Bradley students are in luck; new laundry facilities are being installed throughout the St. James apartment complex and residence halls.
According to Vice President for Student Affairs Nathan Thomas, every washer and dryer will be replaced with brand new machines. Williams Hall, University Hall and Geisert Hall have already received new washers and dryers. More will be installed throughout the week.
Thomas said the changes stemmed primarily from a change in contract.
“We entered into a new contract with our laundry vendor and as a part of this agreement, all machines across campus were to be replaced,” Thomas said.
In the past some machines faced challenges due to their age and inability for them to be repaired, according to Thomas.
“They [old washing machines] took forever. It would say one minute but it would take forever and they were just really gross,” sophomore sports communication major Gracie Cobb said. “There was mold in them.”
According to Thomas, new machines will be connected to the LaundryView service just like the previous ones.
“The timing is a little more difficult to answer, but it is anticipated within the next two to three weeks,” Thomas said. “Some will be online sooner, [but] others will require a bit more infrastructure work to be up and running.”
Currently, laundry services are free because the machines are not yet synced to the system. Thomas said he is unsure how long this will last as new washers and dryers are still making the transition into residence halls, but students will soon have to pay the regular price.
The price of these new washers and dryers will increase from $1 to $1.25, but Thomas said they are still below market costs.
Bob Cooling, a senior finance major and current resident of St. James, has done a couple loads of laundry with the new machines.
“They seem a lot easier to load and you can fit a lot more clothes in them too,” Cooling said. “The thing I noticed most with the dryers is that the lint collectors are more modern and effective. What makes them better than previous washers is how you can customize each wash by choosing to mix between hold and cold water with the different materials of fabric.”
Thomas said the new washers and dryers should have a positive affect on students.
“We should see better service and usability for the students based on the new equipment,” Thomas said. “Additionally, the high efficiency machines will allow us to enhance some of our sustainability efforts on campus.
