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The 11 P.M. University Laundry Crisis, Nobody Warned Me About

A late-night laundry run turns into an unexpected first-week university lesson. One wet load of washing, no available dryers, and yet another thing I wish I had thought to pack.

STUDENT GUIDESPARENT GUIDES

Aisha Mello

10/6/20264 min read

At 11 o'clock at night, Yari decided to do his laundry.

Already, some of you who have university-aged children know exactly where this story is going.

I did not.

In my mind, laundry is simple.

You put clothes in washing machine.

Washing machine washes clothes.

You put clothes in dryer.

Dryer dries clothes.

The end.

Apparently university laundry has additional rules.

Social rules.

Political rules.

And, as Yari discovered, territorial rules.

The Washing Part Went Beautifully

He went downstairs.

He put his clothes in the washing machine.

Everything went according to plan.

Excellent.

Look at my son being independent.

Look at him doing laundry.

Look at all these life skills.

I am winning at parenting.

Then the washing finished.

And he went to use the dryer.

Every dryer was full.

Not running.

Just full.

Full of other people's clothes.

And nobody was there.

So Yari waited.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Still nobody.

Now he had a decision to make.

Do you take somebody else's laundry out?

Where do you put it?

Do you leave it on top of the machine?

Do you risk offending someone you've never met?

Do you want to start your university year as:

"The guy who touched my washing"?

Probably not.

It is the first week, after all.

Nobody wants laundry enemies.

So He Did What Any Sensible New Student Would Do

He brought all of his wet washing upstairs.

Which meant I suddenly received the sort of phone call that university parents become very familiar with.

"Mum..."

Now his room was becoming a clothes-drying installation.

T-shirts hanging here.

Trousers hanging there.

Socks probably decorating various pieces of furniture.

And I'm sitting at home thinking:

Why did I not buy this boy a drying rack?

Add that to the list.

Because somehow, despite all the packing lists, shopping trips and conversations about university life, nobody said:

"Make sure your child has somewhere to hang wet trousers at midnight when every dryer is occupied by abandoned laundry."

This Is What I Mean When I Say You Can't Prepare for Everything

Before university, you think about the obvious things.

Bedding.

Pots.

Pans.

Food.

Toiletries.

Chargers.

Laundry detergent.

Maybe even a laundry basket.

But what you don't think about is the actual mechanics of shared student living.

What happens when someone leaves their clothes in the dryer for an hour?

Is there somewhere to put them?

Are there baskets?

Can students remove finished washing?

Is there an etiquette?

Does anyone know?

Because suddenly a simple load of laundry has become a moral dilemma.

My Very Mum-Like Solution

Of course, my brain immediately went into problem-solving mode.

First thought:

Get him a drying rack.

One of those foldable ones he can keep in his room and pull out when needed.

Second thought:

We actually found a laundrette nearby when we were there last week, so at least he has another option if the university laundry becomes too chaotic.

Third thought:

Speak to the accommodation staff.

Because surely one of the easiest solutions would be to put a couple of laundry baskets in the room.

If someone leaves finished clothes sitting in a dryer for ages, there would at least be somewhere clean and obvious to place them so the next person can use the machine.

Problem solved.

Potential student laundry war avoided.

You're welcome.

But This Is Also University Life

And I have to laugh because these are the stories I'm starting to love.

Not because I enjoy watching my sons struggle with wet laundry.

But because these are the little moments where they start figuring things out.

Yari didn't know what to do.

He didn't want to be disrespectful.

He didn't want to touch someone else's belongings.

So he made a decision, brought his washing upstairs and worked it out.

Maybe not elegantly.

Maybe with half his wardrobe hanging around the room.

But he worked it out.

And the next time?

He'll probably know exactly what to do.

Or at the very least, he'll own a drying rack.

One Thing I'd Add to the University Packing List

A foldable clothes airer.

Seriously.

Add it.

Especially if your child is living somewhere with communal laundry facilities.

Because even if the dryers normally work perfectly, there will eventually be:

A broken dryer.

An occupied dryer.

An abandoned load.

A late-night wash.

A favourite jumper that shouldn't go in the dryer anyway.

And suddenly that boring little drying rack will feel like one of the greatest purchases you ever made.

I would also tell students to check the laundry room early on.

Find out:

How many machines are there?

How do you pay?

When is it busiest?

Is there a rule about removing finished laundry?

Is there somewhere to place clothes if somebody doesn't return?

And if there isn't, politely ask accommodation staff what they recommend.

Because apparently these are the important questions.

Welcome to Week One

So far in our family's first-week university adventures:

One son is sick before classes even start.

The other is decorating his bedroom with damp laundry at 11 o'clock at night.

And Mum is hundreds of miles away still somehow managing logistics.

Honestly?

This feels about right.

We prepared for university.

We really did.

But every week seems to uncover another tiny thing we didn't think of.

And I'm starting to realise that maybe that's the whole point.

We can't prepare them for every situation.

We can just give them a few tools, answer the occasional late-night phone call and let them learn how to solve the rest.

Although I am still buying that drying rack.

— Aisha
Before Uni