How to do laundry in 10 steps

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.