It is a quiet Sunday night but as I approach my way down the hall, I enter into the loud noisy room with heat so strong it is almost as if I had just entered into the flames of hell. No, wait it’s just the laundry room. Being at college is fantastic! The people are awesome and being independent is great. However, time and time again what makes me yearn to be back home has to be having a washer and dryer. Specifically, a washer and dryer set that I have to share with my family of five including myself. Doing laundry at school has been a challenging issue to deal with countless times. The almost weekly ritual never ceases to ruin my day.

There are a limited amount of washers and dryers for students to use, but it never motivates people enough to really care about other’s needs. Leaving laundry in a machine for a long time and never taking it out is just such a rude act to others. Setting a timer can go a long way to ensuring you get your laundry done sooner and also gives someone else the opportunity to do their laundry as well.

I am also a major procrastinator - have been and always will be. For all my fellow procrastinators, filling up that laundry bin until you have barely anything left in your drawers is the absolute worst. Going to the laundry room at that point is even worse because a lot of money is about to be spent. Every swipe of my student ID card is another hit to my heart. Having bad luck with doing my laundry is a common situation. Even right now as I type this article, I had to put my clothes through the dryer for a second time because my clothes were still wet. Freshmen year I had a washing machine filled with soapy water which led to me opening the small metal door to a giant amount of soapy water and soaked clothes.

Aside from all of my ranting about all the terrible issues I have had with doing laundry, I have gained some insight on how to survive doing laundry as well. One obvious tip that people might overlook, but is super helpful, is going early in the morning on a school week. Whether you are an early bird or just do not have class until later in the day, waking up before the first set of classes almost guarantees there will be enough machines available for you to do your laundry for the week. Also, avoid filling your washing machines and dryers with clothes. Doing this can actually prevent all your clothes from being completed. In order to tell if your clothes have been successfully washed they would feel slightly damp, but you can still feel the material well. Also, to tell if they are dry they do not feel wet at all; just very heated.

What I hope you can gain from this article is hopefully a laugh and maybe you'll be able to relate a little bit with the struggles of doing laundry. Doing laundry is something I do not think I will ever enjoy while at college, but it is a good representation of what to expect in the real world. Being an independent adult away from home has various issues that we all will have to do deal with. Getting used to it now and understanding what is expected of you is a huge step to being independent.