Whether it’s your small budget or your small dorm closet that’s preventing you from going on another shopping spree, one thing is certain: you’ll eventually have to do your laundry at college.

Mom and Dad might say it’s OK to bring your dirty laundry home when you visit for the weekend, but doing your laundry on your own is an easy way to assert a little independence and prove to your parents that you’re doing fine on your own.

But pink socks will prove nothing of the kind! Follow these 7 steps for cleaner clothes:

1. Buy your laundry supplies.

You will need:

• detergent
• dryer sheets
• a laundry basket or laundry bag

Before starting college, I bought a sturdy laundry basket divided into two sections. That’s convenient because you can either put your clothes on one side and supplies in the other, or separate or lights and darks before you even step foot in the laundry room. Speaking of which …

2. Separate your laundry.

You can separate your laundry multiple ways, but you can basically get away with four loads: whites/lights, darks, delicates and towels/jeans/bedding.

There is some overlap. For example, you could wash a gray shirt with either the lights or darks, or you could throw your bedding in with a small load of lights or darks (depending on the size and color of your sheets).

Just never ever toss a new dark red or purple shirt in with the whites. I don’t think I need to tell you the results! In fact, you may want to wash it separately once or twice to make sure it won’t bleed.

3. Pick the right time.

Early bird? Night owl? Doing your laundry when other college students are sleeping is often the quickest way to get it done.

The top floor of my college dorm was filled with washers and dryers, and by doing my laundry when others weren’t I could finish two or three loads at the same time instead of waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

Choosing the right time may be a requirement rather than a suggestion. Dorms with a limited number of washers and dryers may require students to sign up for certain times. Living off-campus? Not all laundromats are open 24-hours!

4. Collect quarters.

Sorry. Doing your laundry isn’t free anymore. Set aside a bag or container to collect your quarters everyday, and stuff it into your laundry basket before you do the wash. If the laundry room has a coin machine, keep a few crisp dollar bills with you just in case you need a little extra.

5. Choose the correct laundry settings.

All of those buttons and knobs! If this is your first time doing your laundry in college, the washer and dryer may seem only slightly less complicated than your calculus homework.

Not to worry.

First, check the tags on your clothing for any special cleaning instruction. Some items may need to be hand-washed or dry cleaned.

Then choose the water temperature:

• hot for whites, linens and towels
• cold for anything you don’t want to shrink or fade (including any whites that fall into this category
• warm for everything else

Next, choose the size of your load, if that is an option. If you are unsure if your load is a small or a large, choose the bigger size to make sure the load will get enough water.

After about a half-hour, it’ll be time for the dryer. Choose the setting that best describes your clothing. Not sure? Choose “normal.”

You’ll likely pay for the dryer by the minute (my laundromat offers 8 minutes of drying time for a quarter). Put too few quarters in, and you’ll wind up with damp, wrinkly clothes. Too many, and you’ll have hot, shrunken clothes. Drying times will be different depending on the type of material and the size of your load, so check on your clothing as the time winds down.

And remember: NEVER put wool or anything you don’t want to shrink in the dryer!

6. Fold your laundry immediately.

Unless you want to look like you rolled out of bed 24-7, put away your clothes as soon as your done doing the laundry. Keeping them in a big heap may be convenient, but it’s also the easiest way to make sure each and every piece of clothing you have is wrinkled beyond repair.

7. Invest in an iron and small ironing board.

Did you skip tip #6?

Get out your iron and ironing board.

I know that space is at a premium, but a small tabletop ironing board can easily slip under your bed. And even if Mom and Dad do end up doing your laundry in college, chances are they won’t be on hand before your big job interview … or your big date.

No one said doing your laundry in college was fun, but if you can juggle a full-time class schedule, a couple of on-campus extracurricular activities and even a part-time job as a student, you certainly can handle a few loads of laundry.

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