While there has been plenty of time for students to get acclimated to living on their own in this school year, some are still struggling with domestic chores like cooking, cleaning and most notably… laundry. Any student that has gone into their dorm building’s designated laundry area can tell you that it is not always a pretty sight.
Parents often joke about their children not being able to do their own laundry, but sometimes they are spot on. Whether it be confusion about detergent or simply not knowing to separate lights and darks, college laundry rooms can be a place of turmoil. In fact, Kimmel Area Hall Director Sarah Hoffman had to email residents last term because of how unkempt the laundry room had become. In the email, she said:
Hoffman also included some things students could do to improve the atmosphere. As of this term, Kimmel’s laundry room has a new policy: laundry left out more than two weeks will be donated to the homeless. While things are changing for the better in Kimmel, there are still frequently piles of clothing littering the room. As another refresher, here are ways you can make an effort toward changing the often accurate stereotype that college students can’t do their own laundry.
Using too much detergent can flood the machine, leaving behind soapy water.
Whether you want to use single-use pods or liquid or powder detergent, make sure you are measuring the correct amount for each load. If you use too much, it can damage the machine and cause problems for other students trying to wash their clothes.
Overstuffing the machine can also cause damage. That overflowing basket of three-week-old clothes? Separate it into multiple loads. This way, your clothing will come out more clean and the weight will not strain the drum.
Check your pockets to make sure you aren’t putting cash, candy or headphones through the wash. The spin cycle may not destroy your belongings, but they will not come out the same way they went in — especially that stick of gum you forgot to take out of your new jeans.
Keep the washer and dryer doors open when the machines are not in use. This serves a dual-purpose: others will know that the machine is available, and it will also prevent mold from forming and creating a musty smell. Do you really want your clean clothes to smell as though they have been left to dry in an attic?
Lastly, be mindful of laundry etiquette. The one hundred-plus people living in your building need to do laundry as well, and there are just not enough machines for this to happen without fault. However, leaving your clothes in the machine for hours at a time will likely cause one of two things to happen. (1) Someone will patiently wait for you to move your things, but give you a dirty look when you show up an hour later or (2) you will return an hour later to find your newly-clean clothes in a crumpled pile on the floor, surrounded by dirt, hair and dryer lint that was haphazardly scraped out of the filter. Set a timer to remind yourself to switch machines, or someone else just might do it for you — without concern for your personal belongings.
