Someone suggested that I post about how to do laundry, as some people might not have to learn this skill until they get to college. I learned how to do laundry when I was in elementary or middle school, and one summer my favorite chore was ironing my dad's shirts. So to me, doing laundry in college was never a big deal (other than how much time it takes), but if someone had never done their own laundry, I imagine it could be quite overwhelming.
Step 1: Make sure you have enough dirty clothes to do laundry. If you have something that you really want to be washed, then you could make an exception to this. But I usually wait until I have two loads to do, since I can do them simultaneously and thus save some time.
Step 2: Locate washers and dryers. This doesn't seem important after the first time you do laundry, but initially you will need to learn where in your dorm or elsewhere they are. My freshman year I was in a dorm that shared the machines with the neighboring dorm. The washers and dryers were in a small building between the dorms called "the tower". My sophomore year, my dorm housed washers and dryers in the basement.
Step 3: Make sure you have laundry detergent and dryer sheets. (Though dryer sheets aren't strictly necessary, they help with static cling and can leave your laundry with that fresh laundry smell if you use scented ones.) There are two different kinds of laundry detergent, both of which come in powder and liquid form; HE and regular. "HE" stands for High Efficiency. High efficiency washers use less water and require less detergent to clean your clothes. If the washer(s) available to you are high efficiency ones, you can find the correct detergent clearly marked with "HE".
Step 4: Bring your dirty clothes and laundry detergent to the washers. If you plan on staying in the room with your laundry, also bring a book or some homework or something to keep you occupied and the dryer sheets.
Step 5: Determine and separate what cannot be washed and/or dried. Do not wash "dry-clean only" clothes in the washing machine. Some clothes must be left out to dry on their own and "block-dried". For me, the only clothes that I really need to worry about are sweaters. Mine can be washed, but shouldn't be put in the dryer. Instead, I lay them out on a drying rack or on a towel to dry. Separate the clothes that cannot be washed to take them back to your room dirty. Keep track of the clothes that need to not go in the dryer. You could do this by making a list or by putting such items in washer bags so that you remember to separate them from the rest of your laundry after they have been washed.
Step 7: Divide your laundry. If you have two loads, then try to divide light colored garments ("whites") from dark colored garments ("darks"). If you can have a load of only whites and beiges and other colors that will not bleed, then your whites will stay white for longer. To make a full load of whites, I often wash my sheets and a white towel in this load. If I have three loads, I usually have one load of whites and two loads of darks. This would usually only happen in the colder months when I wear bulkier clothes, like sweaters. If this was the case, I would put my more delicate darks in one washer and then have the other dark washer be normal darks.
Step 8: Check pockets and put clothes in washers. Look in all of your pockets for things that don't want to be washed, such as money or trash. Zip any zippers so that they do not get caught on more delicate clothing. Add laundry detergent where indicated on the machine. Laundry detergents come with cups or scoops that indicate how high to fill it for a load. Use this to gauge how much to use.
Step 9: Set temperature controls on the washer. Some machines make it very obvious the distinctions "hot", "warm", and "cold". At my school, these are not so clear. Instead they say "Whites", "Colors", and "Bright Colors". If you are afraid about anything in your whites load shrinking, use the "colors" or "warm" setting. The hot water leads to things shrinking more and in worse for the environment. Then use "warm" or "cold" for the darks. Again, if there is any fear of shrinking, use the colder one. Your clothes will still get clean. Once this is done, hit start!
Step 10: Move clothes to dryer. After the clothes are done in the washer, move them to the dryer, remembering to take out those which should not be dried. If you can set the time on the dryer, 45 minutes would be a good time to start with. Once you have dried things a few times, you will know how quickly they dry and can adjust accordingly.
I hope this is helpful! And if you still feel overwhelmed, follow the advise of my brother: "You just poke some buttons and put some things in, and if it's spinning, then you did something right."
Common Courtesies
+ Don't leave your laundry in the washer or dryer for very long after it is done. This is especially important when the machines are in short supply.
+ Leave the laundry room clean. Don't leave the candy wrappers you found in your jacket's pocket laying around.
+ If you are bold or desperate enough to take out someone else's clothes, put them in a nice pile on top of a clean surface, like the top of the washer. Do not put someone's clean clothes on the floor.
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