You’re running late to class, and a load of laundry is all that stops you. Your work clothes are dirty, and your shift starts in two hours – the exact length of a load of laundry. You have a date soon, and your favorite jeans smell like yesterday’s French onion soup. 

Legs aching, gasping for air and sweat dripping down your forehead, the run to the washer ends in a misfortune: It’s filled to the rim with drenched clothes. 

Those who leave their wet or damp laundry in the washer or a load in the dryer have little respect for others or their possible dates. 

Students have a lot of stressors, and laundry shouldn’t be added to the list, especially when it’s something as simple as cleaning your clothes. 

By setting timers or alarms when doing laundry, students can develop better time management skills. Students can stay organized and learn to be accountable for their laundry.

“I think students, especially freshmen, should hone and improve their time management skills by setting timers and setting aside time for laundry,” said Juan Lopez, a sophomore computer science major.

When students are mindful of their laundry, they foster a sense of communal responsibility and respect within the dorms. Students should communicate with each other to prevent problems such as clothes being tossed on the floor or taken by other students.

Disregarding laundry responsibilities is extremely unfair to students trying to accomplish the task. 

There are many ways students in the dorms can learn to be more responsible with their laundry. 

For example, community advisers could create a schedule where students can sign up and choose a time to do their laundry. 

If students have a laundry schedule, they can hold each other accountable. 

College students living in dorms should be mature and responsible enough to be mindful of other students who are also trying to do their laundry.

Sam Doherty, a junior kinesiology major living in Stevenson Hall, would like to see NIU set up a reliable system for laundry.

“I think the college should set up a system where you get an email or text alert when your clothes are done, kind of like how we do with packages,” Doherty said. “I think if you have a system in place where the students log their washer and dryer machine, and they get alerts, it can help limit the amount of clothes left in the machines.”

College students need to learn better laundry etiquette. Doing laundry is a necessity, and everyone in the dorms should be able to wash their clothes with ease.