The company who contracts the washing and drying machines to the Cal State Long Beach Parkside Commons dorms replaced six broken washers and put stickers on each washer with instructions on proper detergent use, according to housing director Carol Roberts-Corb.
Campus housing does not own the washers and dryers that the residents use. The machines are rented out by Wash Multifamily Laundry Systems, according to Elson Browne, associate housing director.
Browne said the reason the washing machines kept breaking was because students were not using high-efficiency detergent or used too much detergent.
“The stickers recommend using high-efficiency detergent, because the washers are high-efficiency machines, but also instruct users that if they are going to use regular detergent, to use one-fourth of the recommended amount,” Roberts-Corb said.
There are also two signs on the back wall of the laundry room with instructions on how to use the washers properly. A telephone number for the Wash company is on the signs as well.
Browne said students could report broken washers by filling out a service request at washlaundry.com. Students have to enter the broken washer’s six-digit machine ID, the problem with the machine and the machine’s location. The sign does not include the URL for the WASH website.
Jeremy McConnell, a freshman kinesiology major, said he noticed that a couple of machines have been replaced, but that they still have some kinks.
“The timers are still off,” McConnell said. “But they’re college washers, so you can’t expect much.”
Roberts-Corb also said that on-campus housing staff made signs that instruct students to empty their pockets of things that could potentially disrupt the functioning of the washers (i.e. hair pins or loose change). But these signs could not be found on the washers or in other parts of the laundry room.
Roberts-Corb told users to contact Wash directly if they experience a problem. A Wash representative responds within 24 hours of a reported problem.