Visiting campus’ laundry rooms on the weekend is a death wish. “Every man for himself” has never rung truer, and securing a free washer and dryer is a ruthless battle.
We have all been there.
The finished load of laundry that has been sitting in the washer for over two hours. The person who is using all of the dryers. The broken-down dryer.
Every Loper is familiar with the struggles that come with trying to wash their clothes on campus. While many factors are out of our control, there are some that are.
Lopers need to follow basic laundry room etiquette to make doing laundry on campus a more manageable process.
Many freshmen have never done their own laundry before coming to college, let alone shared a laundry room with several floors of students. It is a new experience, and most of the time, it seems impossible to accomplish. Most dorms only have a handful of washers and dryers, and it seems like one or two of the machines are always broken.
While getting more machines may seem like the obvious answer to our laundry room dilemma, it is not. Residence Life can not just easily install more washers and dryers. Apart from financial costs, more machines would also require infrastructure changes with electricity and plumbing.
While we may not be able to get more washers and dryers, students can follow a few simple guidelines to lessen the craziness of campus’ laundry rooms.
Be courteous and considerate of others’ time. Stay close by and set a timer for when your laundry needs to be moved.
We understand it is hard to set aside a few hours strictly for doing laundry and switching over laundry as soon as it is done. It is important to recognize, though, that it is just as hard on the other person who is trying to do their laundry during their free window, but can’t because someone else’s laundry has been sitting in the washer for a few hours.
Posters around the washers and dryers indicate there’s a website to check the status of the washers and dryers – how many are open and how much time is left on them. In our staff’s experience, this has never worked. If Residence Life were to create a working, digital platform, it would save students time and help them get a better understanding of the laundry rooms’ usage patterns.
We also suggest our peers consider doing laundry during the week rather than on the weekend – trust us, it will be a much less stressful experience. The laundry room is a different place on the weekends than it is during the week.
It’s a free-for-all and a jungle all in one. Those who have tried to wash their clothes on the weekend know what we mean.
Laundry may not be a fun chore, but make it easier for yourself and your fellow Lopers by doing your part. We all want clean clothes, so let’s work together to ensure that can happen.
