<p>I’ve been paying for BS laundry service for a long time ( two kids-JBS-SS) and before that my stepdaughter (JBS-SS). I wish E&R had points or miles but alas… they do not. I do think the service is handy ( especially for those of us willing to admit we failed our children and use it) and I’m in total awe of BS kids who do their laundry and do it well. </p>
<p>@PhotographerMom What about public school kids who do their laundry and do it well? (On a side note, you seem to have quite the boarding school family!)</p>
<p>What kind of yearly cost are we talking about? Without that figure, it’s been all “hypothetical” to me so far. $-) </p>
<p>This is a funny yet interesting thread. When we were touring schools my daughter was turned off by the fact that schools had laundry service. She has done her own laundry since 6th grade- purely by choice. She says she doesn’t like cross contamination with her sisters laundry :). And doesn’t like running the risk of things getting given to the wrong sibling! Doing your own laundry is a definite way to reduce the amount of
laundry done as well- if you are doing your own- you are less likely to just throw everything on the floor and wash it when it isn’t really dirty.</p>
<p>Sorry @stargirl3! Of course, public school kids who do their laundry are amazing, too!! 
About your side note: You have no idea. We’re sending our last one (nephew) off next year. End of an era. 
I will miss the BS world until my future (way in the future!!) grandchildren go- if they go ( and yes, my kids and their cousins talk about schools they want to send their kids to all the time. It’s usually their school but we all know how that can change!!)</p>
<p>Sharing Gift: At the school my daughter will attend, Just the Basics plan is $790, Looking Sharp is $980 this year. That seems really expensive to me! </p>
<p>@SharingGift- If your school uses E&R it’s $920 for “Look Sharp” which includes dry cleaning and $705 for Just the Basics.</p>
<p>@Brdngschlmom- The prices I gave were from last summer and includes the discount they give you when you sign up before a certain date. Your prices are correct if you missed the sign up deadline.</p>
<p>Why don’t they re-name them “Expensive Laundry Plan” and “Even More Expensive Laundry Plan”?</p>
<p>I think I’ll be forced to do my own laundry! My parents think that’s a part of going away to school- learning how to make meal choices, decide when to go to bed, arrange your thing, do laundry, and so on. They’re not sending me away to have all the comforts of home!</p>
<p>You may not want to spend the money, but surely you want to save the planet!
“Sustainability Leaders: The Look Sharp and Just the Basics plans from E&R not only maximize your
student’s available free time and promote a clean and healthy dorm room, they also help to reduce the school’s
carbon footprint. Although the campus washers and dryers are relatively efficient, they cannot compare
with the equipment at E&R’s central laundering facility in terms of gas, electricity, and water usage.”</p>
<p>My kid has done her own laundry since she was about seven years old. Sometimes she does mine too!<br>
And even if it were affordable for us, I don’t think she’d like the idea of “random people” washing her clothes.
It is true that in general, boys are usually not as careful with their washables as girls. As a former BS dorm parent, I saw some unrecognizable items come back with the boys from the laundry room! :)] </p>
<p>It’s about time you showed up, @cameo43!! My point exactly (about most boys). There’s definite risk. LOL</p>
<p>Am I the only one who LOVES the laundry service? I want it at home for myself too ;-)</p>
<p>This laundry thread pales in comparison to the lively one of about a year ago. I’m waiting for Parlabane to join in!</p>
<p>Each school negotiates prices with E&R and they can vary WILDLY between schools, but I have yet to see a price that is less than the cost of a brand new (basic) washer/dryer. I thought it would be a better idea to just buy a washer/dryer set that CK could use the four years he was there, but where to put it…? Now that the school machines are free, the point is moot, but I was absolutely floored by the prices first year, something like $950 (premium) and $750 (basic).</p>
<p>There is a big difference between the laundry needs of a very formal dress code (involves dry cleaning of blazers and pressing of collared shirts) and that of a casual dress code involving primarily clothing that can be thrown in a washer. </p>
<p>If you live close to school, perhaps dry cleaning can be taken home but, if you live any distance away, some thought needs to be given to your specific needs. That is why there is no right answer. Maybe evaluate what dry cleaning costs would be at home (for a similar dress dress code) in order to determine the plan’s worth.</p>
<p>Add to all of that thought process the “kid factor” and how strict a daily schedule your child will have and you will find, I think, that it is a more complex decision than would seem possible!</p>
<p>Some factors to consider:</p>
<p>Student:washer ratio
In freshman year, s1 was in a small dorm w few kids. Machine availability was not a problem. In sophomore year he was in a large dorm w a lot of kids but the same number of machines. That’s when we sprang for laundry service. </p>
<p>Formal vs casual dress code
If daily wear involves pressed buttondown shirts & blazers/dresses requiring drycleaning, then laundry becomes a more compelling option. </p>
<p>Study workload
Junior year workload is crushing. We continued w laundry service in junior year.</p>
<p>Kid’s conscientiousness about laundry
How confident are you that your kid will actually do laundry in a reasonable time frame? At one all-boys JBS, paid laundry service is the default-- can u imagine middle school boys remembering to wash towels & bed linens, lol… :@)</p>
<p>Buying extra set of clothes
Paid laundry service may entail buying a lot more clothes, especially for sweaty athletic clothes, because one set is always “away”. Even w paid service, s1 had to supplement w self-laundered. This is when u can thank your lucky stars if your kid is a swimmer. </p>
<p>Oh, I forgot about the towels and bed linens. Choate has negotiated with E&R to provide this service for free (mostly in self-defense):</p>
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<p>And, I see that the prices for this year are quite a bit higher than they were last year: $815 for Look Sharp and $615 for Basic, but still lower than freshman year.</p>
<p>If you’ve stayed with this thread this far, you probably realize that the laundry decision probably shouldn’t be made without serious prayer and fasting accompanied by candles, incense, and a financial planner.</p>
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<p>It’s only been 12 hours. :)</p>
<p>Since my school is casual, the only dry cleaning I do is at the home cleaners. I have no idea what that costs; my parents take it in and it magically reappears in my closet. For laundry, my freshman year, I thought this was a waste of money, and I’m surprised my parents even asked if I wanted it. Although I’m pretty responsible about time management, and I do know how to do laundry, the reality quickly set in. The machines are not as large as I have at home, so I ended up doing more loads of wash. The dryers never seemed to dry (Yes I clean the lint screen), So the costs savings are really not that dramatic,and the workload was well over an hour a week since I didn’t want to hog all the machines. Now we use the service.</p>
<p>For the most part, I can’t complain about E&R. I do get the occasional cracked button, but I can sew a button. Plus, as I’m still in the outgrow before outwear stage, the shirt has a limited lifespan.</p>