As we begin spring semester, I feel that it is important to address a problem that is sometimes merely a minor irritation, but sometimes becomes a major frustration: doing laundry in the dorm laundry room. Here, I have compiled a list of six steps to make doing laundry at the dorm slightly less painful for everyone.

1. Don’t hog the washing machines.

There are only a few washing machines per dorm, and half the time they’re not all functional. Unless you’re hiding out in the laundry room during the wee hours of the night, don’t take more than two washing machines. If you’re out of clean clothes, chances are that somebody else is too.

2. Don’t remove other people’s laundry from the washing machine.

Please don’t touch my things. I’m coming to move my clothes right now, as you’re touching them. Please stop. I mean really, I don’t want to touch your underwear to move it out of the washing machine, so why would you want to touch mine?

3. But, if you have to, wait at least 10 minutes before moving someone else’s clothes.

Though the sign above the washing machines does read, “If owner does not promptly remove clothing at the end of a cycle, others needing to use the machine may remove it,” have a bit of patience before you remove someone’s clothes from the washer. Maybe the owner of the clothes really had to run to the bathroom or was finishing up a paragraph for their essay that’s due tomorrow. I’ve had people move my clothes right after the cycle had ended. That 10 minutes of patience and politeness is key to ensure a positive laundry room experience.

4. Have the courtesy to put the clothes in a dryer.

I get it. Sometimes you just really, really, really need that washing machine. If you’ve already waited the 10 minutes, then go ahead and move the clothes, but take the extra two seconds and throw the clothes in the dryer. It’s not that hard, and there are about zero reasons to throw clean clothes back on the dirty ground.

5. Set the timer on your phone.

There is not one phone today, smart or otherwise, that does not have some sort of clock/timer app preloaded onto it. Utilize that app. This will minimize the need for another person to even remove your clothes from the washer in the first place. (P.S. It takes about 30 minutes for a load of laundry to cycle through the washing machine.)

6. Be considerate.

Laundry day is a frustrating day. Don’t contribute to the frustration of it. Remember that everybody else is in your same predicament, wearing that “laundry day outfit” of their last pair of clean underwear, possibly clean shirt, definitely not clean sweats. Simply respect other people’s time and belongings, and we can get through laundry day together.

In these six simple steps, we, as a community, can ban together and make the dorm laundry experience slightly more pleasant and bearable for everyone. Thank you.