When asking yourself how to do laundry in college, several questions may arise:
How do I actually get my clothes clean?
How do people do this without their parents?
Is it possible to catch one of these on fire by putting too many clothes in it? (Yes, yes it is)
Nobody likes to be the reason that your whole building has to wait outside for an hour after midnight during finals week because a laundry machine caught on fire. Yes, this really did happen to me. And my roommate blamed me for it.
I came back with my freshly dried clothes right before the fire alarm went off. I was later vindicated, but that was little consolation compared to the sleep everyone was losing.
Suffice it to say that I’ve seen a few laundry mishaps, some self-inflicted and some observed.
There are many different laundry situations, especially as a college student. I’m focusing on cases with a laundry room outside of your dorm or apartment that contains multiple machines. (If you’re looking for an apartment, check out these tips.) Not in that situation? You can read on looking for applicable laundry tips, but my feelings will not be hurt (that’s only partially true) if you look elsewhere for laundry advice.
If you’ve never done laundry before, no worries! This guide is easy to follow.
Looking for a bullet list without the humor and explanation? You can click here to skip to the bottom of the article.
Washers and Dryers Are Not Perfect
Hopefully, I can ease your mind a bit by saying that not every problem you encounter is your fault. Everything from the payment system to the dryer can work at subpar levels, causing frustration along the way.
The key throughout the process is to keep a level head. Things can get frustrating. My apartment building (10 units) only has a single washer and dryer. So adjusting to the timing whims of other people and attempting to work around them has been my most recent adaptation in the laundry saga of my life.
Does that seem a bit dramatic? It probably is. But laundry is not a task I enjoy doing. And knowing that obstacles aside from my own motivation exist between my clothes being dirty and clean takes more mental energy than I like to admit.
Tip #1 – Laundry doesn’t actually take that much time and effort
This is perhaps less of a tip than a mental pick-me-up. You don’t have to spend a lot of time doing laundry! Trying to figure out how to do laundry in college, the amount of time you spend is actually rather small. The point: good laundry, even when using a college laundry room, doesn’t take too much time or effort.
Carrying clothes, putting them in the washer and dryer, and folding them doesn’t actually take that much time. Though, it is a few-hour process from start to finish.
I read a book that said it only takes 5 minutes for all of those things. I’ve never come close to achieving that. But 15 minutes is not unreasonable. That’s not bad, especially since it enables you to wear your favorite shirt again!
Tip #2 – Have a consistent laundry routine
The stress of finding ANYTHING clean for days on end, while exhilarating, is not ideal. You should feel good about how you look because you chose the right outfit for the day. And it should not be just because you managed to find an outfit without spaghetti stains.
This helps you get into a good rhythm for staying fashionable and eliminating stress you don’t need. It also keeps your laundry hamper from getting too out of hand.
This rhythm can be anywhere from once a week to twice a month. It depends on the number of clothes you have and how much space they take up. Some exceptions for things like work clothes are fine.
Feel free to experiment. I have found once a week to be a really steady rhythm. It keeps me from being tempted to overfill the washer. However, I did laundry every week and a half on Fridays and Tuesdays for a while. And that worked as long as I was able to keep it straight.
Ideally, you’ll also have a time of day you normally do laundry, whether it be early morning or late at night (or anywhere in between).
Doing laundry on the weekends and some evenings can get crowded, which may cause machine availability issues. So if that is a problem in your situation, if you have an afternoon free from classes and work, that could be ideal.
Tip #3 – Get to Know Your Laundry’s Payment Processor
Taking several minutes the first time or two you use your new laundry machines to read the instructions and maybe experiment with the most effective way to pay can save a lot of frustration later. This should also help you find out how much it will cost to get your laundry done, helping you know how much to budget.
Depending on your laundry facilities, that can mean knowing the right way to swipe your card to keep from getting an error, seeing if bringing change is an easier option for you, or even paying via an app on your phone. Make sure to read any instructions to help in your quest.
If it happens to only take quarters (yikes), then at least you’ll know that and can be prepared.
Figure out what tools are at your disposal and how to best use them. This can save you precious time and mental energy, if in small amounts. It helps you balance your social life and keep up with homework and any extracurriculars.
Tip #4 – Keep it simple – that includes detergent
When thinking about how to do laundry in college, it’s sadly normal to be overwhelmed by all of the different ways there are to do laundry that you never realized existed. That is until your roommates tell you about something you’ve never heard about before. They claim that it’s the “ONLY way I’ve ever done it,” before giving you a judgy stare.
Okay, maybe that’s not normal, but if it’s your experience, not to worry! Just tell them about this random article you found on the internet from someone who clearly has no idea what they are talking about.
But instead, pretend it’s a citation for a paper. You can make anything sound authoritative if you put your mind to it. You know what I’m talking about.
Tide Pods are a Lifesaver
So, in an effort to keep it simple, instead of lugging your giant bottles of fabric softener and laundry detergent, not to mention dryer sheets, every time you do laundry, get some pods to take care of all of that for you! That means no more confusion about how much detergent you need to get your clothes clean or needing to decide between liquid or powder detergent. (There’s nothing wrong with liquid detergent; it’s just not as convenient.)
While there are many different variations at this point, I like Tide Pods 4 in 1. There are also multiple versions of this small category, but there are only a few choices, and this one is quite nice!
All you have to do is open the bin and take 3 pods out to put on the top of your clothes in laundry basket. Then, when you get to the washing machine, just drop them in before putting all your clothes in. Super easy to carry!
How nice is that? You don’t need anything else to keep your clothes clean and fresh!
If you’re doing more than one load, just get 3 pods for each load. You’ll get the hang of it in no time.
A Few Notes
- DO NOT overload the washing machine by using your whole body to shove the clothes in. This will keep your clothes from getting properly cleaned and I’ve seen it catch college washing machines on fire.
- Tide says that 2 pods are all you need for most loads, but I like to do 3 just to keep myself from ever needing to analyze the size of my laundry pile and stress over using 2 or 3. (I overthink a lot, in case you couldn’t tell.) If you use 3 pods once a week using this pack of 73, it will last 24 weeks, and 2 per week would last 36 weeks, or a whole school year at most colleges.
- That being said, depending on the size of the load, you may want to use 1 or 2, say for a work uniform you need. It could also be for a few new darks that you’re paranoid about bleeding into your bright white clothes. (Mixing lights and darks is usually totally fine. Just be careful with vibrant new clothes that haven’t been washed yet. You may want to wash the separately.)
- If you are feeling too broke for a few extra laundry pod features on top of the thousands per semester (been there), you can get these Tide Pods for almost half the price of the 4 in 1 (and they still get great reviews).
- If you deal with a lot of stains, you may need other laundry supplies, like a stain remover for pre-treating before the detergent does its thing in the wash. Also, running those loads with warm water is best for getting the stains out.
Tip #5 – Set a timer
Once your clothes are running in the washing machine (cold water is usually best), check the time and set a timer on your phone. Knowing the minute your clothes get done drying is much more important, but knowing when the washer is done keeps you from forgetting about them while binging your new favorite show or YouTube channel.
At college, I would usually keep my laundry basket on top of the washing machine I was using, just in case someone REALLY wanted to get their clothes washing once mine was done. I saw some people pile clothes that were in their way on top of the dryers, and I never wanted that to happen to me. (Keep in mind, if you are behind on laundry, you might need two washing machines to fit everything. There’s no shame here. If you only have one washing machine, you may have to change some of the timing between your second and first load of laundry.)
Timed Like a Pro
Once your timer goes off, take your clothes from the washer to the dryer, using the laundry basket as you see fit, whether in a floor-is-lava hot-potato fashion or just loading the wet clothes into the basket and then into the dryer. (Lifehack: if you did have to do two loads in the wash, you can often still get away with fitting them both in one dryer, depending on the size of your load.)
Make sure you clear all of the lint out of the dryer tray and turn the dryer on, high heat usually works great and ends up costing you less with how most machines charge you by time rather than the amount of total heat. For a deeper dive into drying, check out this article from Bounce.
This is where it is important to set that timer to make sure you are there within 5 minutes of your clothes being dry. This gives you time to keep from being super frustrated if they aren’t quite dry yet and to add extra time.
But the real reason for the timer is that once your clothes are done drying, you want to get working with them while they’re warm to keep the wrinkles away and feel the beautiful freshness of clean clothes, so try not to leave your clothes sitting in the dryer too long.
Tip #6 Hang, roll, or fold your laundry
While folding and hanging are what I grew up with, I discovered the joy of rolling clothes. T-shirts and the like are a staple of many college wardrobes and can be rolled to save space and make it possible to find a particular shirt without making a mess.
For a list of what to hang, roll, and fold in an ideal world (which college is not in many ways, especially when it comes to storage), this article is simple and helpful.
For some specifics on how to roll the clothes, wikiHow has this article.
You did it! Laundry is complete in a stress-free, time-conscious manner, so now you can get to the things that are more important and fun about college.
Below is a quick list if you want to screenshot or quickly review at any point.
How to Do Laundry in College – Quick Checklist
- Pick a consistent day(s) and time(s) to do laundry
- Grab 3 Tide Pods per load of laundry and drop in the bottom of the washer
- Expertly pay for, load your dirty clothes into, and start the washer (warm water temperature is best for stained clothes)
- Set a timer on your phone for the washer
- Once time is up, transfer clothes to the dryer and run (make sure the lint trap is clean), usually on high heat settings (lower for delicates)
- Set a timer again and pick up your clothes, making sure they are dry (add time if necessary)
- Roll, hang, or fold and put away your clothes
- Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Go have fun!