Essential Laundry Items for College Students

I was a fortunate (read: spoiled) child, and I never had to do laundry until I went to college. My first bout with a washing machine left me nearly shirtless for a semester. I remember thinking, "Who knew that you shouldn't use shampoo in place of laundry detergent?"

So that you don't make the same mistake I did, I've listed some must-have laundry items for college students. Purchase them off-campus, where they'll be cheaper. And if you don't know how to do laundry, have your parents give you a quick tutorial. It will save you gobs of embarrassment in the future. Trust me.

Powdered Detergent: Keep the detergent in your closet. Before heading to the laundry room, put enough scoops for as many loads as you need in a container or plastic bag. This is easier than lugging a heavy bottle of liquid detergent or a big box of the powered stuff all over the dorm.

Laundry Bags: These are much better than laundry baskets because they're easier to carry. If you will have quite a long walk to the laundry room, purchase a durable bag that can survive being dragged.

Color-safe Bleach: It's always better to be safe than sorry, and bleach mishaps will leave you feeling pretty sorry. Some dorms actually ban chlorine bleach for environmental or other reasons.

Fabric Refresher: Never make the people sitting next to you in class pay for the fact that you didn't have time to do your laundry. This product is also handy for when you return home from a party or bar where there was a lot of tobacco smoke in the air.

Wrinkle Remover: You may not have the space or time to iron, but I can guarantee you that cramming your vast wardrobe into your tiny dorm room closet will result in wrinkling your garments. Have a bottle of this in your room at all times and spray on clothes the night before you have to wear them. A spray bottle filled with water will also work.

Lint Brush: The driers in dormitory laundry rooms get a lot of use; you might find more than a couple items of your clothing "decorated" by lint. You'll also need this to spruce up dress clothes before a job interview or presentation.

Sewing Kit: You'll never know when you'll have to fix a button or stitch a seem, and with a busy schedule your clothes are bound to get a lot of rough wear. Buy simple sewing kit that contains a couple of colors or thread as well as some safety pins for quick wardrobe repairs.