Each Bluffton University residence hall has its own laundry room for the students living in the building to use. With community living and Bluffton University’s commitment to have a community of respect, students need to remember they share their living spaces with many people.
How can students show their respect for others in their building in the laundry rooms around campus?
Speaking with some of the resident advisors around the campus, there came to be common problems occurring in the laundry rooms. In figuring out what those problems were they were able to come up with tips to get rid of those problems.
Evan Burden, resident advisor for second floor Ropp Addition, came up with three laundry room tips for students.
Tip 1: Set a timer
With a lot of students needing to use the washers and dryers, make sure you set a timer. Setting a timer is a sure way you remember to go get your laundry when it is done or when it needs to be moved to the dryer from the washer. Going to get your laundry when your timer goes off is a way to keep the washers and dryer open for the other students in your resident hall.
Tip 2: Do not touch others’ laundry
If someone has their clothes in the washer or the dryer and you are waiting to use one of them Burden gives the advice to leave a note for the person who has their clothes in the washer or dryer.
In the note, you can say who you are and ask whoever has their clothes in the washer or dryer to get you when they get their things moved. You can also just put your name and phone number on it and ask them to text or call you when they move their things instead of taking it out and putting it in the dryer or leaving it sitting on the folding tables.
Tip 3: Do not use all of the washers.
With a limited number of washers in the residence halls only using one washer at a time gives more opportunity for more people to do their laundry at a time.
Burden said some washers are out of order in his building or do not work properly, and fewer washers working makes giving peers the opportunity to also get their laundry can help bring that community of respect.
Burden said using these tips will help students respectful to those we live with.
“I think we should do these things because it creates that community of respect,” said Burden. “It teaches you to be responsible because we’re adults and your parents aren’t doing your laundry and stuff anymore. So we have to hold each other accountable and just be respectful.”
Kori Frey, Hall Director for Hirschy Hall and Hirschy Annex, adds another tip to the list.
Hirschy Hall laundry room. Photo by Trent Mast.
Tip four: If something is not working, tell someone
There are a lot of people who have to use a limited number of washers and dryers for each building, not having all of them working is a problem.
“If one of the machines is not working tell your RA,” said Frey. “Don’t complain about it, just tell somebody.”
Frey also said to stay in your own building to do your laundry and not take it to a different building because the people who live in the building need their washers and dryer.
Tip five: Keep the laundry rooms clean
Nobody wants to clean their clothes in a dirty space. Pick up after yourselves and keep the washers, dryers and folding tables clean for other people to use.
Keep the floors clear of lint from the lint filters in the dryer. Just put the lint in the garbage can.
When you take clothes in, double-check you get everything out of the washers and dryers in order to keep stray articles of clothing from laying around.
Keep these tips in mind, and we can continue to grow as a community of respect for the places we live and the people we live with.
