1. Access to High-Speed Internet.
As we move more and more toward a virtual world, access to high-speed internet is becoming an even greater priority for everyone. As many as 88% of employees are working from home and some companies have even decided to continue remote work for the foreseeable future. With your tenants spending both work time and leisure time at home, high-speed internet has never been more important. No one wants to have their connection drop during a video call, or worse, a binge session of their favorite show!

2. Contactless Payment Systems.
Tenants love the ease of new technology; the more they can do with their smartphones, the better. Contactless pickup, delivery, and payment have all recently become the norm. ShinePay creates less hassle by allowing you to accept mobile payments on your laundry machines! This not only fits into the contactless world we are living in but provides a solution during the current coin shortage and reduces your burden of transporting coins. And, the best part, it installs in less than five minutes! Can you say hassle-free?

3. Electric Vehicle Charging.
More and more people are making the switch to an electric vehicle. Tenants love to be able to charge their vehicles at home and not have to sit at a public charging station and wait for it to finish. The more charging stations at your residence, the more tenants you will attract as they feel they can take care of their vehicle needs at home!

4. Automating Maintenance Requests.
Tenants want to be able to complete their maintenance requests without having to call, wait on hold, and talk to anyone on the phone. The more they can complete from their smartphone or computer, the better. An app or website link is the perfect way to give them a fully automated way to request maintenance and follow its progress through updates sent directly to them. Tenants love electronic communication and quick responses.

5. Hands-free Solutions Across The Board
Contactless is the prevailing theme of 2020. The less your tenants have to touch, the happier they will be. Hands-free door openers, either automatic or foot pulls are always a big hit. Tenants are even liking key-less, touch-less entry to the gates and their homes. Again, people love new tech! A few simple amenity upgrades to your property can truly modernize the community and make your property much more user-friendly which will entice future residents and make great tenants want to stay.

Everyone is looking toward the future and better times ahead. Updating your property with new technology and amenities that provide people with safe, quick, contact-less ways to pay, request maintenance, and enter buildings will attract high-quality tenants. The laundry room is a great place to start and ShinePay is ready to assist in modernizing this incredibly necessary amenity. Contact us today and mention this blog to receive your first two ShinePay devices free!

In these trying times brought on by the spread of Coronavirus, we are all concerned about being safe and remaining healthy.  A major action to take is to ensure that you are providing sanitary laundry facilities for your tenants, customers etc and to be informed when questions around laundry arise as we all strive to do our part to #FlattenTheCurve. 

Here at ShinePay, we have been raising awareness around how coins and cash are havens for pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus and even Coronavirus among others from our very beginning. Similarly, the touch screens that are required for use with card-operated laundry systems are also to be avoided if possible based on what scientists have found living on them, and they certainly need to be sanitized before every use.

To that end, we here at ShinePay have put together a few best practices for you to consider beyond removing cash, coins and touch screens from your laundry room requirements.  Recently, a number of great articles from trusted sources have been published on how long can the Coronavirus survive in the air and on surfaces, which we link to throughout this post.

Clothes and Covid-19

Clothing bedding and other types of garments can contain and transport droplets according to this article from Huffington Post, quoting former Chief Medical Officer of the CDC, Robert Ambler saying that, “Some researchers believe the fibers in porous material catch the virus particles, dry them out and break them apart,” Amler said. “Smooth surfaces like leather and vinyl can be wiped clean.”

Sanitize all surfaces daily 

The latest research has shown that the virus and similar pathogens can live on surfaces like cardboard, glass and steel for anywhere between 24 hours and up to 3 days. Also, there is   What this means is that frequent cleaning of all surfaces is certainly an action to take, as well as washing clothing worn outdoors as soon as possible. Also, if possible, providing disinfectant wipes or spray for your customers is recommended.

Wash and Dry at Higher Temps

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing loads at, “[...] a temperature of at least 160°F (71°C) for a minimum of 25 minutes is commonly recommended for hot-water washing.” A good suggestion is to dry loads at high temps and to do so for a longer cycle than you normally would.

Use Bleach or Detergents with a Bleach Compound

If using bleach, (which is recommended for white garments and bleach-resistant items) it is important to know that: Chlorine bleach becomes activated at water temperatures of 135°F–145°F (57.2°C–62.7°C).  In general pathogens and viral substances do not survive in a harsh environment like bleach solutions.

Mobile Payments over Coins

Mobile payment apps, ahem...like ShinePay offer a more sanitary solution to coins.  Coins and shared surfaces like change machines are certainly to be avoided if possible.  When using an app like ShinePay to operate washers and dryers, please be sure to frequently sanitize your smartphone as well.

 (Image) A transmission-electron microscope image of an isolate from the first US case of Covid-19.PHOTOGRAPH: HANNAH A BULLOCK; AZAIBI TAMIN/CDC)

(1) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-long-coronavirus-live-clothing-washing_l_5e724927c5b6eab779409e74

(2) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/cleaning-disinfection.html

The above recommendations are clothing laundering best practices ONLY and should not be taken as medical advice or public health advice, or to replace advice provided by any medical professional or public health official. Any recommendations put forth by the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, the National Institute of Health, or any other local, state, national, or international health body should take precedence. ShinePay, Inc. will not be liable for illness, disease, or any damages suffered through contact with those infected by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus or ill with COVID-19 who are also using these facilities. Please continue maintaining social distancing, washing your hands after using high-contact surfaces, and all other recommended practices while using these facilities and washing your clothes. Stay safe!

Laundry habits might seem like an unlikely place to find new ways to reduce CO2 emissions.  Yet despite being mundane and easily overlooked, a few basic changes to the way you do your laundry can reduce your carbon footprint.

One new technology already helping to reduce the carbon footprint of laundromats is our app based laundry payment service, Shinepay.

How can an app help reduce a laundromat’s carbon emissions? Well, three ways:

1. Skip the coins: Coins are more than just a hassle. They end up generating carbon emissions as they must be constantly transported on vehicles, consume electricity being automatically counted, and require infrastructure such as ATMs and change machines to withdraw. What’s more, coins represent a form of environmental pollution.
2. Ditch the cards: Why bother with another senseless piece of plastic in your wallet? Manufacturing plastic creates CO2 emissions, and too many of those plastic cards end up polluting the environment or clogging landfills.
3. Focus on the laundry: Shinepay dramatically simplifies payments for laundromat owners and customers alike. This frees up both to focus on getting their laundry done as efficiently and effectively as possible, reducing unnecessary expenditures.

What Is CO2?

CO2 is the chemical shorthand for the molecule carbon dioxide. It occurs naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere, where it takes the form of an odorless, colorless gas.

Produced by all aerobic organisms as an essential part of respiration, CO2 is an element essential to life as we know it. 

In addition to organisms, CO2 is also produced in the chemical process of combustion. As a result, CO2 is released into the atmosphere as a byproduct of a wide variety of machinery, including automobiles, power plants, and any device which relies on a combustion engine.

Despite being a natural component of earth’s atmosphere, CO2 is classified as a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases such as CO2 trap heat in the planet’s atmosphere, slowing the rate at which it radiates into space.

This effect contributes to a rise in the planet’s overall temperatures, speeding up climate change through global warming.

Since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has released large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere. The large quantities of CO2 produced by our evolving technology have contributed to the planet’s rising concentrations of atmospheric CO2.

With an eye on the health of our planet, environmentally savvy individuals and companies are banding together to reduce their CO2 emissions for the sake of our environment.

How Does Laundry Affect The Environment?

It might not seem like doing your laundry has much of an impact on the environment, but keeping our clothes and fabrics clean actually extracts quite a toll on the environment.

Here’s how:

1. Power Consumption: Every time you use your washer or dryer, you’re consuming electricity. For most of us, this means actively increasing our electricity demand and (theoretically) forcing a power plant to emit more CO2.
2. Water Consumption: Doing laundry takes quite a bit of water. Moving that water around requires electricity, which means CO2 emissions. It also means less available fresh water, and likely more work (and more emissions) for your local wastewater treatment plant.
3. Transport Costs: Laundry is heavy. If you have to go to a laundromat, transporting it by vehicle or even public transit means adding to your carbon footprint. Even taking it down the elevator in your apartment building adds emissions.
4. Pollution: There is a lot of stuff associated with laundry, such as detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, baskets, clothes hangers, all sorts of gizmos and gadgets. All of that stuff has a carbon footprint in its manufacturing and transport. Worse, much of it is not properly disposed of, creating sources of plastic and chemical pollution. Meanwhile, every load of laundry produces a sizable quantity of wastewater which must be treated or disposed of.

How Can I Reduce The Environmental Impact Of My Laundry Habits?

A growing practice known as Green Laundry focuses on educating people about the environmental impact of their laundry habits and showing them how to minimize the environmental impact of laundry day.

Done right, Green Laundry can reduce your environmental impact and even help you save a bit of money.

Here are the fundamental tenets of Green Laundry:

• Be as efficient as possible with the size of your loads and the settings (temperature, cycle type, etc.) on your washing machine. Use cold water as much as possible.
• Minimize dryer time by hanging up clothes to line dry.
• Reduce how frequently you wash clothes by re-wearing items which aren’t noticeably dirty.
• Hand wash whenever possible.
• Avoid dry cleaners.
• Minimize waste from laundry products and properly dispose of all laundry related waste.

Taking the time to learn how your laundry habits affect the environment is all it takes to help you work smarter and not harder when it comes to laundry day.

What Other Ways Can I Reduce CO2 Emissions Besides Changing My Laundry Habits?

If you look at the four ways that laundry affects the environment we laid out above, you might notice that it’s a list of things which could apply to many of the things we do everyday.

Our laundry habits are far from being the only thing which consume water and power, require transportation, and generate pollution. 

Spend some time reflecting on what you do in the average day and you’re likely to find yourself doing all four of these things on a regular basis!

Thankfully, you’re now armed with some powerful knowledge. The same sort of steps you take to minimize the environmental impact of your laundry habits can be put to work to help you reduce your environmental impact and carbon footprint from any number of any day activities.

How Can I Reduce CO2 Emissions From My Laundromat Or Apartment Building?

If you’re the owner or manager of an apartment building or laundromat and want to reduce the CO2 emissions from your property, one excellent shortcut is Shinepay.

Shinepay lets you skip all sorts of unnecessary hassle, expense, and carbon emissions by liberating you from dealing with huge amounts of coins or constantly issuing plastic cards.

Join the modern world with a modern payment system -- and do your part for the environment while you’re at it.

Reducing Environmental Impact With Shinepay FAQ

1. What’s the best way to make environmentally friendly laundry detergent?

Homemade laundry detergent is sometimes considered to be more environmentally friendly than store bought brands, which often contain a wide array of chemicals such as fragrances which can be toxic and pose an environmental hazard. Laundry detergent can be made at home utilizing ingredients such as borax, baking soda, and lye soap.

2. How much money can I save by drying my clothes on a clothesline? 

In the United States, it costs on average around 45 cents to run an electric dryer for 40 minutes. That means if you forego an hour in the dryer to hang that load up on the line, you’re saving about 67 cents by doing so, as well as reducing your carbon footprint. At a coin laundromat where the rate is often 25 cents for six minutes of drying time, a 42 minute spin in the dryer would cost a whopping $1.75.

3. Is washing powder more eco friendly than liquid detergent?

More important than the consistency of your detergent is its ingredient list. Both washing powder and liquid detergent can be equally environmentally friendly. It all depends on what ingredients are used.

When attempting to repair your washing machine, it is important to remain safe. Washing machine repair is best handled by an outside professional, so hiring a washing machine repair service could be extremely helpful for minimizing your risk of injury and additional issues while attempting to clean or repair your own washing machine. There are some situations where you can handle the washing machine repair on your own.

Safety Tips You Need to Know Before You Attempt Any Repairs

One of the most important things you can keep in mind before attempting any repairs on your washing machine is to ensure that the appliance is not only turned off but unplugged from the wall. Always unplug the appliance and turn off the water after use. Before opening the door of the appliance to check inside, make sure that all of the water has drained, and you should never open the door if you still see water. Check the appliance before each use to make sure that small children or pets have not climbed inside of it. Repairs made by unqualified or inexperienced people could lead to injuries or even the need for more serious and expensive repairs.

What Causes My Washing Machine to Break Down in the First Place

Washing machines need to be treated properly and on a regular basis to ensure they operate as they are supposed to and do not break down.

Is It Expensive to Hire Someone for a Washing Machine Repair Service?

Choosing the right washing machines from the outset makes it much less likely that you will need a washing machine repair service. This is especially important when you use washing machines inside your business. 

If you own a business that offers laundry service, you'll want to make sure that you know how to find the best washing machines for your business to make sure they meet the needs of your customers and aren't likely to break down this frequently. In many cases, you may be able to get to use washing machine repair services to get your washing machine back up and running sooner rather than later, and it can be less expensive than purchasing a new washing machine.

Determine If Your Washing Machine Is Under Warranty

One of the most important steps before hiring a washing machine repair service or calling in a technician to work on it is to determine whether or not your washing machine is under warranty. If it is under warranty you might not have to pay anything at all for the repair.

Can I Fix the Payment System for My Washing Machine?

If you have a mobile payment system from Shine Pay, there are steps you can take to try and fix any payment issues on your own. If they cannot be fixed, then Shine Pay’s support system will help to take care of you.

Washing Machine Repair FAQ

How long does a washing machine last?

A highly rated washing machine can last for many years but might need some repair in that period.

What are some of the most common issues with a washing machine?

One of the most common issues with a washing machine is the machine won't fill with water, the washing machine is noisy, the drum doesn't turn, the door won't open, or closed, and it does not smell right.

How often should you replace your washing machine?

Replacing your washing machine depends on how recently you purchased it. The average life expectancy of a brand-new washing machine is 11 years and consumer reports recommend replacing any appliances that are older than 8 years. If you have purchased a top of the line washing machine, however, you might not have to repair as often as you might expect.