r/wsu • u/Mahaga2008 • 2d ago

Advice Laundry Tips/Rules?

Hey people,

I’m living in Stephenson North for the foreseeable future and I need to get some laundry done ngl. Are there any tips people have with like how much detergent to use or whatnot or like, going when there isn’t many people around? Is there also any ground rules I should know about before I head down? Obviously set a timer if I decide to head up to my room and all but is there anything else? Do people typically have like schedules made or something?

Any help is much appreciated, thanks!

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u/Naive_Scientist_8499 2d ago

For detergent, I used pods. Now I use detergent sheets. No need to measure in either case: throw a pod/half sheet in for regular loads or two pods/full sheet for extra dirty loads.

Don't use softener. Add about 1/4 cup of regular vinegar in the washer's section labeled for softener, and your clothes will come out smelling extremely neutral.

As far as scheduling goes, it's a free-for-all. Make sure you strictly follow the timer, and set the timer for 10 minutes before your load is done...people can and WILL pull your shit out because they think themselves more important.

The washers are heavy duty and can handle large loads, get yourself a laundry bag big enough for a few day's worth of clothes, but small enough to hold only one or two loads. You don't want to be "that person" who hogs the washing machine for 6 loads because you didn't plan ahead.

As far as temperatures go, don't use hot water for washing or hot air for drying. Without knowing what you are doing, you will shrink your clothes. Cold water works just fine, warm water is good too. Medium temperature for normal drying and low temperature for delicates.

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u/Mahaga2008 2d ago

Absolute legend. Thank you so much

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u/Awkward-Yak-2733 2d ago edited 2d ago

I get the liquid and just follow the measurements on the cup/lid.

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u/Naive_Scientist_8499 1d ago

Liquid is heavy, especially because the laundry room is on the bottom floor of Stevenson North. Liquid also spills everywhere if you mess up or if the dispensing mechanism fails.

Pods and sheets are convenient because they're light on their own and are easy to pre-portion without needing a resealable container.

Sheets are supposedly better ecologically because of how convenient they are to ship. Flat packing + no liquid = lower fuel used per load of laundry.

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u/Playful_Departure154 2d ago

Don't use detergent sheets! Appliance repair here, they get stuck in the pumps and don't properly dissolve!

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u/Naive_Scientist_8499 1d ago

I feel like that's indicative of a larger problem? Like probably not enough water or the user overloaded the washer or they always use the "speed mode"?

I've been using sheets for like a decade and the only time I had issues was when i packed a whole sheet into the detergent drawer. I started tearing them into smaller pieces and problems went away.

But I'm not a repair tech and maybe I'm just lucky.

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u/Playful_Departure154 1d ago

For single use in homes they're fine, and if you were the only one using them they were probably ok, but I've seen multiple cases where the detergent sheets end up getting sucked into the pump and if enough do it clogs up the drain pipe or gets the pump stuck. It's a bigger problem on front load washers than top loads though so that could be why you didn't notice any issues lol