The South Florida side hustle you can do from home

The big picture: The nearly decade-old app-based service — essentially an "Uber for laundry" — now operates in more than 500 cities nationwide, including Hollywood, per the company.

• More than 1,500 Poplin "laundry pros" are in Broward, spokesperson Pete Bahrenburg tells Axios.

Zoom in: Stephanie Martinez started doing laundry through Poplin last spring after learning about it on Instagram.

• Her husband handles the pickups and drop-offs while she washes, dries and folds the laundry, once she finishes with her full-time job.

How it works: Poplin charges customers $1 a pound and workers keep 75% of that and all tips, per Bahrenburg.

• The "pros" are independent contractors responsible for their utilities and transportation, plus the wear and tear on their appliances.

By the numbers: Martinez says she can easily make $700 a week. When she has time for more orders, she's made as much as $1,000 in a week.

• She estimates she'll make $36,000 from Poplin this year.
• The extra cash helps pay for her children's extracurricular activities.

Yes, but: "You gotta like doing laundry," Martinez tells Axios. "It's work, but on my terms."

• She's perfected her system. She watches K-dramas in her garage workspace, which has racks, two washing machines and a dryer.

• The work is rewarding for Martinez because many of her customers are busy parents.
• "I know that they are probably overwhelmed and this is one less thing that they have to worry about, and I don't mind doing it," she adds.

For single-mom Jessica Horn, who joined Poplin in 2021, she can still work on her business and take her daughter to and from school.

• She typically does two or three orders a day, making close to $500 a week.

The bottom line: Both have regular customers.

• Horn says she's formed bonds with her regulars over the years. "Your kids are getting so big," she'll tell them.
• Martinez adds, "I'm watching their kids grow through laundry."