The MU Department of Residential Life has recently partnered with Tide Cleaners, a nationwide laundry operation, to offer residents a service that will wash, dry and fold their laundry.

The service will be available for all students living in on-campus housing.

In an email, MU spokesperson Stephanie Fleming wrote that this is the first time residents will have the choice to receive laundry services.

The service allows students to drop off their dirty laundry in designated lockers that all residents will have access to. Then, Tide workers will separate the garments by color, wash them, dry them and fold them. Two days later, Tide workers will deliver the laundry in individualized packages.

According to Tide Cleaners, rates begin at $349/semester for about 10 pounds of laundry each week. The most popular plan, about 20 pounds of laundry each week, costs $429/semester.

The service also provides students with the opportunity to pay for individual orders and dry cleaning without a subscription.

MU Residential Life will continue to provide residents with free, unlimited self-service laundry. 

Residents can choose to opt into or decline the new program when they complete their online move-in verification in the MU Housing Portal. More information is available at https://www.universitylaundry.com/mizzou. 

Incoming freshman Michelle Franzen, who intends to stay in a residence hall, said she believes the service is “a bit unnecessary,” emphasizing the importance of chores to develop time management skills.

“It might seem like a good idea to eliminate just another burden freshmen students face, but it’s pretty important for us to learn how to make time for every chore,” Franzen said.

While incoming freshman Montana Murphy, Franzen’s roommate, said she won’t participate in the program, she can see the value in a laundry service.

“For some, it might be one less thing they have to worry about,” Murphy said. “If the program allows you to have more time for academic work, then not doing laundry is perfectly fine.”

The wash n’ fold program will only be available to students living in Residential Life this fall. MU plans to expand the service to a broader demographic in the future.

“Initially, the optional service will be offered in residence halls with lockers, but there are plans to expand offerings in the future to off-campus students and potentially even faculty and staff,” Fleming wrote. 

The deal between MU and Tide Cleaners comes at no cost of implementation to MU. While other logistics remain in planning, Fleming wrote that Tide will post job openings on www.hiremizzoutigers.com. 

Across the nation, 22 other colleges and universities have also partnered with Tide Cleaners to offer the same services, including the University of Alabama, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Mississippi.  

Edited by Emmet Jamieson, ejamieson@themaneater.com