The Hoya Way to Do Your Laundry
Everyone KNOWS how do their laundry by themselves, right? ( I definitely did not) Even if you do, it can't hurt to go over the basics of keeping your whites, white and making sure your new shirt doesn't shrink two sizes.
Materials needed:
Dirty laundry (lol)
GOCard
Laundry detergent (Don't eat ur tide pods kids)
Dryer sheets
Phone (to set a timer)
Mesh bag that zips for delicate clothing (optional)
Folding drying rack (optional)
Step 1: Load your GOCard with laundry money
Each of the laundry rooms on campus has a payment machine that you will use your Georgetown ID card on. Your Georgetown ID (AKA your GoCard) will come with a pre-set amount each semester ($42) which won't likely last your whole semester depending on how often you do your laundry. This pre-set amount is also the money that will go towards any printing you do on campus so if you have a prof that requires you to print a lot of stuff out, then you'll need to keep an eye out on your balance.
Each load is a total of $3.50, $1.75 for washing and another $1.75 for drying. You can check how much money you have on the GoCard website and can deposit any additional money using Visa or Mastercard payments.
This is what the dashboard for the GoCard Website looks like:
Debit dollars can be used for food on campus and at any of the Corp locations but when your Laundry and Print Account is depleted, your GoCard will start deducting money from your debit dollars account. You can add money to that account by clicking "+Add Money" and following the instructions.
Step 2: Amass your dirty laundry in your hamper
Step 3: Accept that you you're down to your last pair of underwear and get your booty to the laundry room
As much as you might dread doing it, everyone has to do laundry at some point. The laundry machine timers tend to be pretty inaccurate, but just make sure you have a good 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours where you'll be in the dorm or nearby enough to pick them up when they're done. People tend to get pretty grumpy especially on days like Sunday (which is somehow everyone's laundry day) if someone leaves their laundry in the machine for a long time after the cycle is over.
Having a laundry hamper with handles (like this) or a laundry bag with straps (like this) makes transporting your clothes to and from the laundry much easier.
Step 4: Make sure to separate out the clothing that has to be washed by hand / dry cleaned
Most of your clothing should have a small tag inside that describes what's the best way to clean that type of fabric. Just as a rule of thumb: don't put fabrics like silk in the wash or fabrics like linen in the dryer.
Step 5: Separate your lighter color clothing from your darker color clothing
Skipping this step is what will make your white clothes that signature pink or light blue that you probably weren't hoping for.
Step 6: Load your clothes and detergent and swipe your GOCard on the payment machine on the wall.
Pretty self explanatory. Just select the number that corresponds with the machine that you loaded, select the proper settings on the washer / dryer, and press start.
Step 7: Set a timer on your phone. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP
Seriously, don't be that guy that leaves their laundry in the machine for hours after the cycle is over. If you end up needing to run out the door, make sure your roommate or a friend can grab your laundry for you.
Step 8: Don't put too much clothes in the dryer
If you do, you might have to run it for two cycles which adds up to an extra hour. Especially if you're washing your sheets or towels, do future-you a favor and just use two separate dryers.
Step 9: Enjoy your warm, clean clothes
You did it! One step closer to being a real adult ;)
Did we miss anything important? Let us know your tips for doing laundry on campus in the comments below.