How to Do Laundry in College

A Simple Guide to Cleaning Your Clothes the Right Way

Once you get to college, you may be faced with a common challenge for most college students: laundry day. From which laundry basket or laundry bag you want to buy, to how you’re going to learn to adapt to doing your laundry on your own, you may be feeling a little lost when it comes to doing laundry away from home. Now this isn’t to say that it's a very strenuous activity, it can be hard having to adjust to a new washer and dryer every school year when you change dorms. There are many different brands of washing machines and dryers and you will soon learn how to use a great amount of them after being in college for a few years. Because you’ll be at college for quite a while, it’s crucial to know a few basic tips when it comes to caring for your clothes.

Maybe you’ve never washed clothes before and since coming to college, you’ve been putting off the task because you have no idea what to do. No matter how comfortable you feel doing laundry away at college, ensuring that you know the basics is just a simple way to ensure that you’re cleaning your clothes properly.

Here are a few tips and tricks to follow to ensure you’re doing just that:

• If you’re not sure how to clean or dry something, read the labels

• Only wash using cold water as a precaution

• Separate clothes and fabrics by color

• Don’t use too much soap

• Clean out the lint before and after drying

These may seem like obvious tips, but it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your clothes!

Checking The Labels is Crucial

If you’re not sure of something, either look or check for yourself. This can be said for many different types of clothing that you’re washing. Or maybe you find yourself having to wash your comforter or a blanket. It’s still important to know where to find labels on any given item and how to read them.

If you’re washing a pair of pants, know that the label is usually always on the top of the pants, which is a given. There will be those odd times when you buy a pair of pants and the instructions on how to care for them are ripped off once you rip the tag off. If that’s the case, either look at the tag on the pants itself and check to see the fabric. If you’re washing a shirt, the tags can be found at the top near the neckline or sometimes on the inside next to the seam going up the left or right side. Knowing where the tags are and how to read them will help guide you in knowing when to dry clean and when to clean at home.

Knowing how to read clothing labels will ensure they last longer and stay as clean as possible.

There are some fabrics that can’t be washed or dried or they will be ruined. If you accidentally cut a tag off or can’t tell what fabric your clothing is, then it’s safe not to dry them and let them sit out to air dry. It’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s easy to accidentally throw something in the washer or dryer and have it damaged, so it’s best to take every precaution.

Labels also help you in knowing which setting to put your clothes on. Some fabrics are quite delicate and have to be treated as such, so you might be advised to put a certain item on tumble dry to ensure it doesn’t get damaged. Learning the many different labels and meanings can be intimidating, but it’s necessary to ensure your clothes aren’t ruined.

If it makes the process easier, try washing like fabrics together so as to keep everything organized and not overwhelm yourself when the time comes to wash. In doing this, you can rest easy knowing that you have learned the basic washing instructions, so as to successfully do laundry. Using a laundry bag can make the process of the trips to the laundry room just that much easier, especially if you plan on doing more than one load.

Make laundry day easy with a portable laundry bag that’s easy for transferring clothes to the laundry room. Photo courtesy of Dormify.

Know Which Temperature to Set The Water

Knowing how to wash your laundry at the right temperature is also a highly important piece of information to know before you go to wash your clothes. If you accidentally choose the wrong temperature, colors can bleed onto other clothes and cause your whites to come out in different colors. That’s why it’s important to know which colors should be washed with which.

Like colors should be washed together, this is a simple rule. This means dark colors with dark colors and whites solely with whites. It’s easy for another color to bleed onto white fabric, especially if it’s something that has never been washed before, as the colors tend to bleed during the first few washes.

Separating your clothes can avoid damage to your favorite clothing items.

If for instance, there comes a time where you need to wash your clothes together, then opt for cold water every time. Cold water is the safest option no matter what fabric or colors you wash, as colors tend to bleed less in this setting. Always make sure to check your labels if you are unsure of the water temperature, but know that cold water is mostly a safe option.

Use the Right Amount of Detergent or Fabric Softener

If you’ve done laundry at college before, you’ve probably seen the signs posted around the laundry room telling you to beware of how much soap to use. If you haven’t then let this act as your sign to remember to correctly measure your detergent or softener before your next load of laundry.

Measuring your soap can save you from causing a mess.

Depending on which washing machine you use, there may be a built-in sign where you load the fabric softener or detergent. Be cautious of how much you put in there. Act as if it is an open washing machine with a built-in dispenser drawer, so measure the detergent or softener in the lid of the bottle it came in and then pour it into the machine.

If you accidentally add too much detergent or softener, this could damage the machine. You also wouldn’t want the water to overflow and come out of the back of the machine and leak from the pipes, so it’s best to follow the recommended signs posted throughout the laundry room or the recommended amount of product on the side of the bottle.

There are going to be times when your laundry is piled high or even close to overflowing the top of your laundry basket, so no doubt you’ll have a hard time balancing your overflowing laundry as well as your detergent bottle. If you have a pop-up hamper, you can make transferring your clothes from your dorm to teh laundry room, that much easier. All you need to do is sling it over your back and then you’ll have free hands to hold your detergent or softener so you don’t have to juggle them in your hands on the way to the laundry room.

Having a portable laundry hamper makes doing laundry easier. Photo courtesy of Dormify.

Check For Lint

The person who used the dryer before you may have forgotten to take the lint out, so make sure you check the lint compartment before and after each use. If it’s full of lint, this could be a hazard. A buildup of lint could be more dangerous than you realize. A buildup of lint can cause a fire, so it’s safer to do your laundry with a lint-free dryer. There are many benefits to keeping your dryer lint-free, and it’s best to stay on the safe side and follow these rules.

Checking for lint after drying your clothes is the best way to ensure everyone’s safety in the dorm.

After you’ve dried your clothes, an easy way to clean the lint trap without using your hands is to simply take your used dry sheet and swipe it across the lint trap. You can easily dispose of the lint and the dryer sheet in one easy go and then you'll be done until next time.

Be Courteous of Others

The most important part of doing laundry at college is making sure you take your clothes out of both the washers and dryers at a reasonable time. Because there are only so many washers and dryers available for your dorm building, the best way to handle any altercations is by setting a timer.

Don’t put your laundry in and then decide to head to your class. Your clothes will be done way before the time you’re done with class, so the best way to handle your laundry is when you know you have free time.

You’ll be happier knowing that you have successfully handled your laundry on your own.

Your clothes should be taken out of the washer up to five minutes after your timer has gone off and the same can be said for the dryer. On any given day, no matter where you live on campus, there will most likely be people waiting to put their clothes in. You don’t want other people to take your clothes out and set them on top of a washer or dryer just because you didn’t come back to retrieve them on time.

In order to refrain from any altercations or mishaps in the laundry room, the most responsible thing to do is to be courteous to others and take out your clothes when they are done.

If you find yourself waiting for another load after your first one is complete and don’t want to take your laundry basket back to your room to unload, having a portable storage hamper might be what you need. This way, you can have a place to put your clothes so that when your other load is drying, you can easily take them back to your dorm room without an overflowing basket of freshly cleaned clothes.

If you’re in need of extra storage, a small but functioning hamper might be perfect for you. Photo courtesy of Dormify.

Now You Can Use These Helpful Tips the Next Time You Do Your Laundry on Campus!

Laundry day doesn’t have to be hard, especially when you have these easy tips to help guide you in doing your laundry. The next time you clean your clothes, you’ll be reminded of these simple tips and tricks that will come in handy no matter if you’re a freshman or maybe even a senior. It’s never too late to learn how to do your laundry the right way