The Dos and Donts of Doing Laundry In A Shared Space

As students move back to campus for another semester, they are quickly reminded that they must share laundry space once again. This mundane task becomes more complex at college because of the extra steps necessary to share washers and dryers with other students. We have compiled a list of do’s and don’ts for shared laundry spaces that you can either take note of for yourself or pass on to someone you feel may need a gentle reminder.  

 

DO move your clothes as soon as they are finished.  

Rule number one of shared laundry spaces is knowing when your clothes are completed with a washing or drying cycle. Make sure your clothes don’t become damp and smelly in the washer. Instead, always empty the laundry machines in a timely manner to show respect for others who need to use the limited number of machines.  

The easiest way to avoid judgmental glaring in a shared laundry room is to flip or remove your laundry as soon as it’s finished. That means staying on-site, if possible,” wrote Sophia Solano in The Washington Post 

 

DON’T move other people’s clothes … most of the time. 

When someone leaves clothes in a washer or dryer after the cycle is complete, you are often faced with the question, “should I take their clothes out?” According to Automatic Laundry, moving someone’s clothes should be a last resort, and giving a 10-minute grace period is important. Rather than immediately moving someone’s clothes, try asking in the hall group chat if the clothes can be removed by their owner. If you choose to remove someone’s clothes from a machine, the consensus is to not put them directly on the floor.  

 

DO clean out the lint trap. 

A good practice to adopt when doing laundry is to clean the lint trap in the dryer after every use. Mr. Appliance recommends cleaning the lint trap to prevent fire hazards and create shorter drying times. No one likes the frustration of damp clothes after completing a dryer cycle. Cleaning the lint trap may prevent that problem. Additionally, leaving lint in a dryer for an extended period could set off the fire alarm in the entire building, so to avoid a potential evacuation, I would clean out those lint traps.  

 

DON’T leave unwanted items in the laundry rooms. 

No one wants to see someone else’s dirty laundry on the floor. Shared laundry spaces can become a breeding ground for unwanted items thrown from corner to corner. Even if you don’t want a shirt anymore, it’s not worth adding to the pile of clothes that an RA must gather up and send off to Goodwill at the end of the semester. Whatever comes to the laundry room with you should leave with you.  

 

DO use the Speed Queen app. 

The Speed Queen app was introduced as a resource to Liberty students in fall 2024. The app allows students to pay for laundry directly from their phones, check machine availability and set timers to know when machines are finished. This app has streamlined the entire process for doing laundry on campus.  

“The timer on the app is super helpful to remember when your clothes are done. And it’s made it so that less people have to take out other people’s clothes,” junior Emily Cuthrell said. 

 

DON’T do laundry during high traffic times.  

One of the most frustrating parts of a shared laundry space is attempting to do the chore when everyone else has the same task in mind. I know that I prefer to do my laundry on the weekends, but from personal experience, I recommend doing laundry on weekday mornings. Ideally most students are still in bed or off to early morning classes, often leaving machines open for use.  

Mullet is a staff writer for the Liberty Champion. 

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