Laundry Tips: Campus Edition

Packing up the car to head back for another semester? Or maybe it’s your first year of college? Regardless of how much campus life experience you’ve had, there’s no escaping the endless duty of keeping your clothes fresh and clean. It may not be your favorite activity, but it’s a necessary part of “adulting.”  Luckily, WASH is here to help college students with some Laundry 101 tips.

Perhaps you’ve had some experience with laundry at home, or maybe this is your first time attempting to take on the task. Either way, as a student there’s always more to learn, right?

So, let’s assume this is your first rodeo. We’ll take it step by step:

1. Separate Colors
   Designate which clothes are going in together beforehand. Separate your light-colored clothes from your brights and make a separate pile for your dark-colored clothing. While you’re at it, check to make sure you haven’t left anything in your pockets.
2. Choose a Temperature
   Use hot water for whites, sheets and towels. Dark colors and knits demand cold water. Light colors can use warm or cold water, but more on this later. Don’t mix your colors and whites unless you want a fully dyed set of undies and socks.
3. Add Detergent
   Most front-load washers (like you’d find in your laundry room) work best with liquid HE detergent. If using pods, toss one in the drum before you load your clothes. Follow the directions on the packaging for usage guidelines.
4. Load Clothes
   Load clothes loosely — don’t overpack! If there’s not enough room for the clothes to move around, they won’t get clean. Ideally, the machine would be loosely filled three-quarters full for best results.
5. Start Your Engines!
   Just close the door, add payment and start the machine.
   That wasn’t so hard, right?
6. Drying
   Generally, most clothing is dryer friendly unless stated on the tag. Start by cleaning the dryer’s lint trap. Don’t overload the machine and you’ll want to remove your laundry as soon as your clothes as the cycle is done to avoid wrinkling.

7. Finishing Touches
   Unless you’re a big fan of the “I Slept in This” look, you’re going to want to fold your clothes to avoid wrinkles. Consider hanging items that show wrinkles easily, like dress clothing. That’s it… you’re done!

So, you’ve completed your first load of laundry and you’re ready for a more advanced course? Remember these helpful tips during your next laundry session and you’ll be a pro in no time.

• Be sure to secure buttons, zippers and anything else that can snag. A snag at high speed can shred through soft materials and ruin your favorite stuff in a blink of an eye.
• If you’re laundry room accepts mobile payments, be sure to download the app to pay with your phone, monitor machine cycles, request refunds and even get exclusive discounts!
• Consider purchasing a cold-water detergent for a truly powerful but gentle clean.
• Speaking of a powerful clean, laundry pods offer a lightweight, easy-to-travel-with option. They’re formulated to be an all-in-one solution for the laundry-doer on the go, while still providing a superior clean.
• Use the WASH Stain Removal Library to reference how to clean tough stains. Never apply heat to a stain — it will set it!

We’re grateful to be your partner in cleanliness for college and beyond. Be sure to check out our app, social media, videos and website for more helpful tips and guides! This is WASH, saying Happy School Year to all of you college students out there!