Keeping Up Couture: Life-Saving College Laundry Hacks
I had a revelation.
Walking to my 8 am classes first semester, I would sludge into class 10 minutes after I woke up with my wrinkled sweats and hoodie on. One day, when class started, I looked at the girl two rows ahead of me– she was wearing the same thing (it's an 8 am, nobody is wearing a full fit to class). The difference was that her outfit wasn’t wrinkled one bit.
Her sweats fit her perfectly, without a single stain in sight. I went up to her after class: “How do your clothes not have wrinkles? What do you do? Do you iron them?” She responded very simply with a smile, “Ha, no, I just dry them in a very specific way so I don’t have to iron anything”.
It got me thinking: What are people’s laundry room lifehacks? What washing techniques do people use to look so effortlessly stylish, even with just sweats and a hoodie?
After interviewing a variety of Tulane students and doing some research, I collected some important tips.
Images via Pinterest
Tip #1: Be careful with your Tide Pods. They can be used for good and evil.
While there are ‘Liquid detergent only’ laundry machines, most students choose Tide or detergent pods in the name of speed. According to The New York Times, “..the [Tide] pod doesn’t dissolve fully in the water, causing a whitening agent to deposit on your clothes and leave a mark.”
Lola Bernstein, a sophomore here at Tulane, mentioned in a TUFashion interview that “the Tide Pods have ruined clothes since her Freshman year”. Some students haven’t faced this problem, as Business Student, John Dietz, tells TUFashion: “I always use liquid detergent. I find that it gives a better clean and lets me wash my clothes on a cold rinse, which is better for the environment.
Tip #2: Dry on delicate two times over. Your clothes will be wrinkle-free.
This is truly the key to avoiding wrinkles. Though not quite speedy, as Logan Adelstein says, “washing your clothes twice through and drying on delicate twice” ensures a quality dry. Understandably, it’s hard to maintain washers and dryers for two cycles in any of the dorms. But if the opportunity presents itself, it can really help.
Make sure that you are not drying any jeans or sweaters twice through; they will most definitely shrink. If you go through with this, you have to keep a keen eye on what you’re putting in.
Tip #3: Avoid Sunday reset laundry time. Do it during the weekdays.
We love a Sunday Reset– it’s very calming, and it’s super restorative. When it comes to doing laundry on the last day of the weekend, it’s the exact opposite. The laundry routine is easily disrupted by lint lining the floor, machines left unattended, and loose detergent pods. When should you do it, you may ask?
Eva Gould gives a helpful tip: “I do my laundry on Wednesdays. Not many people are in the laundry room mid-week”.
From my interviews, it’s best to do it in between classes, or time your cycles before and after meals.
Tip #4: Use Mesh dryer bags so you don’t lose socks every cycle.
One of my friends uses mesh wash bags like money: every day, like it’s nobody’s business. Using mesh bags not only makes it easier to fold and put away, but they also prevent sock loss. It’s more organized to have your socks sealed in a mesh bag, versus flailing around the floor and crevices of the laundry room.
Sophomore Erik Urbaniak highlights another very important point: “The Aron washers flood a lot. The floors can be covered with water, so I have to be careful”. Nobody is pervy about losing their socks, or any delicates, to the rapids flowing around the laundry room floor. Mesh bags are also quite affordable; Target has a variety of Mesh Wash Bags you can order online or for pickup.
Tip #5: Stains can be prevented. Avoid wearing white.
Tulane students are an open target for stains. Holding a coffee, running to class? The lids fly off, and you’re covered in latte. Eating dinner at the commons? The marinara doesn’t always land in your mouth. In order to avoid spending time removing stains, simply don’t wear white.
Students like Sarah Marcus agree that wearing white clothes often is not a strong idea, pointing to the stained white cardigan I was interviewing her in.
Tip #6: Buy a drying rack. Like, yesterday.
In a dream world, having your nice, delicate clothes dry-cleaned is ideal. Ubering your laundry to the dry cleaners is not feasible for every college student. So we must find alternatives– the best one, you may ask? Drying racks. They are a cheap option to ensure that after the washer, your nice dresses, cashmere, and jeans don’t shrink or stretch in the dryer. There are good options from Walmart and Amazon.
Whether you use all the tips or none of them, you’ll always be fashionable. It’s not the clothes you wear, it’s how you wear the clothes.
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