photo and story by Carly Sax

Washing machines that don’t wash, dryers that don't dry, apps that don’t…uh…app. What do all three of these scenarios have in common? Well, they just so happen to be the most common occurrences you will experience in campus dorm laundry rooms.

During the fall quarter, I have noticed a rise in laundry room frustration from students on campus. A lot of this has to do with the switch from PayRange to H Wash Mobile. H Wash Mobile, which just adds to the already present issues noticed within the laundry rooms on campus.

Here are some of the top five reasons why the dorm laundry rooms on campus fail:

1.Dryers don’t dry in one cycle

Dryers, in my experience, never work. Or at least work badly. On more than one occasion, I have had to spend more money to get my clothes dry. Sometimes it ends up taking four different drying cycles before my clothes end up even a little dryer than they were when I started.

2. Washing machines don’t wash well (stains remain)

On more than one occasion, the washing machines leave stains on my clothes. Of course, part of that might be not properly treated stains, but compared to the washing machines I have used elsewhere, most, if not all, stains end up gone, or at least lightened within one wash. At CWU, that is far from the case.

3. Expensive: it shouldn’t cost $3 every single time to dry and wash

The cost to do laundry is insane, especially for a broke college student. While $1.75 might seem low at first, it adds up quickly. Considering students spend tens of thousands of dollars to be here, it feels like an added kick in the shin.

4. Very user-unfriendly app

One of the most frustrating aspects of doing laundry in the dorms is the app. The switch from PayRange to H Wash Mobile was one of the worst decisions in history. To get the app to connect to the dorm laundry room, I had to disconnect from the wifi. Then, to transfer funds, I had to, again, disconnect from the wifi. Who designed this? Who okayed the switch in apps? It shouldn't take me five minutes just to pay to do laundry every single time.

5. Top dryers get monopolized since they work better.

Dryers are very hit or miss in the laundry room. Most of the time, you end up having to pay for up to three different dry cycles just to get your clothing to dry. Due to the failure to dry damp clothing, many students in my dorm building and others often avoid certain machines. The bottom machines tend to leave clothes wet more often than not, so the top machines get monopolized by students. Nothing is more annoying than having to sit and wait for a dryer to open up.

I can’t help but ask myself why I, a paying CWU student, should have to put up with faulty laundry rooms in the first place. Why do we allow this to continue? We deserve better than the bare minimum.

I advocate for you, dear reader, to say something. Let the dorm coordinators know. Hell, let the CWU president know.

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