High-tech laundromat coming to Spokane Valley

A high-tech laundromat with free Wi-Fi, big screen televisions and machines capable of sending customers a text message when their laundry is done is coming to Spokane Valley.

Bremerton-based PUR Laundry Laundromat is expanding into the Spokane region with its first location slated to open later this month in a building formerly occupied by Payless ShoeSource at 13020 E. Sprague Ave.

“The first store we’ve opened (in Bremerton) has done really well, and that’s why we are going to a new market,” said Lindsey Heldstab, regional manager for PUR Laundry Laundromat.

Once open, the laundry will offer what it describes as affordable pricing and a system that operates via reloadable cards rather than coins. The laundromat also will provide a live video feed from its website, allowing customers to view machines in use.

“It’s a more upscale, comfortable environment. (PUR Laundry laundromats) are all fully tended. The equipment is the most energy-efficient on the market,” said Travis Cromwell, owner of PUR Laundry Laundromat. “For instance, you put your clothes in the washer, it weighs your clothes and fills as much water as needed, based on weight. (The washer) will text you to let you know the load is done and when it’s time to put it in the dryer.”

The Spokane Valley laundromat will have washers and dryers of various sizes, including two 135-pound washers, each capable of holding 14 loads of laundry, Heldstab said.

“It’s huge,” she said. “Someone could wash two households worth of stuff and be out in an hour.”

Cromwell, a commercial plumbing contractor, launched PUR Laundry in Bremerton last year.

Cromwell’s idea for a high-tech laundromat was sparked after his friend, who is also in the laundromat industry in Boise, suggested he look into the concept.

“I went and checked it out and liked the idea of a different, more dependable revenue stream,” he said.

Cromwell spent a couple of years researching the viability of operating a high-tech laundromat. He purchased equipment and found a building in Bremerton after a contractor with whom he worked recommended the location.

“It’s been well-received here in Bremerton,” Cromwell said . “I can’t tell you how many people come in and say, ‘Thank you, we needed this.’”

The Spokane Valley laundromat will have a soft opening in about two weeks, with a grand opening to follow in October, Cromwell said. He plans to open a second PUR Laundry area location on Division Street in the next six months .

“It’s important for us to integrate into the community, and we hope to do that in Spokane Valley and Spokane,” he said.