Laundromat customers in 'laundry deserts' travel 30+ min because nearby facilities closed

As commercial rents rise and neighborhoods gentrify, laundromats -- which occupy large retail footprints but generate relatively low revenue per square foot -- are being replaced by higher-margin tenants. When a laundromat closes, the remaining customers must travel to the next nearest facility, often 2-5 miles away in a neighborhood they may not have reliable transportation to reach. For a car-less household relying on public transit with bags of dirty laundry, each additional mile of travel adds 15-20 minutes and potential bus transfers. A family that previously walked 5 minutes to a neighborhood laundromat now spends 60-90 minutes round-trip, plus wait time at the facility. This persists because laundromats are not classified as essential services in any U.S. zoning code, so there are no protections against conversion to other commercial uses, and the customer base (low-income renters) has no political leverage to prevent closures.