Rinse

Rinse, Inc. is a San Francisco-based on-demand laundry and dry cleaning company that picks up, cleans and delivers customers' clothing. Customers schedule pickups through the Rinse website, iOS/Android apps or by text message; a Rinse Valet arrives in an evening window (stated as 7pm–10pm on the website and 8pm–10pm in the app listing) with free personalized Rinse bags, and cleaned items are returned folded with paired socks or pressed on hangers in garment bags. Core services are Wash & Fold, Dry Cleaning, Launder & Press and Hang Dry, plus most specialty items; standard dry cleaning turnaround is stated as 3–4 days. Optional features include Rinse Drop, doorstep or lobby/concierge pickup and delivery when the customer is not home, and Rinse Repeat, a Wash & Fold subscription priced by the bag (Full bag for 2+ laundry baskets, Flex bag for one basket) rather than by the pound.

Rather than owning its cleaning operations end-to-end, Rinse partners with local brick-and-mortar cleaners, handling customer acquisition, technology and logistics while cleaning partners perform the work and gain an additional revenue stream. All Rinse Valets are W-2 employees receiving benefits. The company positions its service as environmentally lighter than alternatives, citing high-efficiency washers, cold-water washing and removal of perchloroethylene (PERC) from dry cleaning, and offers a re-clean guarantee for orders customers are not satisfied with. Orders include an emailed photo and itemized inventory of dry cleaning items, and real-time valet tracking.

As of the February 2025 Series D announcement, Rinse reported handling more than 100 million garments, a team of over 100 corporate employees and 600 valets, and service across 10 major metro areas. It describes its addressable market as a $40 billion laundry industry, and its stated next steps include acquiring laundromats, establishing a physical presence and expanding B2B services.

Founding story

Rinse was founded in 2013 by Dartmouth College friends Ajay Prakash and James Joun. Joun grew up around his family's dry cleaning business in San Francisco and observed that his parents' store had grown less busy over the years; Prakash, who had experienced the inconvenience of getting laundry done while living in Manhattan, left a role at a travel-related startup in 2013 seeking to apply technology to a traditional industry. The pair tested the concept by picking up laundry from roughly a dozen friends, having it cleaned at Joun's parents' facility and returning it, then interviewed consumers who cited a lack of a trusted brand, transparency and accountability in the category.

Business model

Rinse sells consumer laundry and dry cleaning pickup and delivery, both pay-as-you-go and via the Rinse Repeat subscription, and operates a growing B2B line. It does not perform all cleaning itself: local cleaning partners clean the garments while Rinse handles demand generation, scheduling technology, valet logistics and customer service. Valets are employed directly as W-2 staff rather than contracted.

Revenue comes from per-order charges for Wash & Fold (priced by bag size rather than by weight), Dry Cleaning, Launder & Press, Hang Dry and specialty items, and from the Rinse Repeat subscription, which the company says can save customers up to 52% versus pay-as-you-go pricing. Payment is cashless through the app or website; new customers are offered $15 off a first order.

Traction

As of February 2025, Rinse reported over 100 million garments handled since founding, thousands of customers across 10 major metro areas, more than 100 corporate employees and 600 valets. Its iOS app holds a 4.7 rating across roughly 3,900 ratings, while its Yelp brand page shows a 3.4 average across 1,155 reviews spanning nine locations. The company's website cites more than 6,000 reviews and more than 20 million gallons of water saved to date.

Latest developments

On February 20, 2025, Rinse announced a $23 million Series D round led by LG Electronics, which was doubling down on an existing investment. Stated uses of proceeds are scaling in existing and new cities, acquiring laundromats and establishing a physical presence, expanding B2B services, and investing in technology and operations. The company also said it was eyeing global expansion, with Toronto set to launch later in 2025.