I’ll never forget the first time I ventured to the laundry room during my freshman year.
As my clothes neared the end of their rinse cycle, they began to spin at an increased pace.
Since I was unfamiliar with the process — call me spoiled — I grew concerned when they were no longer visible.
At the time, I thought my clothing had been sucked up into one of the many tubes connected to those monstrous machines. Little did I know that to get rid of excess water, the rapidity at which the clothes spin makes them move too fast to see.
My roommate, who had never done laundry either, shared my distress. We were both relieved as the speed slowed down, and I once again saw my socks, shirts and shorts reappear before my eyes.
I’ve done many loads since, but it remains a monotonous process.
Personally, I’ve fallen into the habit of putting off the task until it is a last resort. Left without underwear or clean t-shirts, I have no choice but to grab my overflowing basket and head downstairs to the dungeon — I mean, laundry room.
Despite my initial mishap, I’ve learned that there is such thing as laundry etiquette. If these simple rules are followed, the process is much more pleasant.
Damp clothes can put a damper on your entire day!
But if they’re in the dryer, why would they still be wet? Well, when someone opens the dryer to see if your clothes are done, occasionally they forget to restart the machine. This is among the worst offenses.
If you’re impatient enough to open someone’s clothes mid-dry, it’s only going to take longer if you forget to restart the dryer. Keep that in mind.
“Well, these aren’t mine, now what?”
Have you ever wound up with an unfamiliar article of clothing in your basket? Just run down and put it back. Fold it on top of one of the dryers and the person will be eternally grateful that her Lady Gaga tee is not lost forever. Yeah, you might want to add it to your collection — free stuff, right? — but think again. What if your fave t-shirt went missing?
Speaking of disappearances, one of my best friends is convinced there must be some type of “Thong Monster” residing in the basement of Ely Hall, because well … when she went to retrieve her laundry, all of her clothing was in the pile except several pairs of underwear that somehow vanished. Where did they go?! I’m sure we’ll never know.
One thing I do know is that with some common courtesy and this advantageous advice, you too can be a queen of the washing machine!