Laundry 101 For College Students

I'm writing this because I'm a laundry guru. Thanks mom! But I'm here to share my knowledge with you college students or future college students!

But I've only done laundry at 3 places my house, the Hanford Laundromat, and at BYU. So your college may do things differently just btdubbs.

1. First off make sure you get acquainted with your school's laundry room; if you have friends that are already there that's the best. My laundry room for one washer it is $2.00 and for the dryer .80 BUT if you use your BYU ID card (BYU lets you put money on your card almost like a debit card) then the washer is .80 and the dryer is .37 so I came to college with like $10 in quarters to start me off and some cash to change into quarters just so I could transfer $25 onto my card. So know I just have a bunch of quarters... Yeah so if you can talk to someone who can give you tips and tricks for your school that's awesome.
2. Laundry Baskets - There are so many different ones you can pick depending on what you want. There are ones with compartments so you can separate clothes, drawstring bags, mesh pop up hampers, and THE LAUNDRY HAMPER BACKPACK. If you couldn't tell from my excitement that's the one I have. It was the best $15 I've ever spent in my life. Its literally the best thing ever. Its a tall hamper and it has 4 poles (like the ones you use for tents) that go in the side so that it stays up, its really thick material, has two outside pockets, the top zips closed, AND IT HAS BACKPACK STRAPS. Considering I live on the top floor and I have to go down 4 flights of stairs to do laundry I just slip on my hamper and trek down stairs. I'm really against baskets because they are really bulky and hard to carry. But whatever you choose just thing about how functional it is versus how cute it is because in the end that's what is going to matter. I bought mine from Amazon and it was called Oversized Laundry Duffle Bag with Shoulder Strap - Purple by DormCo and its currently out of stock but just look around :)
3. Laundry Soap - Get the pods. Just do it. You can grab a couple pods versus the whole jug or box. Then just toss the pods in with the clothes.
4. Sharing a Laundry Room - So here is the deal the times when you want to do your laundry there are going to be a bunch of people trying to do theirs too. This being said you may not be able to wash your clothes separately as much. Whites can not be washed with colors though. Period. I saw a girl put in a pair of white paints and a red shirt in the same machine and I think I almost died. Instead of doing that this is what I do I usually do white and then everything else I put colors, jeans and towels when I have them together. This being said if you have a new red shirt or pair of jeans that you haven't washed yet wash them only with like colors because they are more likely to bleed and ruin your other clothes other than that you should be good. And I don't know if this is just BYU but their dryers are huge. I usually use three washing machines and one dyer with one extra cycle and I haven't have any problems. (You can only use those many machines if you get up early and get down there).
5. Panties and Socks - Yes I said panties because I can. But here in my hall there is a big problem with people taking your laundry out right when it hits zero because girls are crazy and they want clean clothes too. (This hasn't happened to me because I watch the clock and I always go early to pick up my laundry). But between transfers between machines and baskets whether you are the one moving them or not socks and underwear tend to fall on the floor and/or get lost so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to get a mesh bag for your underwear and socks. I have one and its awesome. I put in my underwear, socks and bras zip it up and throw it in with my other clothes. No more awkwardly picking your panties off the floor or lost socks.
6. Time your laundry - Its really annoying when people move your clothes or waiting for a machine. To save us from this problem make sure you are paying attention to when your laundry will be done and make sure you can get it (or even your roommate). Just so everyone gets a turn.
7. Not everything needs to be washed - If you wear something such as a cardigan for half a day and its still clean, hang it back up wear sweats as PJs a couple times. Just be aware of what needs cleaning. Underwear needs to be washed after every use. Yeah I went there.
8. Everything needs to be washed eventually - Not just clothes but towels, hand towels, sheets, bath mats, pillow cases etc. Plan accordingly aka plan ahead and get into a schedule.
9. Stains - Here is the key to stains: Rinse them out. Say you get food on a shirt, oil on a skirt, or say you had a special visitor you weren't expecting. RINSE THEM OUT. As soon as possible rinse them in the sink or just bring it with you when you get in the shower. Save your clothes. Rinse the stain, spray Shout or Oxiclean or whatever and rinse it again and just throw it in your hamper. If you don't rinse the stain often times it gets set into the clothes because of the hot water/dryer.
10. Not enough for a full load- If you don't have a lot of clothes (and your friends with your roommate) then you can always wash clothes together (only if you are comfortable) but it you only have a couple items it saves a washer and you can split the cost so it is often times a life saver just to throw in a couple of things. 

That's all I got for now but if you have questions or comments let me know!
This cougar is out! (That's BYU's mascot if you didn't know)