I haven't been in school that long, and already the pile of clothes in the corner is starting to grow. I can see those good ol' laundry machines are at work eating students' quarters and loonies already. Doesn't take long to get clothes dirty eh? So what's a student to do?
Well, there are options:
- Wear clothes over, and over again. Heck, I don't care to really wash a dress shirt until I get a visible stain on it or have worn it casually for a week. Played some nitty-gritty ultimate frisbee and got really sweaty? Yeah, you might want to wash that bad boy then.
- Bring lots of clothes! That way, you can wear something new until that inevitable day that you have to do laundry. That's right, you know it's time when clothes begin to cover every part of your room. This is actually not a bad idea, because you can wait and do a full load instead of half loads.
- Wait. Your parents will visit you soon and you mom will surely do your laundry, right?...right?
- Share. If you just have a few articles and you are close with your roomies, ask them if you can throw a few shirts in their small load. Don't forget, this works both ways; it's nice to do the same if you're doing the load.
- Do them in the shower. I learned this trick while biking: wear your clothes and shower normally, or throw them on the floor of the shower. Stomp on them as soap falls from you onto the clothes. The squishing action will give them a weaker, but noticeable wash. However, I wouldn't suggest this if your room mates are pigs in the shower or doing so with sensitive clothes. I do this in a minor effort to extend the life of a quick-dry shirt for an extra week or so.
Trust me, when you really have to do laundry, you'll know!
I know how expensive those loads can get. So to even GET to the point of spending your hard earned cash, you must save it! Anytime I get loonies or quarters in my change, I put it away in a little jar. That way, when the dreaded laundry day does rear its ugly head, you'll be ready! But there are even further ways to save money!
For one, try to put laundry in the dryer immediately after someone before you. The dryer will still be hot, and it will take less energy to reach that same desired heating temperature to dry your now-damp clothes. Less energy spent, less time required, less change used to dry your clothes!
Another alternative to THAT is to dry them yourself! If you have quick dry clothes, such as those made out of simple light cottons, neoprene or polyester, then hang them up! Get a drying rack or tye a string across your room and hang 'em. Thick cottons and wool take forever to dry. Hell, even WITH a drying machine! Spend the money ya cheap bastard!
But what about soap, or those dryer sheets? I've learned those dryer sheets aren't that great. My room mate was telling me they wax up the dryer over the years, making it less effective in heating/drying your clothes. Not only that, some people are allergic to them. And even if you can put up with all that, they're still an extra item on that shopping list you can do without.
There are techniques to extend their life if you really do love them though. You can rip them in half for each use and have twice as many, or you can use them over and over! Those things smell for the longest time. If they still do their job, why not, right? If you see someone tossing one that seems barely used, snag it for next time! Their loss is your gain. But I have an alternative that I like to think is even better!
It's the home-made re-usable dryer sheet! And it's not hard to make at all!
All you need is:
Tin foil
Fabric softener
and small sheet (an old, but clean rag will do)
Roll the tin foil into a small ball, into the size of a golf ball or slightly smaller. I mean, really squeeze this sucker. Take that stress of exams and SQUEEZE! All done!
Now dip that small rag in the fabric softener. Soak it and then squeeze it out. Let it dry somewhere, preferably over a dish to catch drippings. Once dry, you're ready to do some eco-friendly and cash-saving laundry!
The sheet and ball
Seriously, you shouldn't be able to compress it anymore!
You may be asking, "Umm...what the hell do these do?" Well, it's quite simple. Those dryer sheets claim to take the static out of clothes and leave them with a nice, fluffy fresh scent. These two items you just created do the same! The aluminum ball will take any static out of your clothes and the sheet will leave your clothes soft and smelling great! I've also heard that it's rolling action in the dryer knocks any loose dust/dirt/lint off shirts. Best of all, you can re-use them about for about 20-30 washes! The ball will remain the same (unless you did a shitty squeeze job) but the sheet will lose its fabric softener freshness. The remedy is simple. Soak it and dry it again! If this is all you use fabric softener for, it will last for a long time.
And there you have it. An annoying but necessary habit made a little easier on the wallet. Next week, fashion advice: why jeans are a no-no for outdoor labs in winter.
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