Essential Laundry Equipment for College

College is a massive transition in virtually all areas of your life even in the more mundane and everyday responsibilities. For many college students, undergraduate life is the first time they handle laundry all on their own. As you start making a list of all the items you’ll need to succeed in college, make some room for this essential laundry equipment. These handy, convenient, and low-cost items will make your routine visits to the campus laundry room or local laundromat that much quicker and seamless.

Laundry basket.

The corner of the dorm room might seem like the perfect place to throw your laundry for the first few weeks of college, but you’ll quickly be looking for an alternative solution. That’s where laundry baskets come into play. They come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and materials, but their basic function is identical: to keep your dirty clothes in one convenient place until laundry day comes around. The best laundry baskets for college students are compact, lightweight, and foldable in some way. This way, you can easily store it away when you’re not using it to maximize the limited amount of living space you’re dealing with in college.

Laundry bag.

While your laundry basket is perfect for stowing away dirty clothes, it’s probably not designed to take on the road. As a result, you’ll need a laundry bag to haul everything from your dorm to the laundry room. A large bag of any size will do just fine, just make sure it’s lightweight, comfortable, and spacious. You’ll have to fit days worth of clothing in there and might even have to carry it a decent way if you’re going to a local laundromat. If you can find a hybrid laundry basket-carrying bag that gets the job done, you’re killing two laundry birds with one stone.

Detergent.

Detergent is critical when it comes to keeping your clothes clean and smelling fresh. There are plenty of high-quality detergents that get the job done, but the variety gives you room to choose what fits your needs best. The best detergent will depend on a few factors including your budget, the strength of cleaning your clothes demand, your scent preferences, and any sensitivities or allergies you might have. Some laundromats sell detergent which is convenient in a pinch. However, bringing your own detergent is going to save you a lot of money in the long run while giving you the ability to find a product that works perfectly for you.

Clothes hangers.

One of the most painful laundromat experiences is pulling out your favorite shirt or pair of pants from the dryer only to see them completely ruined. Sensitive materials such as faux leather, silk, wool, and suede aren’t designed to get tumble dried at high temperatures. This is where clothes hangers are essential. Read the tags on your clothes to figure out which items need to get hung up to dry instead of thrown in the dryer. You might find enough space to air dry your clothes in the laundry facility, but you can always move them to your dorm room with hangers.

Mesh bags.

Mesh bags are an effective way to protect more sensitive materials from becoming damaged during the washing and drying cycles. Undergarments, wool fabric, and other sensitive items can get snagged on zippers which can cause irreparable tears and holes. Instead of having to pay extra by separating loads, you can simply invest in a handful of mesh bags that protect your more at-risk clothing. These bags are incredibly affordable, easy to use, and highly effective. No more spin cycles of death! You can rest assured your clothes will remain intact.

Interested in getting more actionable advice for improving your routine trip to the laundromat? Check out CoinMeter’s insider tips and tricks so you can keep your clothes in tip-top shape and smelling great no matter what life throws your way.

The Ultimate Guide to Doing Laundry in College

You learn a lot when you’re in college, and the majority of that learning takes place outside of the classroom. You learn how to make new friends, how to deal with difficult breakups, how to navigate disagreements, how to budget, how to cook, and…how to do laundry.

Before moving out, you might’ve done a few loads of laundry on your own, but – let’s face it – you really have no idea what you’re doing. And that’s okay! Everyone starts somewhere. Here’s a little cheat sheet to get you ahead of the game so you can look like a seasoned pro in the laundry room.

The Basics

Read the washing labels.
What if we told you there were clear-cut instructions for washing every piece of clothing you own? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not! Every t-shirt, sweater, pair of shorts, pair of jeans, and, yes, even underwear has a washing label that outlines exactly how to properly clean that particular article of clothing. Understanding how to read washing labels can save you from permanently staining or shrinking your clothes.

Suggested Reading: Follow These 4 Steps for Unshrinking Your Clothes

Separate clothes by color or type.
One of the commandments of college laundry is to wash clothes according to their color or type. For example, all your jeans and jean-material clothes should get washed together and all your white clothes should be put in the same load. This matching and organizing help to prevent colors from bleeding and textures from losing their distinct feel. Ignore this one at your own risk.

Washing

Don’t overload the washing machine.
As a college student, you have a lot of responsibilities on your plate with a limited amount of time during the week. Naturally, when laundry day rolls around, you might feel tempted to stuff as many clothes in the washing machine as possible. You might be able to fit in every piece of laundry you have, but that doesn’t mean they’ll all turn out clean…which is the whole point after all. It’s advisable to leave about 25% of space in a laundry load for the clothes to toss and turn since that’s how they actually get clean.

Choose the right detergent.
While using a less-than-ideal detergent won’t harm your clothing, it can certainly keep them from looking, feeling, and smelling their freshest. Whether you want to get out stubborn stains, refreshen white clothing, or keep your favorite sweater looking vibrant, there’s a specific laundry to help you reach those goals. You’ll want to find the best detergent based on what you want to accomplish for the most successful laundry experience possible.

Set a fitting temperature.
There are a seemingly endless number of washing settings, especially on commercial equipment at the local laundromat or campus laundry room. A lot of these options are pretty straightforward, but the most important setting is the temperature. Washing something too cold might not get it clean enough while washing too hot can shrink sensitive clothing. Nearly all clothing has this info on its washing labels so check those diligently before choosing the best temperature.

Drying

Take out anything that can’t be dried.

There are several items that do perfectly fine in the washing machine that can get destroyed in the dryer. Cashmere, silk, rayon, and wool are just a few examples. Consult your clothing’s washing labels before tossing them in the washer and opt for air-drying or sun-drying for clothes that can’t handle the heat of the dryer.

Clear out the filter every time.
All kinds of debris, dust, and lint get picked up and filtered by dryers so your clothes come out looking fresh and clean. However, these filters can end up limiting the drying impact of a machine when they become too clogged with debris and air can’t escape. Before (and after) using the dryer, clean out the filter for an optimized drying experience.

Interested in learning more about how to master laundry days? Check out the Coin Meter site for more insider tips and tricks for making the most of this weekly chore.

5 Tips for Washing New Clothes Effectively

Brand-new clothing looks so fresh, clean, and untarnished that it can feel like a waste to throw newly purchased items in the laundry. Still, the amount of dirt, chemicals, and bacteria on these clothes warrants at least a quick wash before wearing. Most of the washing and drying mistakes people make with their clothes have the worst impact during the first laundry cycle. Let’s explore some simple ways you can effectively wash new clothes while still maintaining their fresh appeal as much as possible.

1. Remove all unnecessary tags.
Start by removing all the non-essential tags, stickers, and add-ons from the new article of clothing. Price tags, size markers, bar codes, and anything else you wouldn’t wash should get placed to the side. Don’t throw them away yet! You might need these items to return your clothes later just in case they don’t fit, were already damaged, or simply don’t match your style. Make sure to leave all essential tags such as washing labels on the clothes. As a general rule of thumb, if the labels are sewn into the article of clothing, they’re not supposed to get removed.

2. Read the washing label.
Read the washing labels carefully. Nearly every article of clothing comes with specific instructions for how it should get washed for optimum results. Sticking to these rules can prevent clothing from losing its size, color, shape, and texture. You can generally find these tags on the inside of clothing sewn into a seam. T-shirts, sweaters, and shirts usually have these tags along the side while shorts and pants generally have them on the back of the waist. These washing labels can tell you everything you need to know about cleaning the clothing. It’s important to know how to read washing tags before attempting to decipher what they mean.

3. Avoid mixing different colors together.
There’s no greater pain in the world of laundry than to pull out a favorite piece of clothing only to see it stained with color from another item in the laundry. New clothes have a much higher likelihood of bleeding in the washer, especially when washed at high temperatures. This can diminish the color of newer clothes and stain other clothes. The best way to avoid this problem is to avoid mixing colors. For example, whites shouldn’t get mixed in with the darks and vice versa. When it comes to specific colors, you’ll have to operate on a bit of a spectrum. In other words, it’s okay to wash a lime green shirt with kelly green pants.

4. Choose the right detergent.
Choosing the best detergent is another crucial step for washing new clothes effectively. Generally speaking, there are three different kinds of laundry detergent: liquid, powder, and pod. The liquid option is the most commonly used and, as a result, has the greatest variety. Powder detergents are also popular due to their ability to really “sink” into clothing for a deep clean. Laundry pods, also known as single-use detergents, are perfect for doing laundry at a public facility due to their ease of use. When washing new clothes, you want to use a detergent that’s gentle and color-preserving.

5. Select the proper wash settings.
Here’s where things get a little tricker. Looking at a washing machine can sometimes feel like operating a spaceship with all the different setting selections. When washing new clothes, you want to strike a balance between cleaning and preservation. You want to give your clothes a thorough clean to remove common stains, bacteria, or other potential impurities while still protecting the integrity of the clothes. You should always stick to the instructions on the laundry label as these settings have been selected specifically to optimally clean that particular item of clothing. If that’s not possible, it’s advisable to stick with moderate temperatures and average spin cycles to avoid overwashing or overheating.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your laundry cycles? Visit the Coin Meter site today for some insider tips and tricks for making the most of this weekly chore.

Can You Get White Clothes White Again? Yes! Here’s How

White clothes are notoriously difficult to keep…well, white. Whether it was a dress shirt, t-shirt, blouse, sweater, or even a pair of white jeans, we’ve all had the unpleasant experience of watching a favorite piece of clothing slowly (or quickly) fade away from its original color.

Unlike other colors that can hide some discoloration, white clothing wears stains, blemishes, and other imperfections like a neon sign. They’re bright, in your face, and hard to ignore. Unfortunately, there’s a popular misconception that discolored white clothes are a lost cause. We’re here to set the record straight. You can get white clothes white again! Here’s how.

Harness the power of the sun.
The washing cycle isn’t the only opportunity you have to restore white clothes to their original shine. Instead of tossing whites into the dryer, put them through a natural drying process by unlocking the power of the sun. When you hang clothing up outside to dry, they benefit from the bleaching effects of the sun without the harmful side effects of liquid bleach. This is a powerful stain-removing method when used in tandem with other strategies mentioned here.

Use the biting effect of citrus.
Lemons have the ability to zap away stains with their citrus-rich juice. There are a few ways to take advantage of this natural feature. You can simply cut a lemon in half and rub it on the stain to pretreat it before the wash cycle. However, you can also boil your clothes along with lemons. Simply bring a large pot to a boil with the citrusy fruit inside and let your whites soak for around an hour. It’s unconventional, but it’s effective!

Break out the aspirin.
It turns out aspirin isn’t just good for relieving standard headaches. This common medicine can also alleviate headaches of the laundry variety. Aspirin can help break down stains on white clothes to increase the likelihood they’ll get removed entirely during a wash cycle. Dissolve a handful of aspirin in a bowl or small pot and soak the stained clothing. After an hour or so, it should be ready to wash.

How to avoid discolored white clothes.
The aforementioned steps should help you restore white clothes to their former glory. Of course, it’s not possible in all cases. There are some stains that are simply too stubborn to get all the way out. That’s why it’s better to keep white clothes from becoming discolored in the first place. Good news: It’s possible too! Follow these tips to protect your favorite white clothes from getting stained to the point of being unwearable:

Separate whites and colors.
One of the most common laundry mistakes is mixing whites and colors. Dyes have a tendency to run, especially during hot washing cycles. If white clothes are in the same load as other colors, they could come out of the laundry with a hint of pink, blue, red, or whatever color bled during the cycle. Washing whites alone prevents this potential issue and keep whites pristine.

Don’t overload the washing machine.
We’ve all been guilty of stuffing a laundry machine to the brim to save a dime or a few minutes of time. This “hack” can backfire since clothes don’t have the room necessary for a thorough clean. It’s advisable to never fill a machine with more than 75%.

Pay attention to detergent instructions.
Detergents come with clear dosage instructions which have a direct impact on how clean (or dirty) your clothes look after a cycle. You don’t want to use too much or too little, so pay attention to the recommended amount, especially as it pertains to white clothes.

Suggested Reading: How to Choose the Best Detergents

Interested in learning more handy laundry tips and tricks to keep your clothes looking great and smelling fresh? Check out the Coin Meter site for more helpful and effective laundry advice. You’ll never look at this weekly chore the same again!