Laundry: College Style

Everyone's has to do laundry in college. Unless you are one of those kids who goes home or visit Grandma every weekend and Mom or Grandma does your laundry. In that case, that's cheating. I will admit that I did turn my laundry blue one time. That was because I bought new jeans with a lot of indigo dye in them and I kind of forgot about it. But I now have a lovely shade of blue tank top! Anyways, we (Anna and I) do our laundry a little different than the average student. I do laundry once a week for 24 weeks during the school year. If I used two laundry machines and two dryers per week plus if I wash my sheets every two weeks that is almost 110 dollars per year on laundry. I don't know about, but I don't like that. Also the dryers here either shrink your clothes or don't dry them. If they don't get dry then I have to pay for another cycle, only increasing my laundry budget. So we came up with a new system! Let me introduce you to my system. :)

Behold! My magic laundry supplies! What we've got here is a rying rack, a hamper (from Target), and soap. I love my hamper. I got it at Target last year and it is perfect. It works as a hamper and a laundry basket. It's also sturdy and wont rip, unlike those cheap netted ones that they put in the college supply section of stores. When I take laundry home I have a few of those cheap net bags to take it home because they hold more laundry - there for I have enough clothing to last me three weeks so I can take it all home on break! Now, I bet you are thinking why in the world does she have a drying rack? Well remember my story about the dryers and the price? I decided that it wasn't worth it. I hang all of my clothes up. They last longer and it saves me money. I used to hang them up like the pictures below on my bed. But then on Thanksgiving break last year Mom and I picked this one up at Walmart for $19.99. It's big enough for my weekly load. Target has a similar one, but it is smaller and not as sturdy. We also have a rope that we tie between the lofts to hang up clothes that don't fit. I borrow Anna's when I wash my sheets so that they can be aired out more and dry faster. It usually takes about a day to dry unless we have the heat on, then it takes less time. 

My now more sophisticated way. :P

As for my soaps, that's a process. I have two different stain removers. Last year I used an OxiClean one and it didn't work. But these do perfectly fine! Our washers smell musty sometimes and that transfers to my clothes. They are used by hundreds of students so it is understandable. Enter the Downy Unstopables. I love these little things. I add about a fourth to half of a lid full to each load and it takes away the musty smell. It also makes my laundry smell great! As for softener and detergent, I just use plain old Downy and Tide. 

These are Tide bags. They can be found in the laundry isle of most stores (I got mine at Target and as a graduation gift from my cousin). They are seriously life savers. The bigger bag is for blouses and sweaters. I put my really nice shirts and cardigans in it. It saves them from being ruined in the wash and me having to do a separate load for them. The smaller one is for undergarments (coughcoughmybras). This also saves them and saves me from awkwardly washing them in the laundry sink that is full of germs and dirt and hasn't been cleaned in about five years. It fits two bras. Check them out, I love them.

I'm not going to tell you how to actually do your laundry. But I will tell you the following. Separate jeans, sweatpants, shorts, ect. from shirts, blouses, tanktops, ect. This will save your clothes! Also do not wash on warm. Wash on cold. This way you can mix colors. If you are hesitant about mixing colors, try a color guard sheet. I haven'y had a problem yet (except for the jeans... but it hasn't happened since). Untangle your clothes from each other, don't just throw them in a ball into the washer, they won't get clean. 

That's about all of my laundry knowledge. I know that hanging your clothes in your dorm or apartment seems crazy, but it has saved me a lot of money and it works better then drying my clothes on "medium" for two hours so they don't shrink. Happy Laundering! 

                                 -Katelyn