<p>well..my S is learning the hard way that you do not leave laundry in the laundry room for 3 full days and expect it to still be there. he was told by the "laundry room manager" that the clothes were given to goodwill. he asked her what the next step was in getting his clothes back and she said buy some more. Of course, I never would have assumed that was absolutely correct but apparently my S did. Now, several weeks later, I find out and tell him to go up the latter a little bit and find his clothes before they really are given to goodwill. my S rarely washes anyway, so half of his clothes are missing. Does anyone happen to know the process and time line used with unclaimed laundry?</p>
<p>Oh my gosh!!! Goodwill? They have got to be kidding? There has got to be a lost and found where they take all the items left in the laundry rooms. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!</p>
<p>Maybe it would be worth it to use the laundry service</p>
<p>well…he said they did indeed give it away. there must be more to this than i am getting</p>
<p>I kind of believe you are getting the whole story. I made a few calls out of curiosity and was told the night custodians are told to “throw away” laundry left over 3 days.
Just my opinion, but a school with a price tag like Tulanes may want to to rethink this policy because mom and dad are writing some big ole checks, then the night janitor tosses their kids clothes??. These kids are away from home for the first time and make mistakes. However that mistake should not result in half your clothes being tossed or donated! There should be a laundry lost and found.</p>
<p>I agree. In fact, since all the dorms have their own laundry rooms (is this correct??) it seems to me they could send an auto e-mail to the residents of that dorm when laundry is left more than 2 days, keep it to the side for a few days, then get rid of it after a week. There does have to be a limit, after all. I have to assume this is not a totally unusual occurrence since they do actually have a policy regarding what to do. Even if I am wrong about some of the older dorms having their own laundry rooms, they could do it for the ones that do. Of course, as I understand it the machines are supposed to be able to send you a text message and/or e-mail when your load is done. What a world!</p>
<p>Oh well…this is one of the first of many lessons to be learned. I suspect it want happen again. LOL</p>
<p>Does the “laundry room manager” monitor it daily? Would he/she know how long anyone’s particular laundry is left in the laundry room, especially if someone took it out of a dryer and moved it to use the dryer? Maybe a simpler solution would be to post a large sign in the laundry room with the policies regarding laundry that has been left several days. While I agree its a great new world that texts a student when the washers/dryers are done, it is also, IMO, the student’s responsibility to come get their stuff in a timely fashion. Sorry to take a contrary position, but really… these kids insist they are adults. Do they really need a laundry room manager to send a dorm-wide text to remind someone that they need to come get their stuff?</p>
<p>Meant to clarify-
I think that its is silly that clothes left 3 days would be given to good will and that the laundry room manager whould have such a terse response to “buy some more”. That is uncalled for. That said, who knows how much room they have to store clothes in a lost and found? Is there some central, campus-wide lost and found at the police station or in the LBC or something for items that are left out on campus? I recall in HS if my kids forgot something (they had uniforms which occasionally required a tie or belt or sweater or something) they would go temporarily “shopping” in the lost and found and then return the item at the end of the day 
(the school was quick to hand out detentions if you were not wearing the uniform properly). At the end of the year the items in the lost and found got sent to the consignment shop. I realize there is no parallel at Tulane, but hopefully there is a lost and found, or instructions posted in the laundry room as to where their items will go if left over a certain time.</p>
<p>There are signs in the laundry rooms posted on the walls in front of the washers that clearly state that laundry left more than 3 days will be given to good will. My RA sent out two emails at the beginning of the semesters as a reminder for people to collect their laundry. There is someone that checks the laundry rooms every day, because as you can imagine, having a bunch of college kids using the cramped laundry facilities every day can get a bit out of hand, and if people leave their clothes in there for multiple days it can inhibit other student’s use of it. When people leave stuff in there, it makes the room look incredibly unorganized and trashy. There is a lost and found on campus in the LBC, however it’s not nearly big enough to house all of the left laundry from all of the dorms on campus.</p>
<p>Well, there you go. I would say if there is clearly posted signage, added to the ability to receive a message when your laundry is finished, there really is no excuse for not getting your laundry in 3 days. I don’t mean to sound harsh, it is always worse when it is your (or your kid’s) stuff. But ptcgal is right. In the environment of a college dorm laundry room things could otherwise get out of hand very quickly.</p>
<p>Oh I can just hear my DS now-- "I left my Iphone in the laundry room for 3 days and they gave it to Good Will. They said I should buy a new one :)</p>
<p>those of you who already got your letters when did you guys apply? i submitted all my stuff by oct 12th and then had my SAT rushed on the 20th</p>
<p>mathmaster-
I don’t think you meant to post that question in the laundry room giveaway thread… :)</p>
<p>Ahh, I stand corrected: It was only the email I have from my RA that gives the “3 day rule.” I just checked the laundry room of the building I live in, and it says that clothes left after 24 hours will be brought to the Willow front desk and will be left there until someone claims them. If they are not claimed, THEN they will be donated to Salvation Army. Given that,I think the son has every right to complain that they already gave it away, since there is not a specific time constraint listed.</p>
<p>I think in the end, having lost half his clothes due to irresponsibility will benefit him down the road. One of his mentors said my son sure is dressing nice these days. he is wearing nice slacks, dressy shirt and even a coat at times. I said “well thank you”. LOL. I did not tell him that is all he has left. I am determined not to rectify his wardrobe until Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Smile-Your story is a metaphor for what so many of us struggle with–when do you “rescue” your kid from their mistakes and dumb decisions? Good for you to wait til Thanksgiving to rectify his wardrobe! I guarantee he will never leave his clothes in the laundry room again!</p>
<p>They are thrown away or given to goodwill. I have a unique assortment of clothing items in my room that I collected out of either the trashcan or a big black trash bag either slated for the trash or goodwill. Among my best finds are some shirts with those little alligators on them (I’m a woman, so this isn’t exactly my style, but they are great lounge around the house shirts) and a pristine set of boxing gloves. </p>
<p>It seems rough, but if they didn’t do this, within a few weeks there would be quite a lot of abandoned property.</p>