<p>OK, time to opine on dirty laundry-- literally. New England schools use E&R. NJ schools use All Prep. </p>
<p>What is your experience w paid laundry plans? Is it worth it? Which plan is the most worthwhile? </p>
<p>@GMTplus7 I was about to start the exact same thread. Would like to hear from BS students who used it and from parents who paid for it. I thought that E&R’s reach was to all BS along the East coast. Did any students pay for it and not make use of it because of inconvenient pick-up times or busy schedules? How good was the service? Did they tend to lose your clothing or deliver it to another classmate? Did anyone drop it the next year and use their school’s washer/dryer facilities? Were the facilities well kept? Finally, did any one feel that using the service marked you as a “rich brat”? I thought that sometimes it seemed that other BS fleet that it was an unnecessary luxury.</p>
<p>We signed up for laundry service for our D during her freshman year. While she was happy to have the service, she found herself doing her own laundry frequently enough that by Spring term, she felt it was no longer necessary. Being very busy, she would frequently forget to bring laundry bag to pick up area at designated times. Also, with sports, she needed workout fresh workout clothes available on her own schedule. That’s why she found herself doing her own laundry very quickly. Other than the occasional missing sock or mystery bra, she had no complaints about the service itself. I think starting a 13 or 14 year old out with the service is a good idea as they adjust to life away from home. Many kids in her dorm started doing their own laundry before long.</p>
<p>Good thread. Just looking at the title, somehow I thought this might be about metaphorical “dirty laundry.” @-) Not as fancy but still very practical!</p>
<p>DC attends a school with a formal dress code and we felt we needed to get the ridiculously expensive E&R service. I haven’t heard of any mishaps. I REALLY hate paying for this service, however, I hate the thought of child never having clean (and presentable) clothing even more. I could see child doing laundry once a term! </p>
<p>The peace of mind the service provides is comforting. However, if school had a casual dress code I don’t think I’d purchase the plan beyond the first year.</p>
<p>We did not opt for the service freshman year because we’re in the self-laundry-builds-character and we-have-no-money camps. 
However, by sophomore year, Choate had re-negotiated with E&R to bring the price of the basic service down to nearly what CK was paying in quarters to do his own, so we gave him the option, and he decided to use it. Like Brighty’s D, he found he was doing a lot of extra loads himself but felt it saved time overall. This year, Choate made the campus washers/dryers free, so CK opted to start doing laundry himself again. He feels he can do a better job himself and he is not constrained by their schedule. He also says that the “time” argument is pretty moot. He uses laundry time as additional homework time; this works well for him and has been a nice bonus for us. Plus, someday, some lucky girl is going to have a husband who knows how to separate whites from colors and can discuss the value of fabric softener.</p>
<p>Both kids have the laundry service because both schools are formal. I didn’t get the super- deluxe “Look Sharp” package that included dry cleaning because they can easily bring their dry cleaning home during breaks. Sure, their blazers and ties look like they were dragged behind a car at the end of every term… but with everything else they own being machine washable, I felt the super-deluxe package was unnecessary. </p>
<p>Occasionally, I find myself on the phone contesting a charge for dry cleaning. Old Navy khakis (last time I checked ) don’t need to be dry cleaned and the folks at E&R are super nice and always credit the account. When the boys mistakenly or intentionally toss a tie in the bag, they’re always great about cleaning it and I don’t have a problem paying for it. I must say that even the RL button down shirts that require ironing come back looking pretty good. I think the service is definitely worth it for boys at formal dress schools- but I wouldn’t splurge on the super deluxe package. If you’re going to do it, I would definitely go with the “Just the Basics” plan.</p>
<p>You can also fill out a release form and fax it to E&R that states you will not hold them responsible for NOT dry-cleaning anything in the bag they are squeamish about laundering – which is just about everything. First time they tried to charge us for dry-cleaning CK’s polo shirts (What!!!), I found out about that form and completed it post-haste. It’s the official way to say, “if you find in it the bag, launder it, and don’t bother me.”</p>
<p>Is this something you can opt in or out in the middle of school year, or do you have to make up your mind at the beginning of the year?</p>
<p>@SharingGift - I’m fairly certain you can go in without it and get it later if the dorm washer and dryer experience isn’t working for your child… but I’d get clarity on that (just to be sure) when the school sends out info packets this summer. They’re also open all year so you can either call them now or wait. </p>
<p>I sense BS girls are a lot better at laundry than boys so you probably won’t need to use the service! Lucky you!! 
Although I’d like to add that my boys do wash their unis with woolite in the dorm bathroom sink. I feel enormous pride that they’re able to measure a capful of detergent and hang their fine washables on the back of a chair or from the rafters. </p>
<p>Just looking for a little laundry cred :)</p>
<p>After three years of summer camps, D is determined to do it on her own. Yes, I would confirm with school or laundry service. Thanks @PhotographerMom </p>
<p>I envy you @SharingGift!! I would love to save the money but I have a feeling I would have to buy more clothing at the start of every school year. I see what they do to their clothing when they <em>try</em> to do laundry at home. At least they try, right? </p>
<p>As soon as we started our boarding school search, I told my daughter that she needed to learn how to do her own laundry. There’s been one big disaster so far, but she is learning an important life skill. And I learned that 2nd floor laundry rooms are a terrible idea.</p>
<p>At EHS, DS does not pay for outside service. He utilizes washers/dryers on his dorm floor at no cost. There are units on every floor. Another benefit of EHS. Doing laundry is just apart of his school responsibilities/activities, e.g., going to class, athletic practice, etc. However, he says many students do use the paid service and seem happy with it. </p>
<p>We signed up for E&R. My child is chronically disorganized and time-challenged. So it made sense, EXCEPT for the fact the weekly pick up is first thing Monday morning. How many kids do you know would be able to make that drop off time? Now, in all honesty, I think they can drop it off earlier but I do not think my kid has made as good a use of it as I would have thought. In fact, since you can only drop off one bag each week, it is a problem if you get behind… you will never be able to catch up - unless you stop and do all the backlog yourself in the dorm machines, which I insisted she do. </p>
<p>The biggest problem was getting the quarters. It took 2-3 tries before she managed to get them… (no card service on her machines). It’s all OK now, but I am struggling with what to do next year – we will be having a chat about it this summer. I suspect we will keep the service mainly due to the formal dress code. That means there are lots of dry-clean items as well as shirts that need pressing. E&R will take individual items without purchasing the full plan, however I am sure it ends up being cheaper buying the flat rate service… sigh.</p>
<p>On a practical level, there is really not much time in the week to opt for doing your own. Her school has mandatory study halls, so evening laundry is not an option. There are a few free hours during the day, but that is their only real free time for studying, hanging out etc. So that leaves Saturday night and Sunday – and since they are all on the same basic schedule that means that everyone else is using the machines at that time. </p>
<p>I think if you have a motivated, organized kid then the laundry service costs can easily be avoided. But for many, this is a practical use of their time. Yes, we all know that if you pop a quick load in on your way to class and come back and dry it, you will be done with small loads very quickly. But, I think many kids are in the “only when I have to and there are 12 loads to do” camp… :)</p>
<p>@london203 You and everyone else confirms my concern that I might pay for a service that may not be used to its fullest extent due to the kid being too busy. I saw a comment complaining about that situation from a college student(18+yo) at Roger Williams University. The post was on E&R’s web site and the student was trying to get some kind of credit or money back from E&R because she had paid for a service but had been unable to use it. Just curious for the parents like @ChoatieMom whose son is now doing his own laundry, have you instructed him on proper ironing technique? Did he return to school with an iron? If the school requires collared shirts than does the kid iron the shirt or just wear it wrinkled?Thanks for all the insight form everyone else.</p>
<p>Iron? Nothing I’ve ever purchased requires ironing. CK’s shirts/pants are all wrinkle-free fabric. He does tend the washer/dryer, though, so nothing sits in the drums long enough to wrinkle and so he does not hog the machines from other students. He has a routine where he does all his laundry on the same day/same time each week and reads/studies while he does it.</p>
<p>He did start off with laundry this year, but cancelled in the second week when he realized that the machines were now free and in a building right next to his dorm. E&R prorated the refund, and we shared a bit with him for being so thrifty.</p>
<p>At the beginning of the year, I told my son that I was willing to pay for laundry service, or alternatively would give him that amount of money if he was willing to do his laundry himself. To my surprise, he didn’t opt for the money, and instead said that since he was going to be getting used to a lot of new things all at once, maybe it was better for him to have one less thing to worry about. I thought that was actually a pretty mature analysis. And he’s managed to make good use of the service, I think there’s only been one week where he forgot to drop it off by the appointed time.</p>
<p>My kid’s school has an iron and ironing board. I saw it in the laundry room, but have no idea if it’s ever used. I wish E&R offered an as needed servics … Like 2 loads when needed and 0liads other times…,.i might suggest it. Or a punch card where each load is deducted…</p>
<p>I’m definitely planning on having my DS do his own laundry. I just can’t see paying the kind of money that they want for that service. We are already getting lots of financial aid, I just can’t see it. That being said, we live less than an hours drive away from the school. We plan on being out there frequently to watch his athletic events and such. At least in the beginning we plan on seeing him regularly and doing some of his laundry here at home. His siblings are going to miss him so much and will want to see him as well. I’m sure at some point I will do it less, but I just can’t fathom paying that kind of money for laundry!</p>