Network signal at the actual position, for the 4G module or Wi-Fi.
- Clearance for the door to open fully for restocking and for a customer to stand at the collection bin.
- Mounting height under the accessibility rules that apply where you are. You set the height; we build to it.
- Humidity. A laundromat is warm and damp. State it at enquiry so the specification allows for it.
Capacity is a service-interval question. Work out roughly how many of each item you sell a week, then size the facings so the machine lasts between visits. Give the best-sellers (usually detergent) more than one coil and drop slow lines rather than filling the grid.
What a laundromat vending machine earns: illustrative arithmetic
The figures below are illustrative, not a forecast. Replace every assumption with your own.
Assumptions: detergent box cost $0.58 (a published US case price of $57.95 for 100 single-load boxes, accessed 3 October 2026); vend price $1.75 (inside the $1.25–2.25 range a laundromat pricing guide reports); card processing assumed at $0.10 per vend (yours depends on your processor). That leaves about $1.07 per box.
| Detergent boxes sold per day | Net per month | Net per year | Months to recover a USD 1,500 machine price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | about $325 | about $3,900 | about 4.6 |
| 30 | about $975 | about $11,700 | about 1.5 |
| 60 | about $1,950 | about $23,400 | about 0.8 |
Excludes freight, import duties, installation, the stock float, restocking time and a 4G data plan (typically USD 5–10 a month per machine). Snacks and drinks have lower margins per item and need their own sums.
Two honest caveats. The per-box margin is excellent, but the absolute number is small next to wash revenue: at the CLA median of $335,000 a year in gross revenue, even the 60-a-day row adds net income equal to only about 7% of the store’s gross revenue. And the volume is not yours to choose. It follows footfall and whether customers bring their own detergent. Count a month of vends on your existing machine before buying a bigger one.
Restocking and stock control
Single-load products are light, ambient and slow to spoil, which makes laundry vending easy to run. The work is in not running out of the top two items.
- Low-stock alerts. A connected machine reports stock levels to the dashboard, so the restock list is written before the visit.
- Per-item sales. Seeing what sells by time of day tells you whether the 24-hour stock needs to be heavier on detergent or on snacks.
- Price changes can be made from the dashboard rather than by adjusting a coin slide.
- Rotation. Liquids and packets can degrade if left for months. Rotate stock first-in, first-out and drop lines that do not move.
Selling laundry pods safely
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that single-load liquid laundry packets are attractive to children because they are soft and colourful, can cause serious injury if swallowed or squeezed into the eyes, and should be kept sealed in their original packaging, locked up and out of children’s reach. An industry voluntary standard, ASTM F3159, sets packaging and packet requirements. In the CLA survey, 26% of stores have a children’s play area.
The practical rule for a laundromat: sell boxed single-load liquid or powder, or sell packets only in their sealed retail packaging, and think about where the collection bin sits relative to the play area. This is planning guidance, not a safety certification; check the rules that apply to your store.
Combining vending with wash & fold lockers
Vending covers the self-service customer. A wash & fold locker bank covers the customer who wants to drop off a bag at 11 pm and collect it clean. Many stores will want both. The simple goal is one payment processor and one merchant account across them, so customers pay the same way and you reconcile one set of settlements.
- Vending machines take cards through an MDB cashless terminal on the machine.
- Laundry lockers save the customer’s card at drop-off and charge it after the order is weighed. Money settles into your own payment account and KioskForce never holds it. An optional touchscreen payment kiosk (US$1,800–2,400 per bank, indicative) adds a card reader for walk-up customers.
- Locker cells can also sell bulky stock, such as laundry bags or full-size detergent, that will not fit a coil.
We are taking reservations for the first laundry-locker production run, and the instant estimate prices a locker door mix without asking for an email. For the vending machine itself, tell us which processor you use and we will confirm what connects. If you are deciding where extra revenue should come from, laundromat KPIs and how much laundromats make set vending against wash & fold.
What to specify if you are buying one
- Products and pack dimensions for each item, in the packaging as loaded.
- Expected sales per item per week, even roughly. This sets the cabinet and the service interval.
- Position: wall or floor, substrate, power, network signal and humidity.
- Payment: cashless terminal make and model if you already have a processor, QR, coins, or your laundry card system.
- Chilled or ambient. Drinks need a refrigerated BG10X10 or KF10X22.
- Quantity and timeline. Modified standard models can be ordered singly and take about 4–6 weeks to build; fully custom designs typically start at about 10 units and take 8–12 weeks. Shipping is on top.
Machines carry a 12-month standard warranty on manufacturing defects. Support is by email, and where a local distributor supplied the machine, it handles warranty and service. We sell direct and, in some regions, through local distributors.
Where this is the wrong answer
- Your store is quiet. At a handful of vends a day, an existing mechanical soap vender or a shelf behind an attended counter does the job for nothing.
- Detergent is included in every wash. Do not buy a large laundry-range machine; buy a small one for sheets, stain remover and bags, or put the money into snacks and drinks.
- You do not want to buy stock or restock. Owning a machine means owning the stock and the restock run. If that is not for you, ask a local vending operator about placing and servicing a machine in your store instead.
- You need a machine this week. Every KioskForce machine is built to order. An off-the-shelf mechanical soap vender from a laundry distributor is faster.
- There is no signal or power at the spot. A connected machine needs both. Move the position or fix the signal before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
What should a laundromat sell in a vending machine?
Start with what customers forget: single-load detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, bleach and stain remover. Laundry bags are the next most common item, followed by snacks and drinks for people waiting on a cycle. In the 2024 CLA Laundry Industry Survey, 87% of US self-service stores sold soap by vending, 84% had soda or snack vending and 73% sold laundry bags. Keep the laundry range narrow and well stocked rather than wide.
How much does a laundromat vending machine make?
It depends almost entirely on how many customers buy. A single-load detergent box can cost a store around 58 cents at published case prices and typically sells for about $1.25 to $2.25. At an illustrative $1.75 price and roughly $1.07 left per box after stock and a card fee, 10 boxes a day is about $3,900 a year and 30 a day about $11,700, before restocking time, freight and the machine. Use your own vend counts and prices.
How much does a laundry detergent vending machine cost?
KioskForce publishes indicative starting prices: compact wall-mount units USD 800 to 1,500, the BG10X10 touchscreen machine from USD 1,200, the K180-6C locker kiosk from USD 1,800 and the full-size KF10X22 from USD 2,100. Freight, import duties, installation and stock are extra. Modified standard models can be ordered as a single unit and take about 4 to 6 weeks to build; fully custom designs take about 8 to 12 weeks.
Should a laundromat vending machine take cards or coins?
Ideally whatever the washers take, so customers never have to find a different way to pay. In the 2024 CLA survey 71% of stores ran machines on quarters and 42% accepted credit or debit cards. Card and phone payment through an MDB cashless terminal removes the coin box and change problems. Coin mechanisms are possible but take space in a shallow wall-mount cabinet that would otherwise hold product.
Do I still need a soap vending machine if my washers dose detergent automatically?
You need less of one. Chemical injection systems for vended laundries dispense detergent and softener into compatible washers, so detergent sales from a vending machine fall when it is included in the wash. Customers still buy dryer sheets, stain remover, bleach for specific loads, laundry bags, snacks and drinks, so a smaller machine with a different range usually still earns its place.
Is it safe to sell laundry pods from a vending machine?
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that single-load liquid laundry packets are attractive to children and can cause serious injury, and advises keeping them sealed in their original packaging, locked up and out of children’s reach. Many laundromats have children on site. Boxed single-load liquid or powder avoids the problem; if you sell packets, sell them only in their sealed retail packaging and think about where the collection bin sits.
Can one payment system run my vending machine and wash and fold lockers?
The aim should be one payment processor and one merchant account across both, so customers pay the same way and you reconcile one set of settlements. Vending machines take cards through an MDB cashless terminal; wash and fold lockers save the customer’s card at drop-off and charge it after weighing, with money settling to the operator’s own account. Tell us you want both when you enquire and we will confirm what connects.
References
- CLA, The Laundry Association — “2024 CLA Laundry Industry Survey Results” (Readex Research, 377 responses, 2023 data; accessed 3 October 2026). https://member.laundryassociation.org/hubfs/IndustrySurvey24.pdf
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — “Single-Load Liquid Laundry Packets: Harmful to Children” (accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/390%20Laundry%20Packets.pdf
- ASTM International — “F3159 Standard Safety Specification for Liquid Laundry Packets” (accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.astm.org/f3159-15.html
- American Coin-Op, Tod Sorensen — “Three Ways to Set Your Laundry Apart” (11 June 2020). https://americancoinop.com/articles/three-ways-set-your-laundry-apart
- National Hospitality Supply — “Single-Use Laundry Vending Soaps” (product list and case price; accessed 3 October 2026). https://www.nathosp.com/laundry-vending-products-fmtide_c/
- LaundromatAtlas — “How Much Does a Laundromat Cost: Per-Load Rates and Price Breakdown” (20 September 2026). https://laundromatatlas.com/guides/laundromat-cost-per-load-guide/
KioskForce is not affiliated with these organisations or with the brands named in the payment section.
Related
- Laundry lockers for laundromats, wash & fold and dry cleaners: the hub, covering how the lockers work, door types and price bands
- Laundromat KPIs: the numbers that show where a store’s revenue comes from
- How much do laundromats make?: revenue, margins, and what wash & fold adds
- How to start a laundry business with lockers: wash & fold and pickup-and-delivery, step by step
- Wall-mounted and compact vending machines: where wall-mount machines win, mounting and payment options
- Smart vending machines: types, connectivity and published prices
Talk to us about laundromat vending machines
Send us the products you want to sell with their pack dimensions, roughly how many you sell a week, where the machine would go and how your customers pay today. We will tell you which machine fits and what it costs. If you also want wash & fold lockers, the instant estimate prices a locker door mix; for vending, use the form below.
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