Laurel Hess turned the burden of laundry into a successful startup that is now enjoyed in more than two dozen metros across the United States.
Known as hampr, the on-demand, app-based laundry network, now based in Dallas, allows for peer-to-peer washing services. Think of hampr like Uber, where a user can request laundry service from other users registered on the app.
Like Uber, hampr allows people to take on extra work at their leisure, performing laundry service for people in their community. For those using the service, it offers a way to easily offload a chore that can sometimes pile up.
Hess recalls one day coming home from a business trip and being overwhelmed with laundry. While she realized she could obtain services to help with chores like preparing dinner, nothing was available to help her contend with piles of dirty clothes.
“I was at the ballpark ordering groceries on my phone and I thought, ‘This is actually not my pain point, because we can run through the drive-through [and] order pizza, but we weren’t physically home to do our laundry,’” she said, per Dallas Innovates.
Hess immediately thought of her friend, who was looking for work but had to remain home to look after her children. She realized they might be able to help one another, with Hess offering her some part-time work and her friend helping tackle her laundry.
The app officially launched in 2020 and is now available in over a dozen states. To date, hampr has facilitated the washing of roughly 600,000 loads of laundry.
“The washers are treated as contractors—usually it’s stay-at-home parents, retirees,” said Hess. “And we’ve expanded to 19 states. Now we’re getting into businesses.”
Although she expects most of hampr’s revenue to come from residential demand, Hess says she is witnessing more growth from salons, short-term rentals, gyms, and other businesses that need the service but might not want to commit to a longer-term contract.
To keep things simple, hampr uses a custom-made pop-up laundry basket. Rather than charging by weight, users are charged per basket, which represents a single load.
Once notified, the washer picks up the basket from your home or business, cleans the laundry at their own home, and returns the basket with folded and clean clothes the following day.