<p>The school recommends getting laundry service but at 540 dollars it seems ridiculous; i mean, why not do my own laundry right? So is it worth getting E&R Laundry Service? Do they ruin your clothes, etc?
Also, is it worth getting the dry cleaning service for a girl? I'll be at Exeter, but all of my skirts/ sundresses don't need dry cleaning, and I'm guessing I'll wear cords/ jeans for class during the winter. I have a blazer or two that need dry cleaning, but I'm guessing I won't wear them enough to need dry cleaning; plus I can always bring it home to get dry cleaned at home cheaply.</p>
<p>I used it this past school year just for the ease, but self-washing is definitely doable. At most boarding schools Sunday is very open and a few of my friends make use of the time to clean their dirty clothes. However if you were to use the E&R service I would recommend the dry-cleaning plan. I’m a guy but it is really nice having 75% of your clothes dry-cleaned.</p>
<p>My son used it and bought the dry cleaning. I think if you don’t buy the one price plan which includes limitless dry cleaning, you have to pay a surcharge piece by piece for every piece E&R decides needs dry cleaning, I think they describe fleece, and wool. The problem is that THEY decide and our worry was that we would end up paying possibly more than the inclusive fee if they nickeled and dimed us with each piece.</p>
<p>Did anyone buy the regular plan without dry cleaning? if so, how much extra did you end up paying in dry cleaning charges that they felt were needed? DS also had some things he wanted dry cleaned that they didn’t and vice versa. Anyone have experience pinning a note or sticky about what you want dry cleaned or is it totally up to them?</p>
<p>For son, we bit the bullet and paid the higher rate, but looking back if you are trying to contain costs, not sure it isn’t something student can’t manage on his own.</p>
<p>For places with a relatively strict dress code like Deerfield, it’s definitely worth it. Sending out ties for many cleanings is expensive. But for other schools where you can get away with clothes wearable out of the dryer, it’s doable without E&R service.
Although…having to do laundry is just another distraction. So, if it’s financially not a burden, I suggest to go ahead and get E&R service.</p>
<p>There was a thread last year about the benefits of laundry service. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/984300-will-you-signing-up-your-bs-child-laundry-service.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/984300-will-you-signing-up-your-bs-child-laundry-service.html</a></p>
<p>My son did his own laundry his first year of boarding school. This year he used the E&R regular plan. I paid about $125 extra for items that they “dry cleaned”. So I came out a little ahead. </p>
<p>My son mentioned that he will probably go back to doing his own laundry next year because he thought he did a better job than E&R. On a couple of occasions, he ended up with clothes that did not belong to him. Some items also were not returned to him.</p>
<p>My son’s school does not have a dress code.</p>
<p>It depends. I had laundry service my freshman year, and then elected to do my own laundry my sophomore year. There are definitely pros and cons to both options.</p>
<p>DIY Laundry
Pros:
-do your laundry on your own time, and quickly. This is especially nice if you have a limited wardrobe or not many of something, as you don’t have to wait a couple days to get your clothes back [far too long if you only have 4 pairs of pants].
-no risk of things being lost [or it’s all your child’s fault, anyway]
-teaches/reinforces time-management skills and responsibility
-you honestly might not need laundry done so often
-obviously it costs less money
-if your child has sensitive skin and requires special detergent, this is probably a must
Cons:
-washing can be a pain and the arse, and if your child is like me, they might not get around to it until they’re seriously running out of clothes
-school laundry facilities are invariably small and not given to fully washing/drying loads
-additionally, you run the risk of the machines playing havoc with your delicates. you must be exceedingly careful when washing things like sweaters, as well [use woolite, on a delicate cycle, and air-dry]
-as there are some things that can’t be washed easily/at all with what is provided [comforters, some bed linens, some formalwear], you must make other arrangements
-a lot of this depends on the responsibility of your child. is he/she capable of not ruining their clothes and not looking sloppy?
Laundry Service
Pros:
-easy: just throw anything that needs cleaning in a bag and toss it in the vestibule of your dorm on your way out to breakfast
-does not require the purchase of cleaning supplies [detergent, fabric softener, stain remover, etc or quarters [which have a curious way of getting themselves spent on soda before laundry day rolls around]
-you don’t have to sneak in laundry on tuesday night, or any other night-avoid the inevitable sunday stampede for the washing machine
-delicates, formalwear, linens and the like are handled appropriately
-things come back folded and ironed
-little to no work
Cons:
-expensive
-things can [and do] get lost
-if you don’t really need things dry-cleaned or ironed, it’s kind of a waste of money, imo
-have i mentioned how EXPENSIVE it is???</p>
<p>After being part of this conversation last year, when my d was a new sophomore at Deerfield, my viewpoint for my d was just confirmed. </p>
<p>The laundry cost is very expensive about $1,000 (prices vary depending on school and needs). DA is a formal campus, so no jean, t-shirts, etc during the school day. Most of my d’s cloths required dry cleaning.</p>
<p>Laundry service was a gift from her grandma. Would I find a way for her to have it if I had to pay for it—yep!!!. We are on a very generous FA package, but for her I feel if I had to work a second job or give up more at home I would.</p>
<p>just my 3 cents.</p>
<p>I think its a good idea. It saves you time that you could use to relax, hang out with friends, or study. Just my opinion leppy. I know I’m going to use it next year.</p>
<p>Personally as a student i think E&R can sometimes do a really $h1t+y job losing ur stuff etc. and i don’t know if you students notice, they always break the buttons on ur button downs. also as others mentions its expensive.</p>
<p>But with that said, if you are too lazy and cant be bothered to manage ur laundry like me, fork out the money, and u dont really have to worry about washing and drying and everything for a year. but if you can do a better job (which you prbly can) and dont mind dealing with laundry don’t get E&R.</p>
<p>What Izzy said is completely right. E n R can be really annoying and lose stuff but I go to a school with a formal dress code and my clothes would just get wrecked in the school machines. If we had a casual dress code I’d definitely do my own but otherwise if you can possibly afford it then I’d say unfortunately you should just bite the bullet and get it.</p>
<p>No. Grow up. Do your own laundry. You’re already enjoying the most spoiled, pampered, high-end education in the world. The least that you can do is to take care of your own dirty laundry. Caveat: dry cleaning, if you need to do any, should be sent out.) </p>
<p>All the speechifying about time-saving and every other excuse under the planet doesn’t for a second excuse lucky Little Johnny or Suzie for taking 60-90 minutes a week to wash, fold and put away their own clothes.</p>
<p>Laundry Service = Spoiled = Will think it till the day I keel over</p>
<p>Parlabane, your tone comes off as very negative. Your post seems to imply that all prep school students are spoiled and that those that chose to get the laundry service are privileged and have never done their own laundry. Perhaps some parents are not paying for the laundry service for convenience purposes, but rather as a gift for their acceptance/accomplishments thus far. Others may have received the laundry service as a gift from relatives. Simply because you feel that the laundry service is only for spoiled kids does not mean that is the standard. If you feel that laundry service is only for spoiled kids because of the cost factor, keep in mind that many students receive aid and are able to pay for the service with the money they are not paying towards aid. At schools with strict dress codes like Deerfield, the laundry service would be almost necessary. </p>
<p>Sidenote: To my knowledge, you will have difficulty getting clothes dry cleaned by an outside source because E&R essentially has a contracted monopoly at most schools.</p>
<p>My child did her own laundry in her first year at boarding school. My favorite question from her was “Do you know how much laundry detergent costs?”</p>
<p>Picca - my tone comes off as negative because it is. Spoiled in the sense that any child, economically poor or otherwise, is spoiled intellectually, physically and socially by the smorgasbord of world class opportunities provided by a top-flight boarding school. I’ve argued before on this site (and this will be my last post on this matter because we’re all free to choose what path is best for our own brood) that personal hygiene (clean clothes and a clean room) is one of the simplest, most basic chores of any aspiring adult. It’s not a gift to a boarding school child to have his or laundry done for them. Quite the opposite, the gift is teaching the child to take care of their own laundry, to get him or her in the habit of personal care, so it becomes second nature.</p>
<p>Parlabane- I agree with you. but I respect other people’s opinions on the topic as well.
I was asking the question because the school “highly reccommends” it.</p>
<p>thanks everyone for your input :)</p>
<p>If the school “highly” recommends it, I wonder if they get a kick back, incentive so to speak. Otherwise, I think they would remain neutral on the subject.</p>
<p>I’m going to Deerfield next year so dry cleaning on some items will be a must. But I guess that I’m just going to have.to shop around for washable items cause.there’s no way I’m paying 1000 dollars for laundry that I know how to do myself. No offense to people who.do use the service, but it does seem a bit ridiculous to me.</p>
<p>deerfield15: One place for non- dry cleaning clothes is H&M. I found out the other day that they are “against dry cleaning” for environmental reasons, so basically none of their clothes are dry clean only. they have a “professional” line which is pretty good for dress code and great casual clothes too!</p>
<p>Though I totally see Parlane’s point of view, I must comment that each and every family has their on views on what is “spoiled”. I think buying shoes that are more than 100 bucks is crazy, for our family. But, many people believe that buying shoes from anywhere other than Payless is a waste.</p>
<p>If a child’s ability or inability to do is own laundry is your standard for personal care, I can respect that. But that is not everyone’s standards. As an almost 50 year old woman, I went nearly 23+ years not doing my own laundry, and nearly never have I done my daughter’s. Does this make me spoiled? Maybe yes, ok. But I was and still am a productive member of society. The doing of laundry or lack there of is not a measure that we use in our family.</p>
<p>(Ps-for those wondering how I went so long without doing laundry; my life-long stay at home grandmother has resided with me for the last 25 years. She has always done laundry everyday, but Sunday. We have a very non-traditional family, yet it works for us).</p>