Linens & Laundry
The True Cost of Running Your Own Linen Program (and When to Stop)
Owners routinely underestimate linen replacement, laundry labor, and storage. Here is how to run the numbers honestly.
Buying your own sheets feels cheaper than renting them. Then the first season ends, half your white towels are dingy, three sets have gone missing, and someone has spent forty hours a month at a washing machine. Here is how to actually price a linen program.
Count every input, not just purchase price
A defensible linen cost includes purchase, replacement rate, laundry labor, detergent and utilities, storage space, transport, and the cost of a booking impacted by a stained sheet.
Most owners only track the first item on that list, which is why in-house programs look cheap on paper and expensive in practice.
- Replacement: coastal linens realistically last 40–60 washes
- Labor: 45–90 minutes of laundry per full turnover
- Loss: 5–10% of inventory per season is normal
When outsourcing wins
Outsourcing tends to win once you pass two properties, run back-to-back summer bookings, or start caring about consistent hotel-white presentation across a portfolio.
A managed linen program replaces stained and missing items automatically, which converts an unpredictable expense into a per-turnover line item you can price into your nightly rate.
Key takeaway
Price laundry labor and replacement, not just the sheets. Past two properties, a managed linen program is almost always the cheaper and more consistent option.
Ready for a spotless property?
Call 843.800.2788 or request a free quote from A2Z Cleaning & Linen Services.