In 1969 Clifford and Sally Merkel bought their first laundromat. They had been in the barbering business for many years, however the long hair of the 70’s quickly becoming the rage, they began to worry about their future. For many years, the Merkel’s ran their three stores, in 1986 their youngest son had a vision and began to expand the franchise. Over the last 35 years Clean King Laundry Systems has bought, sold, built, and ran 70 stores in Southern California, becoming the largest privately owned franchise on the West Coast. 1990 Clean King Laundry became one of the first branded laundromat chains of the US.
