The ultimate college laundry guide: 11 questions you’re too scared to ask your mom

Doing laundry alone can feel like a super daunting task. You've probably seen your mom do it a thousand times like it was nothing.

Now you're standing in your dorm with a hamper overflowing wondering exactly how many loads you have actually accumulated since the semester started. Never fear because we're going to answer all those nagging questions so you don't have to listen to your mom yell over the phone about your lack of laundry room know-how. This is your ultimate college laundry guide from The Tab

1. What do I need to buy to do laundry?

Before stepping a foot into the laundry room, you're going to need the necessary supplies. We'd start with a bottle of detergent. There's liquid, powder, and pre-packaged individual packets to choose from. Most college dorm laundry rooms are industrial so the simplest option will probably be liquid.

If you get the packets, those go directly into the washer and not the detergent drawer. There's scented and unscented detergents out there so make sure you read the label if you want your clothes smelling extra fragrant or not.

Fabric softener is another one of those things that your mom probably used. If you got it, go ahead and use, but it's not a necessity for getting your clothes clean.

Dryer sheets can soften your clothes and keep them from getting too static-y. You can kind of take them or leave them. We'd keep a box around and you can just use them on dry clothes or your hair in the winter when the static electricity goes haywire.

2. Should I separate my clothes? How?

Separating your clothes is a total pain, but if you want your clothes to look nice and last longer, we'd recommend separating them on some level. If you want to go for the most basic approach, we'd do whites and colors. That way your favorite white shirt won't end up some weird grey or pink after a wash. After that, you can follow the instructions on the label to sort out cold versus warm or hot water. Warm is a good base to be at because your colors won't run and things will get clean. If you're doing a quick wash and are pressed for time, a cold wash is a solid go-to.

3. How much detergent do I put in?

If you're at a dorm laundry room or a laundromat, then the washer you'll be using is likely an industrial size one. That means you should use a quarter of the detergent you'd normally measure out for a home washer. Too much detergent will create a ton of soapy foam. The washer could not rinse out properly or overflow. Less is usually more when it comes to detergent.

4. How much laundry can I do in one load?

Don't even try to stuff everything into one washer. Nothing will get properly cleaned that way and you could break the machine. If you do your laundry semi-frequently, you can probably get away with using two washers. Just don't stuff the washer to the point you can't close the door. It probably won't end well.

5. How many times can re-wear my clothes before I have to wash them?

Jeans and pants you can totally wear a couple of times, but once they stop fitting properly we'd throw them in the hamper. Shirts have defintely got two or three uses out of them if you don't sweat to death in them. When it comes to underwear, you get one use. Don't be that person and start re-wearing. When you're almost out of underwear, it's time to do laundry. Same goes for athletic wear that you've worked up a sweat in.

6. What are delicates?

We'd classify delicates as underwear, lingerie, anything with lace, or silk. If you want to properly protect your delicates you can get a mesh bag for them. Just throw everything in there, zipper it, and throw it with the rest of your wash.

If you've got stuff that says, "hand wash only" then they're recommending you literally handwash it in a bathtub or sink. That's super annoying so we'd say just throw those in a delicates bag or wash alone and then air dry.

7. How often should I wash my sheets? Can I wash my towels with them?

Ideally, sheets should be washed every 10-14 days, but honestly that's tough to live by. Try to wash your sheets every three weeks or once month. Clean sheets are literally the comfiest thing ever so we promise it'll be worth it once you do.

You can totally throw your towels in with your sheets, but we wouldn't wash them with your clothes. You should have a few towels so that you can rotate through clean ones semi-frequently.

8. How do I remove a stain?

There's different types of stains so it depends on what did the damage. If it's a water based stain (soda, wine, etc.) we'd throw some stain remover on it and wash within a few days.

Oil based stains like salad dressing are trickier and more likely to permanently stain your clothes. Get stain remover on it ASAP and wash it the next day to have the best shot at getting rid of it.

9. If it says, “dry clean only” on the label, can I still machine wash it?

If you're in a real pinch, then you can probably wash it alone in the machine. A really nice piece like a suit or fancy dress should probably go to the dry cleaners. Hold on to your dirty clothes and send in a bunch of stuff at once.

10. Can everything go in the dryer?

We're going to have to say, "no" on this one. You should invest in a drying rack for your clothes with labels that say, "lay flat to dry." It'll help keep the shape of your clothes better and stop them from getting stretched out in the dryer.

11. Do I have to iron stuff to remove wrinkles?

Investing in a small ironing board and an iron isn't a bad idea. There's always that one shirt that will be immediately wrinkly the second you take it out of the closet. Ironing isn't terribly hard and just put the heat on low if you're afraid of burning your clothes.

De-wrinkling sprays are an absolute gift. It's the best. You literally just have to spray the item, smooth out the wrinkles with your hands or give it a few good shakes and you're good to go.