Absolutely! Doing laundry on your own can be super stressful the first few times, but after you’ve gotten use to it, the routine becomes easy.
Washing Clothes 101
1. Don’t separate. In a perfect world, you would be color sorting your clothes to perserve the crispness of their colors. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world and doing laundry is expensive! I don’t know a single college student who actually separates their whites from their colors, and I would advise you to follow our example and to wash everything together. If you have any pieces of clothing that are very fragile or delicate, set them aside in a bag. Wait until this bag is full, and do a separate wash for them on a delicate cycle.
2. Detergent. Buy whatever detergent is on sale at your local dollar store. Generally speaking, liquid detergent has more washes in it than pods do.
3. Making detergent. I’ve read some interesting arguments on Tumblr about how making your own detergent is more worthwhile than purchasing product. I actually found a post that broke down the pricing of everything. Based off of how much time/money they spent to put everything together and how many loads they got out of it, my fancy smancy 3-in-1 Tide Pods were 3x as cost effective. I would avoid making your own detergent, unless you know what you’re doing and really want to.
4. Cold vs Hot wash. Cold washes get stains out better and are more eco-friendly than hot washes. Period the end.
5. Do I need fabric softener? Fabric softener is not necessary at all! Its main purpose is supposedly to perserve the softness of your clothing’s fabric during its time in the washing/drying machines. And maybe it does, but not in a very noticeable way. What it does do is smell strongly, a smell that I happen to really enjoy, but not everyone does. That said, fabric softener is super inexpensive, and a bottle of it will last you a year because you only use a small amount per wash. So if you like the smell of it, absolutely- go for it!
6. Do I need dryer sheets? Once again, no you do not! Dryer sheets help keep your clothing from sticking together and getting staticky, which is something you will notice occasionally as you start doing laundry. That said, they are very similar to fabric softener in the way that they mostly act as a scenting agent. Unlike softener, they aren’t super inexpensive, but are supposedly reusable.
7. Card vs. Coins. Both of these are payment methods for washing machines. Some laundromats have both, most only offer one method. I personally prefer the card because it means that I don’t have to walk around with pockets full of quarters. But some laundromats will charge a small fee for the card and a larger fee if you loose it and need a new one.
Identifying Washing Machine Types
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a “once size fits all” method for operating washing machines. There are so many different brands of washing machines, all of them varying in age and efficiency. The best I can do is to break the machines into two different categories (pictured above).
The washing machine on the left is a newer model, the sort of machine that you will find in most laundromats. These machines are generally larger capacity, and are fully automatic.
On the right, we have the older model. These machines require more legwork and caution then their counterparts because they can overflow easily.
The Method (Washing)
How to Wash Clothes Using an Older Model
1. If you have liquid detergent, start by pouring it into the bottom of the washer. Generally one cap is enough for one full washer. If you’re using pods, see step 4.
2. Pile smaller items towards the bottom of the washer to avoid clogging the machine. If you have to place larger items like blankets on the bottom, make sure that they are situated loosely.
3. Be careful not to overload the machine! These machines are finicky and do not like to be overworked. Load clothes up to the top of the plastic tube that juts out from the center of the machine.
4. If you are using pods, now is the time to add them. Two detergent pods per normal laundry load.
Please note that the following two steps are interchangeable. It does not matter if you set the cycle first, or wait until adding your money before setting the cycle.
5. Set the machine to whatever type of cycle you have decided to use. For everyday clothes and blankets, use a normal, cold wash. Heavier washes will cost more money and take longer. Your average wash should only take a half hour.
6. Add your coins or use your payment card to start the machine.
7. If you want to add softener, you will need to wait until the “add softener” light turns on. This is about midway through your wash. You’ll pour the softener directly into the machine. You’ll notice how the machine stops running when you open the lid. It’s crazy what technology can do nowadays!
8. Wait until the washing machine finishes its cycle, otherwise the bottom will be filled with water and your clothes will be drenched.
9. Start moving your laundry into dryers.
How to Wash Clothes Using an Newer Model
1. Fill the machine with clothes, taking extra care to ensure that they aren’t packed tightly.
2. Locate and open the soap compartment located on either the side or top of the washer. Pour your detergent in the one marked “detergent”. If you are using pods, see step 5.
3. Add any softener you may wish to use into the compartment marked “fabric softener”.
4. Remember to close alls compartment, or else you might get hit with some water.
5. If you are using laundry pods, add them directly to the machine, dispersing them throughout the clothes. Two pods per normal laundry load.
Please note that the following two steps are interchangeable. It does not matter if you set the cycle first, or wait until adding your money before setting the cycle.
6. Set the machine to whatever type of cycle you have decided to use. For everyday clothes and blankets, use a normal, cold wash. Heavier washes will cost more money and take longer. Your average wash should only take a half hour.
7. Add your coins or use your payment card to start the machine.
8. This type of laundry machine has a security lock that activates after you have started the wash cycle. Nobody, not even you, will be able to access what is inside this washer until after it completes its cycle. Feel free to leave the laundromat and get some chores done in the meantime!
9. You will hear a distinct “click” after the washing machine has finished working. Start moving your wash into dryers!
The Method (Drying)
Unlike washers, all drying machines are essentially the same. They will all be oriented like the newer washer model.
1. Clean on the lint traps in the dryer before you even begin loading your clothing in. Find the lint trap and slide it open, use your hands to scrape the lint off the screen. Put this lint in the nearest receptacle.
2. Place the lint trap back in- the dryer will not run until it is fully secured.
3. Start loading clothes! It’s impossible to gage how powerful or efficient a dryer is until you try it. I recommend dividing your clothes between two dryers and running them for 30-45 minutes. If you want a more involved but faster method, divide your clothes between as many dryers as possible, and run them for the shortest amount of time.
4. Add your dryer sheets. The rule of thumb is two sheets per normal sized load.
5. Some machines have a one-size fits all cycle, which could be anywhere from 30-50 minutes. Other machines (most public machines) have a pricing system. My local laundromat has 15 minutes for 25¢, so I’ll put in a 75¢ for 45 minutes.
6. Select the cycle you would like to use on your machine. I aways recommend the hottest cycle to save money.
7. The first few times you do a load of laundry, you’ll have to keep checking your clothes for doneness. Dryers do not lock, so you can open them at any time to check your clothes. So can the creepy guy in the laundromat- so it’s best to keep an eye on them.
8. After your clothes are done, load them back into your laundry bin.
9. Remember to discard any dryer sheets, little shriveled up pieces of paper, etc from the inside of the dryer. I also like to be polite and to clean the lint trap for the next person.
Signal boosting, because I really could have used this when I was 20.
