Adulting 101: How to Do Laundry in College

Your first week of classes is over, and now it’s time to tackle that mountain of laundry that’s piled up in your room. Where do you begin?

Many first-year students are living on their own for the first time in their lives. And this can mean learning a lot of basic day-to-day skills, including how to do laundry in college.

Fortunately, doing your laundry doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow our tips below to learn how to do laundry in college — and never give up on a stubborn stain again.

When I was in college, it was all about collecting quarters to use in the washing machine and dryer. Nowadays, many campus laundry facilities allow you to pay for laundry using apps, credit cards, and money loaded onto your student ID card.

Here are a few steps to take before you head to the laundry room:

When using college laundry facilities, here are some basic etiquette rules all students should follow:

Don’t rely on the sniff test — most college students should wash their clothes around once a week. You might need different clothes if you’re applying for an internship or going to an interview, so this could alter your laundry schedule.

Make sure to also wash your sheets and pillow cases about every two weeks.

You’ll need an hour and a half to two hours to complete one load of laundry. By setting aside time to do your laundry, you can save yourself the stress of running out of clean clothes. Study or review for an upcoming test while your clothes are being washed and dried.

Most students wait until the weekend or evening to do their laundry. As a result, you may want to do your laundry at a less busy time.

Before you make the trip to the laundry facility, it’s important to get all your supplies ready. Here are the main items you don’t want to forget:

It’s that time of the week to do laundry. Where do we even start? Follow the five steps below to learn how to do laundry in college with ease.

Start by separating your clothes into piles of similar colors. For example, separate your lights, darks, towels and washcloths, and professional clothes that need a more delicate cycle.

You can include a variety of colors in the light pile, such as things with shades of white, cream, tan, and khaki. For the dark pile, focus on gathering clothes that are gray, black, and navy.

If you have a lot of the same color clothing (for example, maybe your school color is red), you might do a load of laundry for clothes of that color specifically.

Next, prepare your clothes to be washed. Unball your socks, unroll the legs of your pants or shirt sleeves, and unbutton your shirts. For clothes that could fade easily, leave them inside out.

You should also clean out your pockets. You don’t want a wad of gum in your pocket and have that mess get all over your clothes!

Depending on how much clothing you have, you may have a small, medium, or large load of laundry to do. Make sure to adjust the washer and dryer settings each time so that they match the corresponding size of the load.

Choose which load of clothes you’ll be washing and find an empty machine of the right size. Some washers may require you to pour the detergent in the barrel before you put your clothes in. Others may have a separate drawer or area in which to pour the detergent. Read the instructions on the machine and look for any areas labeled “detergent.”

Before you add the detergent, read the instructions on the detergent box or jug, too. If you’re using liquid or powder detergent, you should be able to see the lines on the cap to know how much detergent to add. This amount will vary depending on the size of your load.

As you add your clothes, be careful not to overload the washing machine. It’s important to give your clothing enough room to move around so it can soak up the detergent and water evenly.

Next, set the washer cycle and water temperature. Generally, warm water is best, though cold water is ideal for delicate fabrics and dark colors. Reading the care instructions on your clothes can help you figure out what type of setting to use.

Finally, pay for the load (usually either by credit card, app, quarters, or student ID card) and press start. Don’t forget to set a timer on your phone for the amount of time your clothes will be in the machine.

Once your clothes are clean, it’s time to dry them. Make sure the lint trap is clean before putting your load in the dryer, along with 1-2 dryer sheets if you’re using them.

Use the appropriate timed setting on the dryer (usually around an hour). Most clothes can be dried at a medium temperature, though it’s best to use low temperatures for more delicate items.

Some items should not be dried, so make sure to look out for those items as you transfer your clothes to the dryer and leave them out to air dry. Wool clothing and bras, for example, should typically stay out of the dryer.

As you did with the washing machine, set a timer on your phone. Thicker clothing or blankets may require a longer drying cycle or a second round in the dryer.

When your clothes have finished drying, put them in your laundry basket to be folded at your place. Then, throw away the used dryer sheets and clean the lint trap for the next person.

The last step is to collect your clothes from your hamper and begin organizing them. It’s best to take the time to fold and hang your clothing instead of letting it sit and wrinkle. Make sure you hang up any clothing that needs to be air dried as well.

For any clothes that still have some wrinkles, you may want to use a steamer or iron. This is particularly helpful for professional clothing you may wear to events like job fairs and interviews.

As you can see, doing your laundry doesn’t have to be difficult — all it takes is a little time and preparation.

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