Face the music; it’s something that you’re going to have to do eventually. And trust me when I say that it isn’t quite as difficult as it may seem.
The first step is, of course, to gather up your dirty clothes. You can use the Speed Queen app (logo pictured below) that Gettysburg recommends to see if washers or dryers are free or not before you head down.
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For special things like sweaters or nicer collared shirts or nicer dresses, it’s important to check the tag on the inside to see if it is indeed machine washable. There are little symbols on the tag that give you information about the conditions in which the garment should be washed and dried and ironed. Sometimes you can ignore these and it won’t make too much difference to your garment, but if it’s something you don’t want to risk the chance of it getting shrunk or otherwise altered then you should probably listen to the tag.
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Some people also separate their clothes into light colors and dark colors to prevent the colors from mixing – remember the comedic trope of someone washing white clothes with red ones and having them turn pink? Personally, I’ve never had this happen to me, but it’s all a matter of how much you’re willing to risk it and how much you have to wash and how many loads you’re willing to do – remember that each load of laundry cost $3.00 for one cycle of washing ($1.50) and one cycle of drying ($1.50). You can pay this either with quarters or via a credit or debit card on the Speed Queen app.
Next, make sure that you have your detergent before you take you clothes to the laundry room. If you get liquid detergent, then measure the detergent up to the line on the small cup/cap it comes with. You can usually pour it over the clothes in the washing machine or, if you’re using of the machines with the opening on the side, pour it into the detergent drawer. You can,also toss the cup into the washer with the clothes for an easy way to get it clean. If you use detergent pods instead of liquid detergent then you can just place one of them into the washer before throwing your clothes in.
Pick what cycle you want to wash the clothes on.
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You can pick the soil level (how dirty the clothes are), the cycle you want (normal is probably the one you’ll use the most followed by delicate which is good for nice clothes or sweaters), and the temperature you want (some clothes need to washed on cold to avoid shrinking). Once the lid is closed and you’ve pressed start, make sure to note the timer.
It’s considered pretty universally rude to keep your finished clothes in a machine for a long time. Especially if the place where you do laundry is busy, people might even take your clothes out of the washer or dryer so they can do their own laundry. This also isn’t exactly polite, but the entire debate can be circumvented by arriving a few minutes before your laundry is done. You can even set the Speed Queen app to send you a text message three minutes before it’s done!
The next step is the dryer.
Before anything, check the lint drawer (pictured below).
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If it’s cover in fluffy, usually gray, lint then peel or roll it off and throw it away. It’s polite to do this after you clothes are finished, but not everyone does. So, check it first. If you and every other user don’t clean it, this can lead to a lint build up, which has been known to cause laundry fires!
Then simply transfer your clothes to an open machine. You can throw in a dryer sheet or not. It mainly just affects the static and the smell. Again, you can choose the temperature. And the timing tip from the washing cycle is the same for drying.
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When your clothes are finished, it’s nice to get them as soon as possible and fold them because if they cool down while crumpled in the dryer or a pile then they’re more likely to wrinkle.
One last finishing tip: if you’re having a bad day or week, sometimes doing something like laundry can be good. It helps you feel more clean and can be at least one task you can look back on and say, “I did that. I accomplished that.”
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