Laundry Wars: The fight for a working washer in residence
Updated: Oct 20
In the residence halls of St. Thomas University (STU), a battle is unfolding. The weapons are not blasters or lightsabers, but laundry baskets, detergent and the increasingly precious opportunity to find a working washing machine.
For some students, doing laundry has become a mission of patience: machines break down, dryers leave clothes damp and residents sometimes have to cross their buildings in search of a dryer that actually dries.
Jenn Smith, a member of Harrington Hall’s House Council since January of this year, said she has received complaints about malfunctioning washers and dryers, clothes getting stuck in machines and a shortage of working equipment.
“I myself have had my laundry be stuck in the washer for up to three hours,” said Smith.
Even though she is a new member of the House Council, the problems are not new to her.
The same goes for another resident in Harrington, first-year student Diego Ma said that he could be at STU for only a few months, but he knows that the laundry “expectations are very low.”
Two machines have been replaced in Harrington.
However, several older washers remain and residents can sometimes be left with only three or four functioning laundry machines for the entire building for more than a week.
Warren McArthur, the Resident Coordinator for Holly Cross House (HCH), is more experienced with this situation and believes that the age of the machines is a significant factor, together with the lack of staff, which makes maintenance take longer than it should.
“My understanding is that their directive is to repair machines because that’s cheaper than replacing them,” he said.
In the oldest and smallest house, HCH, it’s normal that their machines are always in need of repairs. But if just one machine breaks, that leaves many residents with dirty clothes. Forcing them to carry their laundry elsewhere to compete for available washers.
On the other hand, Vanier is the newest house, but it also seems to face similar problems.
Mallory Thompson, a Residence Advisor for Vanier Hall, said breakdowns vary between buildings and machines. She also identified weekends as particularly difficult, since many students have more time to do laundry.
The problem goes beyond the broken machines. Smith said she has seen residents remove other people’s clothes from washers and dryers and forget to clean lint traps. She has also seen residents carry their laundry to another residence when no machines are available in their own building.
Overloading is also a big concern in all residences. McArthur said, “I think if we overfilled [the machines] less, they would probably break a little less.”
In each residence, the reality is different, but the problem seems to be the same. But the question is: could a new strategy single-handedly fix it all?
One proposal now being discussed by residence staff is assigning laundry days to different rooms or wings. The approach could reduce competition by giving residents a clearer and more responsible idea of when they can use the machines.
McArthur said the idea has potential, but also has in mind that students sometimes need to wash clothes unexpectedly. He suggested surveying residents to see whether they would support a schedule and said he could raise the proposal at an RA team meeting.
This idea is also supported by Smith, according to her, especially in Harrington “A good portion of our residents here are athletes and so I myself was on the rugby team last year. I was doing laundry two, three, four times a week.”
For now, the laundry rooms remain a shared battleground, schedules collide and clean clothes are the ultimate prize.
Whether the solution comes through new machines, more staff, a truce between residents, or all of them, one thing is clear: students should not have to travel to another residence just to complete a basic household chore.
Until then, may the patience be with them.
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