Sometimes, a college student just needs a washer and dryer of their own!

[pulsator]

And, thanks to my wonderful boyfriend's help, I have a set! I've had the dryer since I moved in in late August and got the washer up here a couple of weeks ago, I just needed to work out some kinks to get everything the way I wanted it! 

 

This year, I'm living in a on campus apartment (SOOOO much better than the dorm rooms I had the past 2 years!) and I'm loving it. The apartment complex was built 2 years ago housing full time students 20 or older. It's nice to have a more mature mixture of neighbors! Anyway, these apartment come with a bed that can be raised up to allow for storage or usable space underneath. I use the space to store my washer, dryer, and centrifuge! The washer and dryer are both on wheels now and roll easily to their respective hook up locations! I hung up a curtain that surrounds underneath the bed to hide the machines when I'm not using them and especially during fire drills and safety inspections (both of which are always announced) since I doubt I'm allowed to have them... (There are no specific rules saying you can't but I'm not taking any chances!) During fire drills and safety inspections, those who perform the inspections are not allowed to touch or open anything under any circumstances without a warrant from a judge.

 

[pulsator]

The washer

The washer rolls to just outside the bathroom where the hoses can reach the sink and sits against a wall with a blanket between it and the wall for stability. It's almost impossible to hear this machine outside of the apartment and cannot be heard above or below it!

 

The towel stuffed in the handle for the detergent drawer is to muffle the sound of the machine filling. Just in case...

 

[pulsator]

The dryer

The dryer has been rewired to run on 120V and hooks up in the living room. It does take about 2 hours to dry a large, heavy load, even after it's been spun in the centrifuge but it works like a charm! The exhaust blows into a pair of pantyhose and then the window fan pulls the exhaust air out of the apartment. Since the dryer's heating power is so low and the fan pull both air from the dryer exhaust and from the room outside, you can't see any moisture on a freezing cold night blowing out the window.

 

[pulsator]

The plumbing

The plumbing is minorly annoying but it works well enough. Due to differences in the hot and cold water pressure, if left on in the warm position with the machine not filling, the cold water will flow backwards up the hot water line and make the hot water run cold. This is a bit irritating to deal with while the machine is filling for a warm wash or any of the rinses (I rinse in cool or warm water, not cold) because I have to babysit the faucet. It's most annoying for the wash fill since the LG fills in 2 second burst for such a long period before just letting the water flow in. 

 

The drain in the sink creates quite a powerful suction when the washer starts draining and very very easily keeps up with the flow of water from the drain hose.

 

[wayupnorth]

Even though that outlet is a GFI, I would doubt it would pass any code being so close to let water be splashing on it. It really should much higher on the wall.

 

[pulsator]

Well, it seems to have passed inspection! This building is also a LEED certified building. Right down to the little trickling shower adapter the bathroom faucet used to have, just like in public restrooms! (Obviously, I've removed that.) And all the lights have motion detectors in the ceiling, if you sit (relatively) still long enough (20 minutes) the lights will shut off on ya! Really annoying when you're trying to study at your desk...

 

[Iowegian]

Wow, with your ability to hide big pieces laundry equipment in plain sight, you should consider a career with Air America, or whatever the modern-day version of that company is...

 

[whirlcool]

I am sure you will soon be a "BMOC" amongst your friends. One thing college guys absolutely hate doing is going to the local coin op. It's a pain in the butt. I'm willing to bet as soon as some of your friends hear about they you'll have a wash in several days a week.

Back when I was in college we has "residential assistants" come through our rooms looking for alcohol and pot. They'd open everything. It was like a cell search in prison. If anything was found you were sent home to your parents until THEY apologized for your actions. The did this about twice per semester.

A lot of times the students who got caught would not come back the next year. Their parents would put them in a more tolerant school.

 

[tolivac]

This is sure an improvement over what was at the school I went to.No machines at all except popcorn poppers in the dorms-so you got ingenious in using the popper for other jobs-You could keep your shotgun in the dorm managers apt.when you went pheasant or duck hunting-we did that--the popper served to boil the pheasnat-was quite good.The homes on the campus were reserved for marryied students.You had to use the machines provided by the school for laundry-some folks got ingenious and smuggled Hoover twin tub machines-covered them with a plywood board and peice of cloth so it looked like some sort of desk or table-and served as such.I really didn't consider the Hoover to be a "real" washer-great that you can use "Real" washer and dryer in your housing unit!Be more convenient for you and your roommate!I had to be content with the coin Maytag washers and dryers in the dorm basement.My Roommate took his clothes home for his Mom or Aunt to do.sometimes the smell of his clothes got to be bad.

 

[mikeklondon]

Wow That Bathroom Socket

The Heath 7 safety team would have fainted if they found a socket in a bathroom in the UK, looks like an accident just waiting to happen

 

[mikeklondon]

Bathroom Socket

That should have said The Heath & safety team

 

[mrb627]

Great!

Another fine example of "Where there's a WILL, there's a WAY!"

Malcolm

 

[yogitunes]

You get an "A" for effort and ideas.......I was thinking more along the lines of something like an Avanti or Haier portable setup, their bigger capacity than you think, and more along the ideas of easier to hide, but then again, you made use of what you had to work with....

 

[tecnopolis]

With full-size machines, how did you get them inside without anyone noticing? 

 

 

[pulsator]

There is a laundry room in the building, directly across the hall from me here on the second floor! There are however, no coin-op machines to be seen. Instead, the entire University's policy on laundry is that it's included in your room and board cost if you live on campus. The dorms provide you with a pre-paid laundry card with $90 and a card with $120 on it in the apartments on campus.

 

The laundry room has 4 Maytag front load washers (Duet Sport clones) and 4 matching dryers. The machines are not owned by the University but are rented by a separate company that maintains them. (The dorm laundry rooms have 2 Orbital Maytag washers and 2 matching dryers per floor.) A wash is 75 cents and same for an hour in the dryer. In the apartments, it's enough for 2 loads a week for the year. I, however, average 5 loads a week and more when I want to wash my comforter the extra blankets, etc. (So between 5 and 10 loads a week.) And rather than use the washers and dryers provided, I brought my own!

 

No one really cares about what you bring in as it's common for students to bring large furniture with them here. Many assumed I was bringing up a dresser (the dryer) and a personal refrigerator (the washer). In fact, the Hall Director for my apartment complex is the one who held the door for me when I was wheeling the dryer in. i just had both machines covered up in big sheets and wrapped in a plastic bag. (The plastic bag actually was part of my packaging for my boyfriend's mom's new Maytag Bravos XL dryer...) There are cameras everywhere in the halls, stairs, and the elevator but, it seemed innocent enough that they didn't question me at all! (Plus, I doubt they think anyone would actually bring such appliances!)

 

I also didn't have to worry about buying anything really. I already owned the washer, dryer, centrifuge, and the base with wheels that the dryer sits on (that was from last year when I had a washer in my dorm room!) and all I had to buy was the set of wheels for the washer. Only $45 including shipping...

 

In case you're curious, here's the washer I had in my dorm room last year. No one suspected a thing, they just assumed that I had brought up an extra wardrobe for my clothes!

 

[dustin92]

Nice job, I really like the setup and I'm sure you do! Also love the coin op washer/wardrobe!

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Attn, Members in College

If you don't like the dorm machines there is something nearby called a Laundromat.  Guess what guys, the other advantage is that the hot girls from your school go there too.  Detergent and hot water are great aphrodeziacs.

WK78

 

[pulsator]

Three problems with that...

Problem number one, laundromats cost money, this is free!

 

Problem number two, the local laundromat is DISGUSTING! All of the machines smell HORRIBLE!

 

Problem number three, the hot girls just don't do it for me! 

 

[ovrphil]

Technopolis - LOL! we love Mrs. Kravitz's! LOL!