Students hope for new machines as maintenance temporarily closes residence laundry room

Students living in residence at Algonquin College all know the pain of laundry day.

Between guessing which dryer won’t work by the amount of lint in the trap to slamming the washer door closed so the cycle finally starts — never mind the constant out-of-service machines — the laundry rooms are not ideal.

Students were relieved to hear that the machines would be under maintenance in an email sent out on Oct. 18. On the other hand, the maintenance meant students wouldn’t have access to residence laundry machines from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27.

The email reads: “During this week-long period, the laundry rooms will be inaccessible, and all laundry machines will be out of service. We understand that this may be inconvenient, and we apologize for any disruption this may cause. We recommend planning your laundry needs accordingly and completing any pending laundry before the closure begins.”

At 8 p.m. on Oct. 22, students were finishing their final loads of laundry before the week began, filtering in and out of the rooms.

“Personally, I don’t mind the machines being out for a week if it means they will be improved in the long run,” said resident Rachel Shone. “I say this will be a very good thing if they manage to replace the machines with better ones.”

“It’s quite inconvenient that the machines are out. However, with how much the previous machines broke down, a week will pass by quickly,” said Shone’s roommate, Leyla Cornell.

However, students were worried an accident like spilling a drink might change how quickly the week goes.

Resident Ren Chartrand said he’s looking forward to better machines but is frustrated by the temporary closure.

“I did extra laundry in preparation, and I know afterwards I’ll have to do extra to catch up,” said Chartrand. “Both of these add to my frustration because I’m disabled and living on the fourth floor.”

The maintenance doesn’t leave students completely without laundry options. Residents could always ask a friend to use their machines or go to a laundromat.

The closest laundromat from campus is a 27-minute bus ride to Merivale Coin Laundry on Merivale Road. The business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last load time being 3 p.m.

Students can contact the residence front desk for questions or concerns about the closure.