Going off to college and leaving home for the first time comes with all kinds of challenges and new learning experiences – among them, being solely responsible for making sure that you always have clean clothes.  The fact of the matter is that for many college students, this is the first time in their life that they’re doing their own laundry.  And, let’s face it – for first-timers, the process can be intimidating, especially since there’s always a risk of ruining your clothes by using the wrong washing or drying cycle.

Luckily, the process of doing laundry is pretty simple.  And, Grab Green Home is here to help you through every step of the way.  Besides, the faster your laundry gets done, the faster you can get back to procrastination of that mid-term assignment.  So, time to get those dirty clothes together and let's do this!

College Laundry Etiquette

First off, let’s talk about the rules of etiquette when doing laundry at college, assuming that most students are using a public laundry space that is mad accessible to all of the students in your dorm building.

• Always let someone else finish their laundry cycle before doing yours.
• Never handle someone else’s laundry.
• Never leave your laundry items on top of the washer or dryer.
• Always clean out the lint catcher when you’re done – using the dryer with a catcher covered in lint can cause a fire.
• Never leave your laundry in the washer or dryer – someone else could very well be waiting patiently for their turn.

Step #1: Read the Labels

If you’ve never done laundry before, you may be intimidated by the process of figuring out how to wash each garment in a way that will clean it without damaging it.  But, that’s what care labels are for, thankfully.  All clothing garments should have a label that tells you how it needs to be washed and dried.  These garments often use symbols, which can easily be referenced online.  For example, some garments require air-drying rather than machine-drying.  Some need to be washed in cold water, while others need to be washed in hot water, and so on.

Step #2: Start Separating

Now, it’s time to start separating your laundry.  First, you want to separate your lights from your darks – in other words, white, beige, and pastel clothing should be separated.  The reason for this is that the dye in colored clothing can end up tinting your light clothing pink, gray, or yellow.

Next, separate according to type.  For instance, delicates, like women’s undergarments, need to be washed separately, as do items that require different temperature settings.  Bedding should be washed separately from clothing.

Step #3: Picking Out a Detergent

Now, you’ll want to think about the detergent that you’re using.  For one thing, you want a detergent that’s effective at cleaning clothes, and isn’t made with cheap ingredients that are harsh enough to risk damaging them. 

Ultimately, we recommend a detergent that’s made with natural, nontoxic, and environmentally friendly ingredients.  Ideally, you want to avoid dyes and artificial fragrances, both of which can irritate the skin, and potentially contain endocrine-disrupting ingredients.  Grab Green Home carries an awesome variety of laundry products to serve different laundry-related needs.  Whether you’re looking for the perfect bleach alternative to get your whites bright again, a gentle detergent for your delicates, or just the ideal detergent for your general laundry, we got you covered!

It's best to really read the ingredients to be sure that you’re getting a detergent that’s safe for both you and the environment.  Obviously, avoid any ingredients that you happen to be allergic or sensitive to, as well.

Step #4: Loading the Washer

Now, it’s time to load the washing machine.  It’s important not to overstuff it – this will only result in clothes that aren’t clean, and potentially, a damaged washing machine.  There should be room for the clothes to spin around during the process.  If there’s an agitator in the middle, pile the clothes around it.

Now, select the settings on the washing machine according to the pile you have and its care-related needs (delicate, normal, warm, cold, etc.).  At this point, you just need to press the start button, and the washing cycle will begin. 

Step #5: Onto the Drying Process

Once the washing cycle is done, you’ll need to gather your clothes and start separating again.  This time, you’re separating according to their dryer needs, as determined by the care label.  Some clothing needs to be air-dried, so make a pile just for that.  Then, there are different temperature and tumble settings, and you’ll need to separate your clothes according to these care instructions as well.

Like with washing, with drying, make sure not to overpack the inside of the dryer.  How come?  Simple, so the clothing has room to move around.  And, as a quick sidenote, you want to transfer clothing from the washing machine into the dryer as quickly as possible, because if your clothes sit scrunched together in the washing machine while wet for too long, they can develop mildew.

Select your dryer settings according to the needs of each pile of clothing, and then press start.  You may want to use Grab Green Classic Dryer Sheets, Grab Green Stoneworks Dryer Sheets, or even Grab Green Dryer Balls, since these products will prevent static cling. 

Step #6: Folding Your Clothing

Now, once your clothes are done drying, you can fold them and you’re good to go.  Make sure though that you hang up any clothing that needs to be air dried as well.

Tip: For any clothes that still have some wrinkles, you may want to use a steamer or iron. This is particularly helpful for professional clothing you may wear to events like job fairs and interviews.

Safety Advice

Yes, there are some considerations that do exist when doing laundry.

1. Always make sure the washer and dryer machines come to a full stop before reaching into the machines in order to avoid injury.
2. Never attempt to grab any piece of clothing that has fallen behind or between the machines for sanitary purposes.
3. When the dryer is done, give it a few extra minutes to cool down before reaching in to grab your clothes, sheets, or whatnot, as they might be a little too hot to handle. Same goes for the inside of the dryer itself, as you don’t want to touch the hot metal.

Doing Laundry at College is a Course You Can Certainly Pass!

Good news everyone, doing laundry is a pretty straightforward process, even for beginners.  The key is knowing how to care for each garment, and also, choosing the best laundry products for your needs.

At Grab Green Home, you will find a wide selection of laundry products that can handle every garment and piece of bedding.  Most importantly, our products are approved by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), which means that they contain zero ingredients that are known to cause harm to the environment.  At the same time, they’re free of dyes, synthetic fragrances, and toxins that can get onto your skin and absorb into the body.  Overall, Grab Green’s laundry products can get your clothes perfectly clean without any harsh or unwanted ingredients.