<p>Does anyone have experience using this on a regular basis?</p>
<p>I was stressing about sending a steamer or an iron/board and how S’s sweaters were going to get cleaned, but this looks easy enough. Sweaters are a little pricey, but $1.75 for dress shirts isn’t bad. And the fact they park outside of the dorms twice per week is great for someone who doesn’t have a car. Do you need to sign up for the weekly service to take advantage of this?</p>
<p>I didn’t realize they also do wash & fold weekly. Giving this some consideration. I’m surprised they don’t publicize this more, I don’t recall seeing any info with all the move in materials.</p>
<p>You probably will get a flier about this service as school approaches. </p>
<p>My son felt that the service was too expensive, as it runs him about $16-$20 a month to do his laundry, depending on the time of year. He and his roommates go to the dry cleaners, which is about a mile from campus, once or twice a month if needed. So before you pay for the service, perhaps your son would like to check and see what his roommates will do. If they have cars, they may be happy to bring your son to the dry cleaners.</p>
<p>A friend’s son does the wash & fold every week. He rarely wears anything fancier than sweats and a t-shirt, but he’s an absent-minded intellectual sort who is super busy and doesn’t care a bit about clothes and she fears that his clothes and bedding would never be washed otherwise. She’s probably right.</p>
<p>I second the do it yourself route. Send all dress clothes newly
dry cleaned at the beginning of the semester and those clothes should last a while. A man’s suit should not be dry cleaned too often and would not need to be -if hung up promptly and steamed as needed. Dress shirts can be easily laundered and ironed.</p>
<p>Besides it is good for students to learn how to fit laundry and cleaning chores into their schedules; teaches time management skills. We don’t want to make it too easy on them :)</p>
<p>D said that she was shocked by how many kids used the service (based on the number of bags that went in and out of her dorm when the truck came. ) Of course, every family is different, and I know a number of kids go to school having grown up with help that does the laundry (and I don’t mean Mom) but that is something I would never foot the bill for. My kids had to learn how to do laundry when they went to summer programs and they did fine. I also expect my kids to have basic cooking skills as well. They are adults now and unless you know that they will be set up to have that kind of help once they are independent, I think they’re missing out on an opportunity to become more self sufficient (and better to have laundry mistakes with t shirts and tempo shorts than their professional wardrobe ;)</p>
<p>One of the “testimonials” in the flier we received mentioned the “fortune” that a family had spent on their daughter’s wardrobe, and that it was well worth the money for the clothes to be taken care of correctly. I suppose that could be someone’s reality, it’s just not ours :)</p>
<p>I taught all 3 of our kids to do laundry by the age of 15. I figured if they could play video games all day in the summer, they could manage the washer/dryer/dishwasher, too! There was much weeping and wailing, but after the older 2 graduated college I was rewarded with a “thanks so much, Mom, for making me take care of myself. My friends can’t even make a sandwich!”. Our youngest arrives on campus this fall knowing how to wash clothes, clean house, and do a little cooking, too. At least this early indoctrination keeps them from being shocked when faced with doing a little laundry and cleaning outside of Mom and Dad’s house! You still have time to teach them before August…</p>
<p>I agree that there are some students at Bama who are used to having a maid wash their clothes and that this program provides a similar service.</p>
<p>As someone who wears very simple clothes, I’ve found it much cheaper and easier to by a large container of detergent for $10 and spend 2 hours a week doing laundry. Even then, I’m usually multitasking while doing laundry, so it’s not much of a time commitment.</p>
<p>glad someone else piped in with having the kids wash their own clothes! i am sure that some kids grew up having their clothes washed by “help”, but i think kids at college need to do their own. time to learn that you are on your own and you don’t have all the perks of home anymore.</p>
<p>UA also makes it way easy, put the clothes in the washer and the system will let you know when the washer is done (text message).
Just remember to use HE detergent.</p>
<p>These detergents are formulated to be used in HE washing machines. They are low-sudsing and quick dispersing for use in low water volume machines. HE detergents hold soil in suspension so it is not re-deposited onto clean clothes. Using a traditional laundry detergent will produce too many suds that will interfere with the tumbling action HE washers use to clean clothes.</p>
<p>****You use very little of this detergent, about two tablespoons worth.</p>
<p>And, there are detergents with the HE icon that can be used in either washers, and those will have a cap with different markers to indicate how much to use in a reg washer and how much to use in an HE washer.</p>
<p>If any of you have a brand preference, then there probably is an HE version of that brand.</p>
<p>Thanks for that HE tip, by the way. I wouldn’t have guessed. I’ve been doing my own laundry and my entire family’s since I was ten (!!!) and it amazes me that any parent wouldn’t teach their child by the age of 13. I wouldn’t have had any clean clothes ever if that were the case. :p</p>
<p>I don’t cook, though. Not that I can’t, but I’m not interested.</p>
<p>HE washers are those newish washers (been around about 15 years) where they use much less water, so they use a different detergent. </p>
<p>These are the front-loaders (and some top loaders) that you see with high prices.</p>
<p>The typical washer uses 50 gallons of water per wash. An HE washer only uses about 15 gallons.</p>
<p>I hope people aren’t thinking that it’s a big deal to get the HE detergent. It isn’t. It’s not more expensive or anything. And virtually every brand has an HE type of detergent…even the generics and Sams Cllub and Costco. </p>
<p>HE washers wash very well, but their cycles take longer. The front loaders tend to turn a bit and then soak…turn a bit and then soak…turn a bit and then soak</p>
<p>He washers are easier on clothes, create less lint, and clothes last longer washing this way (no agitator to beat up on the clothes).</p>
<p>I have had HE washers for over 12 years. I’d never go back.</p>