The Oakley resident is one of many independent workers using an on-demand laundry service that connects customers with local workers through a mobile app. Customers schedule pickups through the Poplin service (poplin.co/laundry-service), leave bagged laundry at a designated location and receive wash-and-fold service, typically within 24 hours. Workers are paid by completing orders on their own schedules.
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Fresquez says the flexible arrangement has become far more than a side job, as it lets her stay home with her family while earning about $2,000 a month to help cover household expenses. Born in Los Angeles County’s city of Lynwood and raised throughout California, Fresquez has lived in Oakley since 2010. She shares a busy home with her husband, father-in-law, two children, daughter-in-law and grandson Leovanni Cabrera-Bucio, age 4.
Her family’s circumstances changed dramatically after her husband suffered a disabling workplace accident in 2013, leaving him unable to work. Later, the COVID-19 pandemic forced another difficult decision. Fresquez left her job because she feared exposing her father-in-law to illness. Although she eventually needed income again, she says returning to a traditional schedule no longer made sense for her family.
“COVID took all of the money we had, and I had to find another job quick,” she said.
At the time, four children ranging in age from 16 to 20 still lived at home. Today, her 19- and 20-year-old children remain there, including a son with autism whom she says benefits from having his parents nearby. Finding affordable childcare was never a realistic option, she said, particularly because of her son’s needs.
“To put my son into childcare would never have worked with his condition,” Fresquez said. “And would’ve cost so much money we didn’t have.”
Instead, she found work that fit around her family’s schedule rather than forcing her family to fit around a job. Most afternoons, she picks up or delivers customer orders around 4 or 5 p.m. She begins washing clothes while preparing dinner, then continues working until the early morning hours before repeating her routine the next day. She says the overnight schedule helps minimize distractions.
“My house can get chaotic during the day, so I wait until everyone is sleeping to do my orders,” she said.
Although the extra income has not dramatically changed her family’s lifestyle, she said it has eased financial pressure.
“It helps with everything,” Fresquez said. “So many bills or things we needed had to be put off, but now we can comfortably afford more.”
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Like many people balancing family responsibilities with self-employment, she says time management remains her greatest challenge. Unexpected interruptions can make delivery deadlines stressful, especially while juggling normal household responsibilities alongside customer orders. Through experience, she says she has developed organizational habits the she believes prevent mistakes.
She processes only one customer’s laundry at a time to avoid mixing clothing between orders and relies on whiteboards throughout the day to track pickups, deliveries and deadlines. Fresquez says what surprised her most was not the work itself but the demand.
“I honestly didn’t think I’d get as many orders as I do,” she said. “It’s really a genius idea.”
The chore of doing laundry has never really bothered her.
“I have to do it every day anyways,” she said. “Why not get paid for it?”
Her children appreciate having their mother home and occasionally help with customer orders, making the business feel like another family activity. Looking ahead, Fresquez says she hopes to keep building her laundry business while pursuing an even larger dream, which is to one day to open her own laundromat.
Outside work, the family enjoys spending time outdoors, especially camping up north, where they park a trailer for a couple weeks each year. Fresquez also enjoys refurbishing furniture during quieter moments. For parents searching for flexible income opportunities, she encourages them to consider gig work.
Fresquez says the countless overnight loads have become more than freshly folded clothes. She contends that they represent stability, independence and the ability to remain present for the those who need her most while steadily building toward a dream that began with simply keeping up with the laundry.
“Flexibility is important when caring for your family,” she said. “You can tailor your schedule to fit your lifestyle.”
Reach Diablo Valley College journalism professor and freelance writer Charleen Earley at [email protected] or 925-383-3072.
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