Life would seem much different if we could view it from the bowels of our laundry hampers.

Inside your laundry basket lies the shirt you spilled ketchup on at last week's football game, the jeans you soiled playing in the monsoons, and your basketball rally shorts - the pair you vowed not to wash until the end of time.

As hard as one tries, however, one cannot deny the inevitable. Everyone must do their laundry at some point in time.

For the first-time college student, this task can be easier said than done, especially without the comforting instructions of mom.

"You can always tell which students are doing their laundry for the first time," says Rick Huff, assistant manager of the popular laundromat, Suds Your Duds, 2308 N. Campbell Ave.

"Last year, I watched a freshman student who had just washed and dried a basket of laundry, fold his clothes on the floor," he says.

Not every first-time launderer, however, needs to act as if they have never heard the word "bleach."

"One tip is to start the washer and put in the detergent before any of the clothes. This prevents clumps of powdered detergent sticking to the garments," Huff explains.

It can also be helpful to learn the difference between washing liquids. Linda Lenz, laundry attendant at Wildcat Wash Well, 902 E. Speedway Blvd., said it is common for laundry rookies to confuse Clorox Bleach, with Clorox II for Colors.

"Once or twice a day someone mistakenly puts pure bleach on top of a load full of colors," she says.

For one University of Arizona student, doing laundry has been a rather foldable experience.

Ann Pertuit, chemical engineering sophomore, says there have been four or five instances in which her clothing was taken out of the dryer and sat neatly folded.

"If you leave your clothes in the laundry room long enough, other people will fold them for you," Pertuit says.

But not everyone should test the good-naturedness of fellow launderers, because your clothing could be stolen right out of the dryers.

Jen Dobrotka, general biology senior, said she knew a girl who folded her dirty clothes before washing, threw them into the washer and later refolded them once they dried.

"I think it's strange," she said about the dirty clothes folding ritual.

Lenz also notices that students have trouble mixing colors, thus turning white garments a hazy shade of red or blue. She also believes that students typically have trouble reading the directions on the machine.

"The directions are right inside the lid of the washers, so it should be fairly easy for one to learn the machine," she says.

Another surprising way to spot an inexperienced washer is to take a whiff of a smoking machine.

"Washers who put too many heavy items in their washer will find that the weight of the garments put pressure on the agitator, causing the machine to smoke, thus breaking the machine" Huff says. To avoid this, distribute heavy garments, such as bath towels and multiple pairs of jeans, in different loads, or use a double-load washer.

Here's a word of advice: before separating your clothing and tossing them into any random washer or dryer, you should make sure that the machine is free of debris.

"It is really important to go to a laundromat that regularly cleans its machines. Otherwise you may get a machine in which someone just washed a rug with lots of cat hair, or one in which a mechanic washed his oily rags," Huff says.

Believe it or not, the laundromat can also be a good place to hit the books, or brush up on your game of Go Fish.

"Many times students hang out on the comfortable waiting chairs and do their homework. Others watch television, read magazines, or play card games," Lenz says.

Doing laundry does not have to be a challenging activity. All it takes to put your best outfit forward is to learn the basics and keep your cool when things don't go as planned, such as your white underwear turning to a pinkish hue.

---

Daily Wildcat News Opinions Sports PoliceBeat Comics Mutato