SHARED laundry, a new type of sharing platform featuring laundry, social networking and leisure, sprang up in Nanshan District recently, the Daily Sunshine reported Tuesday.

Sixteen washing and drying machines are lined up in a room with vintage sofas, brick-red walls, simple yet romantic warm lighting, lovely bears and a coffee bar. The laundry is located in Sofun Land, a cluster of youth apartments aimed at renting to young workers and entrepreneurs.

According to Wen Jing, the laundry’s shopkeeper, the store provides a self-service laundry for commuters, who can flick through magazines and have a chat with others while doing their laundry.

The washers and dryers in the store are bigger than household washer-dryer combo units, both having a capacity of 10 kilograms. Customers should bring their own washing powder or detergent. It costs 10 yuan (US$1.5) to wash for 35 minutes and 10 yuan to dry for 30 minutes.

For another three minutes of drying, the cost increases by one yuan. Customers can pay via WeChat and Alipay.

“Shared laundry originated in the United States. When it is introduced into our country, we add a little creativity by launching ‘laundry + social networking + leisure.’ At present, we have opened more than 10 stores in Nanshan, and they are still in trial operation,” said Wen.

She added that they offer coffee and other leisure entertainment services because drying clothes takes time, and the customers are usually young people.

“For those who work in the Shenzhen Hi-Tech Industrial Park and often have to work overtime, shared laundry provides a convenient service. It is a nice choice as the charges are lower than at normal laundries,” said an interviewee.

Hygiene is the most concerning issue for some consumers. “I am worried about hygiene and the possibility of cross infection,” said Zhang, an apartment tenant. She is worried that there might be some bacteria or stains left in the washer by the previous user.

According to an industry insider, if shared laundry wants to gain a foothold in the market, operators need to consider how to eliminate consumers’ concerns.

(Zhang Yu)