Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Escobedo launched her laundry side hustle on Poplin in 2025. <\/li>\n
- Currently, she brings in up to $11,000 a month and is anticipating nearly $90,000 total this year. <\/li>\n
- The side hustle gives her more flexibility than Uber, and she plans to grow the business. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Monalisa Escobedo, 38, of Chula Vista, California. Escobedo, a personnel specialist in the U.S. Navy, was on active duty when she stumbled upon an intriguing side hustle: <\/em>Poplin<\/em><\/a>, a wash-dry-fold personal laundry service platform. She started her side hustle in 2025. To date, she\u2019s completed about 1,200 orders. She currently averages $8,000 to $11,000 a month and is on track for nearly $90,000 this year. The piece has been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nImage Credit: Courtesy of Monalisa Escobedo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u200aIn 2022, I read an article about someone doing Poplin as a side hustle. They were making $2,000 a week. I was on active duty at the time but figured when I was back on shore duty, I could give it a try. Although I signed up for Poplin when I was still at sea duty, I wasn\u2019t available at that point. I was just curious to see how it looked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Starting Poplin as a side hustle in 2025<\/h2>\n
I started taking orders in April of 2025. Like every business, I had some startup costs. I had to buy detergent, things like that. I didn\u2019t really make money the first month. It was very, very slow \u2014 not that many orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also, when you first start, you\u2019re restricted. You have to move up in ranks to be able to take more orders. Initially, you can only take one order, and new people get all the orders people probably don\u2019t want. So I had to take faraway ones, which meant spending more on gas. Now, I\u2019m not limited with how many orders I can accept.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I use two washing machines at my house to process orders. It\u2019s a quick turnaround: If I picked up an order today, I would return it by 8 p.m. tomorrow. But if it\u2019s over 100 pounds or they added two bags or more to the initial order, I can always ask for an extension. I average from five to 12 orders a day. Because I\u2019m in California, I\u2019m allowed to set my own prices. The company charges about $1.53 per pound; I get $1.16 per pound. My income ranges from $8,000 to $11,000 a month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regulars make it easier to plan order routes<\/h2>\n
I have regulars, so I already know which orders to expect on certain days. If I see a new name, I usually pick them up if they\u2019re in the area that I\u2019m already going to, so it\u2019s not so much driving. If it\u2019s multiple orders in one area, then I try to stick to that area. That\u2019s how I make the side hustle profitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Luckily, I haven\u2019t run into too many challenges with this side hustle. Once a customer sent me to an address that didn\u2019t exist and wasn\u2019t happy, but I just canceled the order. So that was a waste of time, but that\u2019s very rare. The customers are normally great.<\/p>\n
Growing the business after retirement<\/h2>\n
I plan to retire from active duty in three years. That\u2019s why I started this side hustle. I want to pay off my debt and retire without that. I\u2019d probably like to continue with Poplin because it\u2019s consistent and easy. The app tells you what to do and where to go. <\/p>\n
After I retire, I could see myself buying more washing machines and scaling the business. Poplin is like an agency finding me customers. I could promote myself, put my code out there so more people see it, but Poplin does that pretty effectively for me already. They do a lot of good advertising.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s better than Uber.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
I\u2019d encourage anyone who wants to start a side hustle on Poplin to be patient, especially if you\u2019re in the San Diego area. There are a lot of laundry pros here, so it\u2019s a slow start. But once you start and get your regulars and into a rhythm, that\u2019s when you see the money come in. Initially you don\u2019t, but it\u2019s like that with any business. You\u2019re going to put in a little bit of money before you start seeing profit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s definitely worth it, and it\u2019s on your own time. It\u2019s better than Uber. I\u2019ve tried that, and it\u2019s so many hours I have to spend outside of the house. With the Poplin side hustle, aside from the drives to pick up and deliver orders, I can be with my kid while I\u2019m doing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Escobedo launched her laundry side hustle on Poplin in 2025. <\/li>\n
- Currently, she brings in up to $11,000 a month and is anticipating nearly $90,000 total this year. <\/li>\n
- The side hustle gives her more flexibility than Uber, and she plans to grow the business. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Monalisa Escobedo, 38, of Chula Vista, California. Escobedo, a personnel specialist in the U.S. Navy, was on active duty when she stumbled upon an intriguing side hustle: <\/em>Poplin<\/em><\/a>, a wash-dry-fold personal laundry service platform. She started her side hustle in 2025. To date, she\u2019s completed about 1,200 orders. She currently averages $8,000 to $11,000 a month and is on track for nearly $90,000 this year. The piece has been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/IMG_1561.jpeg?w=768\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Monalisa Escobedo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u200aIn 2022, I read an article about someone doing Poplin as a side hustle. They were making $2,000 a week. I was on active duty at the time but figured when I was back on shore duty, I could give it a try. Although I signed up for Poplin when I was still at sea duty, I wasn\u2019t available at that point. I was just curious to see how it looked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Starting Poplin as a side hustle in 2025<\/h2>\n
I started taking orders in April of 2025. Like every business, I had some startup costs. I had to buy detergent, things like that. I didn\u2019t really make money the first month. It was very, very slow \u2014 not that many orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Monalisa Escobedo, 38, of Chula Vista, California. Escobedo, a personnel specialist in the U.S. Navy, was on active duty when she stumbled upon an intriguing side hustle: <\/em>Poplin<\/em><\/a>, a wash-dry-fold personal laundry service platform. She started her side hustle in 2025. To date, she\u2019s completed about 1,200 orders. She currently averages $8,000 to $11,000 a month and is on track for nearly $90,000 this year. The piece has been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u200aIn 2022, I read an article about someone doing Poplin as a side hustle. They were making $2,000 a week. I was on active duty at the time but figured when I was back on shore duty, I could give it a try. Although I signed up for Poplin when I was still at sea duty, I wasn\u2019t available at that point. I was just curious to see how it looked.\u00a0<\/p>\n I started taking orders in April of 2025. Like every business, I had some startup costs. I had to buy detergent, things like that. I didn\u2019t really make money the first month. It was very, very slow \u2014 not that many orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also, when you first start, you\u2019re restricted. You have to move up in ranks to be able to take more orders. Initially, you can only take one order, and new people get all the orders people probably don\u2019t want. So I had to take faraway ones, which meant spending more on gas. Now, I\u2019m not limited with how many orders I can accept.\u00a0<\/p>\n I use two washing machines at my house to process orders. It\u2019s a quick turnaround: If I picked up an order today, I would return it by 8 p.m. tomorrow. But if it\u2019s over 100 pounds or they added two bags or more to the initial order, I can always ask for an extension. I average from five to 12 orders a day. Because I\u2019m in California, I\u2019m allowed to set my own prices. The company charges about $1.53 per pound; I get $1.16 per pound. My income ranges from $8,000 to $11,000 a month.\u00a0<\/p>\n I have regulars, so I already know which orders to expect on certain days. If I see a new name, I usually pick them up if they\u2019re in the area that I\u2019m already going to, so it\u2019s not so much driving. If it\u2019s multiple orders in one area, then I try to stick to that area. That\u2019s how I make the side hustle profitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n Luckily, I haven\u2019t run into too many challenges with this side hustle. Once a customer sent me to an address that didn\u2019t exist and wasn\u2019t happy, but I just canceled the order. So that was a waste of time, but that\u2019s very rare. The customers are normally great.<\/p>\n I plan to retire from active duty in three years. That\u2019s why I started this side hustle. I want to pay off my debt and retire without that. I\u2019d probably like to continue with Poplin because it\u2019s consistent and easy. The app tells you what to do and where to go. <\/p>\n After I retire, I could see myself buying more washing machines and scaling the business. Poplin is like an agency finding me customers. I could promote myself, put my code out there so more people see it, but Poplin does that pretty effectively for me already. They do a lot of good advertising.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s better than Uber.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I\u2019d encourage anyone who wants to start a side hustle on Poplin to be patient, especially if you\u2019re in the San Diego area. There are a lot of laundry pros here, so it\u2019s a slow start. But once you start and get your regulars and into a rhythm, that\u2019s when you see the money come in. Initially you don\u2019t, but it\u2019s like that with any business. You\u2019re going to put in a little bit of money before you start seeing profit.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it\u2019s definitely worth it, and it\u2019s on your own time. It\u2019s better than Uber. I\u2019ve tried that, and it\u2019s so many hours I have to spend outside of the house. With the Poplin side hustle, aside from the drives to pick up and deliver orders, I can be with my kid while I\u2019m doing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Monalisa Escobedo, 38, of Chula Vista, California. Escobedo, a personnel specialist in the U.S. Navy, was on active duty when she stumbled upon an intriguing side hustle: <\/em>Poplin<\/em><\/a>, a wash-dry-fold personal laundry service platform. She started her side hustle in 2025. To date, she\u2019s completed about 1,200 orders. She currently averages $8,000 to $11,000 a month and is on track for nearly $90,000 this year. The piece has been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u200aIn 2022, I read an article about someone doing Poplin as a side hustle. They were making $2,000 a week. I was on active duty at the time but figured when I was back on shore duty, I could give it a try. Although I signed up for Poplin when I was still at sea duty, I wasn\u2019t available at that point. I was just curious to see how it looked.\u00a0<\/p>\n I started taking orders in April of 2025. Like every business, I had some startup costs. I had to buy detergent, things like that. I didn\u2019t really make money the first month. It was very, very slow \u2014 not that many orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nStarting Poplin as a side hustle in 2025<\/h2>\n
Regulars make it easier to plan order routes<\/h2>\n
Growing the business after retirement<\/h2>\n
\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
\n
Starting Poplin as a side hustle in 2025<\/h2>\n