LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As childcare costs continue to climb in Las Vegas, one mother of four is turning a laundry side gig into a growing business to make ends meet.
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Lorris Aufill uses an app called Poplin to wash clothes for other families. Customers pay by the pound, with some paying extra for express service.
"I'm probably one of those weird ones where laundry is soothing to me," Aufill said.
Aufill said the business allows her to stay home and avoid the high costs of childcare. In Las Vegas, infant care costs $1,000 to $1,500 a month, while toddler care ranges from $800 to $1,200 a month.
"Our kids have never been in daycare because of this gig," Aufill said.
"Something that should be affordable for families, honestly isn't," she said. "It is a lot of struggle for a lot of moms, and I feel like childcare is probably one of the biggest expenses a family always has."
Poplin co-founder and CEO Mort Fertel said the app started in 2017 after his wife was buried in laundry and realized there had been no innovation in the space since the washer and dryer were invented.
"Poplin's not about laundry. It's about providing a better life for people," Fertel said.
Fertel said the app provides a unique work-from-home opportunity for its more than 200,000 laundry pros nationwide, many of whom are stay-at-home mothers.
"Most people that work from home do so sitting behind a desk, but not everybody wants to sit behind a desk," Fertel said.
The process is simple for clients who are looking to buy back their time.
"We go to their house, pick it up, bring it back to our place," Aufill said. "Some people use laundry mats, we use it here at home, and then we wash, fold, dry, package it all up nice and neat, and then return it back to them. So all they have to do is just put it away and forget about it."
"Instead of spending three or four hours doing their laundry, they could spend those three or four hours with their family," Aufill said.
Fertel said the app has grown to serve more than 16,000 zip codes and is expanding internationally. In Las Vegas, laundry pros even service tourists and convention attendees on the Strip whose flights are canceled or trips are extended.
He added that the app fosters a community of women helping women, with many pros leaving handwritten notes for their regular clients and building lasting relationships.
For Aufill, the business is saving her family thousands of dollars and providing a way for them to bond.
"It also teaches the kids responsibility. Our 14-year-old sees that he could start his own business, be able to start making his own money," Aufill said.
