COVID-19 Update: Let’s Talk About Clean – May 27, 2020
Let’s Talk About Clean
From the start of this pandemic, the laundry industry has embraced its essential status and the responsibility that goes along with it.
Even before the formal guidance emerged from the CDC and other experts, laundry owners instinctually began to build on their already-strong cleaning and disinfecting procedures. Laundromat workers began cleaning more often and paying more attention to high touch surfaces, store owners added a disinfection procedure for laundry carts and folding tables – and much more.
Brian Wallace, President/CEO of the Coin Laundry Association, taped another brief video to share the latest news and resources regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its effects on the laundry industry.
Cleaning Best Practices
We wanted to re-up the best practices and guidelines shared by CDC, EPA and the American Cleaning Institute. Let’s make sure that we are doing all we can to follow this good advice. Please read the most recent guidance on keeping your facility clean, choosing the right cleaning products and the best ways to keep your employees and customers safer.
The next component is to put your disinfection plan in writing and train your employees to follow it to the letter. The CDC has provided guidance on this. Once you have your updated procedures in writing, make sure that you are training your attendants and documenting that training.
The most important part may be to communicate and market to your customers and potential customers. In-store signage is critical to sharing key messages with your customers about the new rules of engagement for using the laundromat.
Don’t forget to include your clean routine in your advertising and social media – now is the time to show off all the steps you are taking to keep your laundry clean. We’ve seen some inspiring media coverage of laundromats and their cleaning regimen. In fact, CLA has created a press release template you can use to let local media know how clean your laundromat is – customize all you like and use this tool to draw more attention to all of your hard work.
PPP Program Information
Yes – there’s more news on the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program to share:
Treasury and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) guidance Friday night that provided some clarity on several loan forgiveness questions, but didn’t address the two parts of PPP that arguably have generated the most concerns among the millions of small businesses and other entities that have received funding.
Two new interim final rules issued late Friday build upon the loan forgiveness application and instructions released May 15, but they don’t make changes to either the eight-week period during which PPP funds must be spent to qualify for forgiveness or the rule requiring PPP borrowers to spend at least 75% of the funds on payroll costs to qualify for full loan forgiveness. Those two issues are the focus of multiple bills being considered in Congress.
The Senate could vote as early as this week on a bill that would double the loan forgiveness period to 16 weeks. The House is expected to vote this week on standalone legislation that would extend the loan forgiveness period to as long as 24 weeks and also eliminate the rule requiring PPP borrowers to spend at least 75% of the funds on payroll costs to qualify for full loan forgiveness. A separate Senate bill would also expand the loan forgiveness period to 24 weeks and eliminate the 75% rule.
Critics of the eight-week loan forgiveness period argue that it isn’t flexible enough for businesses that have dealt, and in many cases continue to deal, with state and locally mandated stay-at-home orders that have kept many types of businesses closed or operating at significantly reduced capacity. Critics of the 75% rule argue that it does not do enough to accommodate businesses whose employees haven’t been able to work because of government-imposed business closures.
Through May 23, the SBA approved more than 4.4 million PPP loans totaling more than $511 billion. About $138 billion in PPP funds remained available for additional lending as of May 23.
Master Classes
This coming Thursday, May 28 at 2 p.m. CT will be our last virtual master class, “Self-Care Is Not Self-Ish” with Michael Angelo Caruso. Register for this event today. You don’t want to miss this event!
CLA members can have access to all three master classes for only $99. We’ve recorded each prior session, and they are all included in your package as a convenient download.
Town Hall Meeting for CLA Members
CLA members can register for our Town Hall Meeting event, which will be held this Friday, May 29, 2020 at 2 p.m. CT. Every CLA member should have received an email with the registration instructions for this Zoom meeting. Join us to chat about what’s going on in today’s business environment.
Not a CLA member? Be part of our essential industry’s association. Get a free video “Laundromat Lifecycles” (a $25 value) with your purchase of a new membership. Join for as little as $27 per month.
Join the LaundryCares Network
The LaundryCares Foundation is building a database of stores that are community friendly and can be called upon as potential sources of help. Get listed in our directory by including your store locations. Join for free today. We have a goal of adding 500 stores to the LaundryCares Network by July and 2000 by November. Call 800-570-5629 for more info.
Join the LaundryCares Network at https://laundrycares.org/join-the-laundrycares-network/.
Information and Resources
Signage and procedure information have been continuously added to the resource page. Wash-Dry-Go app is now available at www.washdrygo.com. BCC Payments has developed this software, which they are offering at no cost to help the laundry industry.