<p>My kids don’t do their own laundry at home; we have a housekeeper. (Though they know how, and they’ve done it on occasion.) But I don’t anticipate it being a problem whatsoever when they go away. It’s pretty simple.</p>
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<p>Well, there’s an exception to every rule, and I guess I’m it for this one. I love doing laundry. It’s my favorite “chore,” and I think it must be genetic, because my mother feels the same way. :)</p>
<p>She taught me how to do it properly the summer before I left for college, and I will do the same with my D next summer before she leaves.</p>
<p>I don’t enjoy many other housekeeping tasks, but I do love laundry and am particular (fussy!) about it. I would never consider letting anybody else do my laundry (except maybe my mom).</p>
<p>Odd, I know.</p>
<p>Laundry is really no big deal. Mine (boys) never did it at home but had no prob. figuring it out when they went to college. S1 had to pay to do laundry in his dorm. Laundry was free at S2’s school so he tended to do it more often than S1.</p>
<p>Things I sent with my boys that went unused… stapler, hot mats for getting stuff out of microwave, plastic bowls, shower caddy, umbrella. </p>
<p>Both wanted/had futons in their dorm rooms which they used a lot.</p>
<p>abasket - i’m with you. not so hard to teach kids to do their own laundry. my sons have been doing their own since elementary school. but, if needed, many colleges have a laundry service for extra $. good thread - i think the most noted thing is 2nd pair sheets not needed.</p>
<p>Tufts has laundry service for students who want to pay extra. D1 used it her first year and decided that she didn’t like it because they shrunk her jeans.</p>
<p>totally agree with no need for second set of sheets. Also do not need a bunch of towels. I think my guys only had two towels and got along just fine. I guess girls might need more if using extras for hair washing.</p>
<p>Going through my own stuff, I barely touched my Tupperware that I bought at “such a great deal!” at Target one day. Either I only cooked enough for one serving, or roommates would always pick at leftovers.</p>
<p>My daughter moved into a college dorm on July 4 for a pre-freshman program that has 10 students only - 6 girls and 4 boys. Wish I’d seen this thread before then!
The girls all arrived right at the minute the dorm opened for move in. All had big suitcases, boxes, etc. None of the boys showed up for a few hours. All had significantly less!</p>
<p>thanks for this thread. I am finding a lot of useful info.</p>
<p>Ok take your darling S (like I did) with his great SAT scores and grades and say “hey honey, go downstairs and do a couple of loads of laundry so I know that you won’t screw up at college…”…wait an hour and then go see how things are going. Looks good, so “hey honey, put the stuff in the dryer”…“how come there is no nice detergent smell?”…the blank look and then…“you didn’t tell me I had to use detergent!”…I kid you not! I asked his older-sophomore-in-college-cousin who was visiting to help him pack. I overhear older cousin advise S to take 2 weeks worth of underwear. My son complained that he only had 8 pairs of boxers that didn’t have embarrassing little kid designs on them…cousin says, no prob, just take the 8 pairs and turn them inside out and use twice…EEEwwwwww!!! Better to remain in blissful ignorance…</p>
<p>Oh, finearts, I am still laughing. Thanks for the smile!</p>
<p>Reminds me…I need to get another 6-pack of undies for S!</p>
<p>And the brilliance continues when the dryer stops and instead of using up another dollar, they take out the damp clothes and dress in damp clothes out of the hamper for…however long it takes until they dry…</p>
<p>Dry? Seems to me they would mildew first. Not that he would notice…</p>
<p>finearts-we must have the same son! Oh wait…all sons are pretty much like that! LOL</p>
<p>Thought of this thread last night–while unpacking my student’s gear etc</p>
<p>Those all in one Purex laundrey sheets DO NOT WORK</p>
<p>Our student said-even using 2-3 on a load–the load of sports gear/T shirts or towels would smell after the wash was finished --and would have to be redone…
got to the point our student just used whatever liquid detergent had been left in the laundrey room.</p>
<p>Of note–our student did laundrey weekly-- sports gear, towels, sheets, casual clothes etc and did sort whites vs colors and darsk. Got pretty good at laundrey–
and noted that several times the load had to be rewashed…</p>
<p>I think what made the laundrey an easy task was that it was free in the dorms…
and lots of machines available.</p>
<p>so pass on those all in one sheets.</p>
<p>Not used by son: Marker board, really nice “gustbuster” stick umbrella, rubber over-the-shoe boots for snow.</p>
<p>At least the umbrella was not lost.</p>
<p>Unless you are sure the school provides trash cans, my suggestion for non-picky kids is a good-size black trashcan (the rectangular kind, with rounded corner) like the ones they sell at Home Depot to use in one’s home workshop. They hold a lot of trash (kids tend to be averse to emptying the trash) and don’t show dirt. </p>
<p>When you move the student out of the room, you can rinse out the trash can and use it to transport small bagged or boxed items, the unused umbrella, etc.</p>
<p>Ask the school about the trash cans. Son’s room had two trashcans and two blue recycling bins…overkill in a small dorm room!</p>
<p>I sent Son with a small umbrella and after the first rain, he brought a huge one.</p>
<p>LOVE this post. S goes to school in 28 days. (Yes, I am counting). On my final shopping list was sheet set #2. I’ll cross it off, and buy a couple more packages of socks & underwear. I think I may be horrified. :)</p>
<p>Washers/dryers are $1.50 at our school , but they can swipe their ID card & it’s charged to your student account. Hmm. Guess I’ll see if he does laundry… OMG - I hope so.</p>
<p>I am sending 8 bath towels. One for each day of the week & an extra. I have stressed over & over he HAS to wash those every week. We have a pop up hamper for the closet, but a plain old plastic laundry basket for under the bed. I told him to put wet/damp stuff there so his clothes don’t get mildewy.</p>
<p>Depending on the walls of your specific dorm, they tell you what you can use to hang stuff. We are limited to thumbtacks. I’m surprised they want all those holes.</p>
<p>I bought envelopes with school supplies. Loose leaf paper too. Hmm. Maybe I’ll hang onto those.</p>
<p>Keep the “Do & Don’t take to school” ideas coming…I am taking notes.</p>
<p>Fogfog, glad you shared intel on those laundry sheets. I had planned to try them. I think I’ll send the Method brand laundry detergent from Target to campus with my D. It is concentrated and a 50 load size comes in a very small container. I’ve been using it at home and it works as well as anything else IMHO. It will be a space saver, and it is fool & freshman proof - 4 squirts = 1 load!</p>