The laundry situation here at SVSU is anything but spectacular, and I believe there are many ways it can be improved.
Do not get me wrong, the laundry facilities here are not the problem, but the people most definitely are. Just take one look at the class Snapchat stories or YikYak, and it would be obvious that the laundry room is a pressing issue. There is a complaint about laundry at least once every couple of days. It needs to be solved — it’s getting way out of hand.
There’s everything from students leaving their laundry in the washer for a week to stealing a whole load of laundry from the dryer. Laundry etiquette is a common courtesy when living in a shared space. It might be a hassle sometimes, but everyone should be expected or even required to follow it.
Every campus laundry room has a posted sign outlining laundry etiquette. These rules are: “Do not overfill the machines,” “Always sign in with name and/or room number,” “Be timely and considerate,” “Laundry pods do not belong in the detergent drawer,” “Your lint is your responsibility,” and “Leave the washing machine doors open when laundry is done.”
Let’s be real: few students take the time to read those signs and follow the rules on them. I would be lying if I said I was not one of those students. Other than the signs in the laundry rooms and one YouTube video that goes over etiquette tips, SVSU doesn’t enforce what they preach.
In contrast, other schools like Kalamazoo College have repercussions. The Kalamazoo College laundry policy states: “Students are encouraged not to leave their laundry unattended. Laundry that is left in the laundry room for more than 24 hours will be collected and donated or disposed of.”
Case Western Reserve University has another great laundry system. According to their website, they have an app tracking each student’s laundry cycle provided by Fowler Laundry Solutions. This app is free to download, it shows what machines are available, and — most importantly — it notifies students when their laundry is done. That is quite literally the Louis Vuitton of laundry.
These schools use two great methods for holding people accountable for their laundry. I feel like there should be more of a strict laundry policy in place that is actually enforced. Also, I would not mind the app being implemented on our campus. Although both of those things would be nice, there are other things that we can do to make the grueling task of laundry easier for us all.
We as students need to advocate for a segment on laundry etiquette to be implemented during orientation. Because it is required for all incoming students, they would all get the hint that laundry is a hot topic here. Also, if upperclassmen shared their laundry room horror stories, it would hopefully encourage the new students to have proper laundry etiquette.
Keeping the peace in the laundry room is not hard as long as you are a decent human being. The biggest thing is making sure you are respectful of other students’ time because if you are not, I can almost guarantee your clothes will not be in the place they once were when you come back.
Can you even imagine a campus with no laundry drama? To be honest, I can’t, but I truly believe that this small change could change that. We could be the reason this university is a better place, one laundry load at a time. Grab your laundry baskets, detergent, and clothes, because we deserve spin cycles, not cycle wars.
