
New student laundry service launches with wellbeing at its core

An established textile care specialist has launched a new service catering, initially, to students in the North East.
Zube, launched in October 2024, has set out to ‘revolutionise the student laundry market in the UK’.
Zube currently operates in Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham universities. Sites either have a manned or mobile van kiosk on the university campus or a locker installation conveniently located for access/ drop off. They’re also trialling a drop off/ pick up direct to PBSA (purpose built student accommodation) sites.
Students use the Zube app to book, track and pay for their laundry service, as well as customise their service with the ‘Build your Wash’ feature. Laundry is processed in a central unit off campus.
Outside of term time, Zube Commercial works with PBSA operators to process laundry when the accommodation is often used for other purposes. This helps the business to generate revenue throughout the year.
Behind Zube is Nav Dulai. A leading textile care veteran with 28 years of experience within the commercial laundry, linen hire and drycleaning industry.
Zube was four years in the planning for Dulai. It was born out of the pandemic when his existing drycleaning and laundry business came to a standstill. All contracts were lost. A lifesaving call from local student accommodation led to a new stream of work. The seed for Zube was planted.
Zube operates with a student led model and Dulai actively seeks out ways to add value, empower students and support those in need.
He said: “We’ve always been about more than laundry, and we’re committed to supporting students on every step of their transition to university, through exams and deadlines and right through to graduation. We are proud sponsors of PBSA News and also official corporate partners of Student Minds, the UK’s leading student mental health charity.
“For every student registration fee of £12 we donate £2 to Student Minds, as well as a portion of profits. Our mission aligns closely with their values, focusing on providing financial support, mental health resources, and community engagement to create a healthier university experience for all.”
Zube also offers employment opportunities to the local students and has plans to make wellbeing and community facilities available to students at his processing units.
Sustainability is also key to the team at Zube and, despite the infancy of the business, they are already working towards achieving B-Corp status.
A project like this doesn’t get off the ground without collaboration and Zube has teamed up with some industry heavyweights to get the service started.
App providers CleanCloud said: “CleanCloud is proud to support Zube Laundry, a dedicated student laundry service in the UK. With CleanCloud, Zube can provide fast, convenient, and eco-friendly laundry solutions tailored specifically for students.
“Providing all the tools needed to offer door-to-door service, real-time tracking, and online booking options, students can focus on what matters most while we handle the rest.”
Jeremy Paul, head of commercial sales at Girbau, Zube’s equipment providers, said: “Girbau are very pleased to be partnering with Zube on this exciting project, as we feel that there are many synergies with how we approach the market, through continually innovating, offering unparallelled levels of service, and always considering our social and environmental responsibilities.
“The student community throughout the UK is such an important sector and we are happy that Zube have chosen to use our latest technology machines, so we can help to fully support them in achieving the highest benchmarks in operational efficiency and cleanliness, while ensuring the students wellbeing is at the forefront of all the operations.“
Ian Fittock, sales and project manager with Jensen said: “The Jensen Group is delighted to collaborate with Zube, a forward-thinking startup redefining sustainable laundry solutions for students and beyond. Our shared vision for innovation and environmentally conscious practices inspires us as we look forward to supporting Zube in their exciting journey, from layout planning to installation, and contributing to a greener future in laundry automation.”
The business had a soft launch in October as the team work to fully establish, test and refine their processes, and collect data about what’s working well and what needs to be tweaked. This will then shape their plans for rollout to other universities in the UK.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIVE ARTICLE
———————————————————–