by Suzanne Rose

Created on: July 05, 2010

One part of college many freshmen are not looking forward to is doing the laundry.  Unfortunately, this is an important lesson to learn, and one you will likely need for the rest of your life.  The following are tips for doing laundry on campus.

Find out all of the information on the facilities at campus

Different campuses offer different laundry facilities.  Some people will even choose their room so that they are closer to the facilities.  You should find out where it is and how the exact machines work such as their cost.  Some of them will be coin operated; if this is the case, then make sure that you always have plenty of change to use with them. Others might use some sort of card or account. 

Make sure that you have all of the products you need to help you with doing your laundry

You might be lugging laundry quite a long way.  Some people like to have a mesh hamper with a handle that they can use to carry the clothing.  Others might get a big laundry bag, which are available for very inexpensive at stores like Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Still others will use a big laundry basket.  A lot of people will use two different containers – one for clean clothes and one for dirty clothes so that you do not put your newly washed clothes where the dirty ones had just been.  Also, you will need to get a detergent and any other product you want such as a fabric softener.  Some people are sensitive to certain detergents, so you may want to get a hypoallergenic formula such as All Free and Clear if you are sensitive.  Also, many college students do not have a lot of money, and you might be able to save money by buying store brands or purchasing at discount stores or with coupons. 

Learn the times that are busier and quieter in the laundry room

You probably do not want to be doing laundry any longer than possible.  Certain times will be busier than others at the dorm laundry room.  If they are busy you might not get all of your clothes in at once or you may have to wait for a machine.  Try to figure out these times so you can go when it is more open.  Also, it is up to you if you want to stay with your clothes.  Some freshmen worry and always stay whereas others leave.  If you think that it will be at all busy you might want to make sure you are there when the machines are done.  Students can get very angry if they are waiting to use a machine in the campus facilities and if it is just full of clothes.  They may take out your clothes themselves.

When doing your laundry, make sure you know exactly the right settings to use.  Know how to separate the loads so that you do not have a problem with the colors.  Also, learn about what can and cannot go in the dryer.  Learn how to read a tag.  If you do not know all of this information because your parents always did your laundry at home, then be sure to learn them.

Doing laundry might not be fun, but it is part of life.  Use the above tips to help you accomplish this when you get to college.

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