How to Do Laundry in College: A First-Timer's Guide

If you’ve never done your own laundry before, college is when most people figure it out, usually the hard way, after a sweater shrinks or a red sock turns a load of white shirts pink.

This guide covers everything you need: what supplies to get, how to sort, which settings to use, what not to put in the dryer, and how to actually get stains out.

Quick answer: Wash almost everything in cold water. It prevents shrinking, stops colors from bleeding, and works just as well for everyday laundry. Sort darks from lights. Check the care tag before anything goes in the dryer; wool, cashmere, and structured items like bras will shrink or lose their shape. Treat stains immediately and never put a stained item in the dryer, heat sets stains permanently. Pods are the easiest option for a dorm: no measuring, no spills.

What You Need Before You Start

Detergent. Pods are the easiest option for a dorm, no measuring, no spills, easy to carry to the laundry room. Liquid detergent works fine too. One pod or capful per load.

Laundry bag. A large drawstring bag hangs in your closet and doubles as your carry bag to the laundry room. Much more practical than a hamper in a small dorm room.

Dryer sheets or a dryer ball. Dryer sheets reduce static and add a light scent. A reusable wool dryer ball does the same thing without the waste.

Stain remover stick. Keep one in your desk drawer and apply it to stains immediately, the sooner you treat a stain, the easier it is to remove.

Quarters or a loaded laundry card. Check how your dorm’s machines work before you arrive. Some use an app, some use a card, some use quarters. Having the wrong payment method on laundry day is genuinely annoying.

Step 1: Sort Your Laundry

You don’t need to be obsessive about sorting, but a few separations matter:

Darks together, lights together. Dark colors, black, navy, dark green, dark gray, can bleed dye in hot water and stain lighter items. Keep them separate, especially for the first few washes of a new dark garment.

Whites alone (when you have enough). Whites stay brighter washed separately. If you only have a few white items, wash them with lights (not darks) on cold.

Heavily soiled items separate. Gym clothes, muddy jeans, work clothes, anything very dirty goes in its own load so it doesn’t transfer grime to lightly worn items.

Bedding and towels separate. These are bulky and need room to agitate. They also benefit from a hotter wash for sanitizing.

Step 2: Check the Care Tags

Before washing anything new or unfamiliar, look at the care tag. The symbols tell you:

• Wash symbol (tub with water): The maximum temperature. A dot in the tub means cold, two dots mean warm, three means hot.
• Crossed-out wash symbol: Dry clean only. Do not machine wash.
• Dryer symbol (circle in square): One dot = low heat, two dots = medium, X = do not tumble dry.
• Triangle: Bleach instructions. Crossed out = no bleach.

When in doubt: cold water, low heat, and air dry. You’ll almost never ruin something doing this.

Step 3: Load the Washing Machine

Don’t overfill. Clothes need room to move in the water or they won’t get clean. Fill the drum about 3/4 full, a loosely packed load, not packed tight.

Add the detergent correctly. For top-loaders with an agitator: add detergent first, then clothes. For front-loaders or HE top-loaders: put the pod in the drum before clothes, or use the detergent drawer for liquid.

Select the settings:

• Temperature: Cold for almost everything. Warm for moderately soiled loads. Hot for bedding and towels.
• Cycle: Normal for most clothes. Delicate for anything thin, stretchy, or fragile.
• Load size: Match to how full the drum actually is. This affects water usage.

Step 4: Move to the Dryer Promptly

Leaving wet clothes sitting in the washer for more than an hour causes mildew smell. As soon as the washer finishes, move clothes to the dryer.

Check every item before it goes in. Anything that says “lay flat to dry” or “hang dry” gets draped over a drying rack or hung in your room, not put in the dryer.

Common things not to put in the dryer:

• Wool and cashmere (they shrink)
• Bras and anything with underwire or elastic that you want to last
• Anything that says “dry flat” on the tag
• Athletic wear with rubber or heat-sensitive prints
• Anything you’re not sure about

Dryer settings:

• Low heat: Best for most items, takes longer but less shrinkage and wear
• Medium heat: Normal for cotton and most items labeled dryer-safe
• High heat: Bedding and towels only

Add a dryer sheet or dryer ball to reduce static.

Step 5: Fold or Hang Immediately

Clothes left in the dryer wrinkle quickly, especially cotton. As soon as the cycle finishes:

• Hang shirts immediately, especially anything that wrinkles, like button-downs
• Fold items you’ll put in a drawer while they’re still warm and easy to smooth
• Hang jeans and pants rather than folding if you can

Getting Stains Out

Treat immediately. A stain is dramatically easier to remove before it sets. Blot (don’t rub) excess liquid, then apply a stain remover stick or a small amount of liquid detergent directly to the stain. Let it sit for a few minutes before washing.

Common stains:

• Coffee/tea: Cold water, blot immediately, treat with detergent or stain remover
• Grease/oil: Apply dish soap directly, let sit, then wash in the hottest water safe for the fabric
• Ink: Rubbing alcohol on the back of the fabric, blotting through, then wash
• Blood: Cold water only (hot water sets protein stains permanently). Treat with hydrogen peroxide or cold-water rinse immediately.
• Red wine: Blot immediately, rinse with cold water, apply stain remover, wash

Don’t put a stained item in the dryer. Heat permanently sets most stains. Check that the stain is gone before drying. If it’s still there, treat and wash again.

Laundry Room Etiquette

In a shared dorm laundry room, a few unspoken rules make life easier for everyone:

• Move your clothes to the dryer promptly after the wash cycle
• Remove your clothes from the dryer when it’s done, leaving them sitting backs up the machines for everyone
• Don’t leave detergent or supplies in the laundry room
• If a machine is broken, report it to housing rather than just moving on

Key Takeaways

• Cold water for almost everything. It prevents shrinking, stops color bleeding, and is gentler on fabric than warm or hot.
• Check the tag before anything new goes in the dryer, heat permanently shrinks wool and cashmere and breaks down elastic.
• Never put a stained item in the dryer, heat sets most stains permanently; check the stain is gone before drying.
• Treat stains immediately, a fresh stain is dramatically easier to remove than one that’s dried and sat.
• Pods are the easiest dorm detergent, no measuring cup, no spills, easy to carry in a laundry bag.
• Move clothes promptly, wet laundry sitting in the washer more than an hour develops a mildew smell that’s hard to get out.
• Find out how your dorm’s machines are paid (app, card, or quarters) before you show up on laundry day with the wrong option.

For a complete packing list that includes laundry supplies, see What to Pack for a Dorm Room and Best Budget Dorm Finds.