Learning to do laundry is one thing, learning the expectations and tips for navigating university laundry rooms shared with hundreds of students is another. Here’s a basic guide to be tailored to your personal needs.
Step 1: Plan ahead
Worrying about having clean clothes is the last thing you want to do when suddenly hours behind in readings. Be flexible, but try to pick one day a week to do laundry, ideally when it’s less busy: unfortunately this is usually anytime before 10am.
Decide how many loads you need to do each week. I personally do one cold load of clothes and one hot load of sheets and towels each week. My delicates have to go with my regular clothes and get pulled out before they hit the dryer. I try to limit my machine usage because I pay per load and it can be hard to find space, but this depends on your school’s machines and your personal laundry preferences.
Step 2: Prep your load(s)
Spend time organizing yourself in your room. Keep your loads together, turn everything right side out, apply stain remover. I use my hamper to carry clothes down to the machines but some students use large bags or baskets. You will need to bring your detergent and dryer balls. Ideally start laundry at a time you do not need to leave your building/go far. The university’s machines can be quite time efficient.
Step 3: Loading the machine
It may be hard to find enough machines, and you may have to come back/wait on other students. The waiting rule: Everyone’s version of this varies slightly, but there is a general idea that it is courteous to wait a set amount of time before emptying a finished load if you need a machine.
Often people will leave their clothes sitting in a machine past when it finishes. Sometimes they are running a few minutes late, sometimes they forget and let their clothes sit overnight. It is not fair to use a communal space for that long, but it can be hard to predict how long they will leave their stuff.
Most people will wait a few minutes to give them a chance before removing their clothes from the machine. I like to give everyone ten minutes from my arrival. Ideally you can empty a machine that has a bag waiting on top or nearby and leave their clothes in it so that they stay clean. Otherwise, try to carefully place them on a clean surface or the top of the machine.
Follow the guidelines for your particular laundry machines, but loading your clothes and personal detergent (likely straight into the drum) should be fairly straightforward. Start the machine, and, if you aren’t using an app with a built in timer, start a timer as well.
If you are loading the dryer, make sure you empty the lint trap before and after use. I found that the washer doors would sometimes build up gunk that I used a cleaning wipe to remove before using. Don’t forget to pull delicates out of your load to air dry in your room before using the dryer!
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