Follow these simple steps to understand the circuit laundry system at Durham to avoid your washing becoming a ‘slippy, slidey’ mess.

Everyone living at university has to use a washing machine to clean their clothes. For many students living in college this will require a visit to the college laundry which use the circuit system.

Walking into a college laundry can be a minefield of social etiquette – how long can you leave your laundry? When is it OK to remove someone’s clothes from a dryer so that you can dry your clothes? Or do you wait next to the washing machine like an eagle circling its prey? Reading this article will help you to understand the pitfalls of washing and how to address them so that you feel confident when washing at university.

1. Download the circuit laundry plus app. This can be downloaded from this link here: https://www.circuit.co.uk/how-to-guides/circuit-laundry-plus-app/.
2. Put laundry credits on your app once the app is downloaded. An eco wash costs £4-5. The minimum payment is £5 so you may want to pay for 2-3 washes at a time.
3. Go to the laundry and load an empty machine. Quiet times tend to be in the mornings, especially on a Thursday.
4. Turn on Bluetooth this is the how your phone communicates with the machines.
5. Select the Modes on the Washing machine before you use pay. The modes are Eco, Superwash, Superwash plus; Eco is cheapest so most students use the eco mode. Then select the other settings e.g. colours, whites, woollens, perm press. Eco, colours seems to work if you are uncertain.
6. Add wash liquid if the machine is labelled as not having its own. You may want to add your own if not sure as Circuit detergent is not very noticeable.
7. Pay using credits. Select use machines and select the machine you have loaded.
8. Press start. The washing machine will make a bleeping sound at which point you can press start.
9. Drying is free and straight forward. Find an empty dryer and remove the lint into the bin (if still there). Move your clothes into the dryer and select your preferred settings.

What happens if there are no free machines?

It is best to find a quiet time to use the laundry. If not it may require a couple of trips back and forth to find when a washing machine is empty for use. Try to avoid the weekends when the laundry can get busy.

What happens if someone has left their clothes in a washer or dryer?

If the machine has just finished a cycle then it is best to wait  5-10 minutes in case the person returns. If you feel confident then sometimes people move clothes onto the top of the washing machine, but otherwise you may feel more comfortable coming back and waiting. If you have wet clothes and are waiting to use a dryer then it may be best to remove clothes from the dryer since they are already dry and not wet.

How long can I leave my laundry?

It is generally best to set a timer on your phone for the time the washing is going to be, this means that you are back promptly. If you leave your washing longer than 5 minutes it is likely that someone else will remove your laundry and place it on top of the machine you were using.

Written by a current Durham University student