Five Reasons Why Doing Laundry in the Dorms Sucks

It’s 3:30 P.M. on a Friday afternoon. I have a completely clear schedule and an obscenely large bag of dirty clothes in the corner of my room that is screaming to be washed. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. I have far too many daunting thoughts about laundry to even consider taking on such a task right now.

So, if you’re looking for an excuse to put off your laundry, here are the key reasons I cringe at the sight of a washing machine and a few solutions that will hopefully ease some of the pain:

1. “Did I really just trek all the way here with my extremely heavy bag of laundry just to discover that all the machines are taken?”

Well, now what? You definitely do not want to lug everything back to your room, nor do you want to sit in the laundry room like a loser, waiting to pounce on an open machine. This is a great sign about the rest of your laundry experience, so just save yourself and run away. Avoid the laundry for another week.

Solution: Weekdays. Weekdays. Weekdays. Especially in the mid-afternoon. I mean, honestly, who’s doing laundry at this time? I’ll tell you. Me, myself, and I.

2. “This machine wants five quarters. I only have four…”

You could beg your fellow classmates in the laundry room for quarters and risk looking like a lunatic. Or you could go back to your room. Decisions, decisions.

Solution: I usually put debit on my Cal1Card and just swipe it instead of dealing with hectic quarters and fractions. Laundry is enough work as it is.

3. “Sheets? You’re supposed to wash those?”

As disgusting as this sounds, it happens. Especially when you’re on the top bunk and the idea of changing your sheets seems completely impossible. You’ll probably spend an hour and a half washing the sheets, and then another two situating them on your bed. Not fun.

Solution: I’m still trying to figure this one out…

4. “Are my belongings really worth two hours of my time in this god-awful laundry room?”

My answer: No. But, it’s completely understandable to be worried that some crazy person will find it hilarious to steal your socks. Or even worse, your underwear.

Solution: If you’re too nervous to leave your stuff alone, bring your homework or laptop to the laundry room. You might as well be productive if you’re going to be stuck there for hours.

5. “I could spend $5.00 on laundry….or I could spend $5.00 on something that is actually fun.”

All I have to say is that at one point you are going to run out of clothes that smell decent. Do what you want with that.

I don’t expect to make this to make your laundry experiences enjoyable (we all know that is unreasonable), but I hope it’ll make them at least mildly bearable.

(I don’t even want to think about next year when I move off campus and have the risk of having to trek to a laundromat…)