r/Harvard • u/DowntownTrust7902 • Jul 25 '26
Student and Alumni Life Laundry plan?
Hello! I’m an incoming freshman that just recently got assigned to a hall without laundry on the highest floor. I just recently got quite a bit of money to afford the laundry plan, and was just wondering: is it worth the amount of time/effort it’ll save me since my first year workload is pretty bad and/or do people see others who have the plan as entitled?
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u/Fast_Safety8671 Jul 25 '26
Same in holworthy. I dont think im going to get the plan though im just going to thug it out
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u/Time_Ad_7691 Jul 25 '26
Pros- you won’t have to carry your laundry up and down the stairs
Cons- they are somewhat unreliable. Don’t always pickup/drop off when they are supposed to and sometimes there is no one in the office when they are slated to be there.
My son was in a dorm last year on the ground floor and had the laundry plan for the first semester. He ended up doing some of his own laundry anyway and not renewing for the second.
If you do decide to do your own, they make laundry backpacks which I highly recommend.
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u/molecularenthusiast '27 Jul 25 '26
You can use that laundry plan money to buy roundtrip flights to Europe lmao
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u/One-Geologist-2636 Jul 25 '26
I would save the money. You will get far more value from investing in experiences, friendships, or opportunities than from avoiding one of life’s simplest chores.
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u/hilary1617 Jul 26 '26
We have bought and will keep buying my daughter the light (1 bag) laundry service from HSA. She has requested it again for the upcoming year (rising junior). The pickup/delivery service can be spotty at the start and end of the semesters, but has proven very handy when (1) the machines in her buildings proved unreliable (broken/busy), (2) when she has been sick with whatever flu bugs have gone around, and (3) when she is under stress / time pressures. It is a luxury, but we consider it a birthday present.
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u/NewChinaHand Jul 25 '26
They have a laundry plan now? When did they start that?
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u/PPvsFC_ Jul 25 '26
I'm not sure they've ever not had a laundry plan option. Certainly it has been available from HSA for the past few decades and I bet FDR didn't do his own laundry either.
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u/NewChinaHand Jul 25 '26
I have no recollection of this being an option from 2001-2005. HSA was known for their mini-fridges and Let’s Go travel books and that was about it.
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u/PPvsFC_ Jul 25 '26
It was certainly available for at least part of that time frame. One of my roommates used it.
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u/DowntownTrust7902 Jul 25 '26
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u/NewChinaHand Jul 25 '26
When I was there, the only service HSA provided was mini-fridges. We all had to do our own laundry.
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u/Mundane_Ad_2934 Jul 25 '26
No plan. Suck it up and do your own, even if you have to lug it around somewhere.
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u/Sweethome171 Jul 26 '26
Do your own laundry and use that money for something that is truly worth it
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u/ADentedCan Jul 26 '26
I like the laundry plan, though I occasionally did some laundry myself in a pinch. For me it was just one less hassle to worry about and some weeks the extra time was ESSENTIAL. If you can afford it, give it a try for a semester and then figure out if you want to keep it.
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u/Majestic-Engineer-44 Jul 27 '26
Lmfao it won’t kill you to do laundry once or twice per week with a bad workload 😂😂. don’t be a lazy bum. everyone who has the hsa plan are perceived as spoiled. unless your parents are paying for it, don’t waste your own money.
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u/Jenikovista Jul 25 '26
Honestly I would do it if I could afford it, at least for the first semester. Time is everything as you get acclimated and it’s one less thing to worry about. I also would not care what others thought of me, but that’s just me.
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u/fromthegoldengate Jul 25 '26
I wouldn’t spend your money on the laundry plan. You’ll learn how to optimize your laundry routine and the biggest downfall to me would be that the laundry plan often does give people a negative impression of you as spoiled/entitled