<p>For those who have experience with fans, what do you suggest? Someone mentioned Vornado, but that sits on floor low, stand fan, etc.? Also, what have you found works best with comforter? A regular comforter you can throw in the wash (although are washers in dorms big enough to wash it?) or a down type comforter where you can just remove and wash the cover? Those of you who have kids already in college I know have great opinions.</p>
<p>how many towels would you recommend bringing?</p>
<p>I didn’t get my daughter a comforter- I bought two down throws on sale at costco. Cheaper plus together they are plenty warm and fit more easily in washer ( if she ever washes them)</p>
<h1>towels? how often do you plan to do laundry and shower?</h1>
<p>D showered twice/day about 75% of the time. Two sets of towels from BB&B served her well, and remained in decent enough condition to continue to use next year.</p>
<p>DD will be far from home, and will need to store many of her things at school over the summer.</p>
<p>I was thinking about getting the mid-quality towels ($4/towel) from Walmart, and just telling her to pitch them in the spring - ?wasteful - I was using my college towels for 8 years.</p>
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<p>Even at $4 don’t purchase too many as they will get comfortable and won’t do laundry until the last one is used. when I went to pick up daughter’s stuff she was doing 5 machines of clothes. I asked her why did she wait until the last minute to do laundry, she said she had not run out of clean stuff yet .She could go until the end of the term but she knew that I would not take dirty clothes home.</p>
<p>Ditto for my D. Even now she seems to wait until everything is dirty before doing laundry. Most of us on this board can toss in a wash easily - the machine is right at home, and we can do other stuff while it washes - but the college kids need to shlep it all to the laundry room (downstairs? across the quad? - anyway, not on the corridor, usually) and they do put it off til the very last minute. </p>
<p>Cangel, you might suggest she use the towels to wrap/cushion breakable stuff, like a lamp or dishes, that she puts in storage. She can then either keep or replace them after she unpacks at the start of soph year. </p>
<p>I must say I find it cute to see some of the posts here - two comforters or one? how many towels? etc. - from what I know from my older child, the kids don’t necessarily keep to our standards of what is clean… and that isn’t just the boys!</p>
<p>Also, they aren’t going to Antarctica - you can always send a package of towels in October, or tell them to go to the nearest Target or whatever and buy what they need.</p>
<p>I plan to send towels from the nearest location - my linen closet! Since S is going about as far as possible while still remaining in the continental US, we will be shipping stuff anyway, and can use it to wrap fragile or potentially leaky stuff. We’ll pack a towel in his luggage and ship the rest.</p>
<p>well they werent full size comforters that is why I got 2- they are more the size of something you would have on the back of the couch- but they were about $20 a piece compared to $100+ for a down comforter and I figured they would fit better in the wash ( if she washed them!)
This is the girl that when she was in Costa Rica- bought more underwear instead of rinsing them out.</p>
<p>Oh Sybbie! I’m wise to the don’t do laundry trick - 3 towels, max - I don’t think 2 are enough because at least one will get stuffed in a corner, wet, and get mildewed beyond all salvation.</p>
<p>Wish-it - you are reading my mind, that is my alternative, send the camp towels from the linen closet. Your son will need a few extras - I know his will get mildewed! You also may want to start him out with some Damp-Rid in his closet (if he has a closet), he may never pour off the water, but if he is into chemistry, he might change it once, and it will make a difference in the lfe of his clothes and shoes, especially.</p>
<p>EK - wasn’t thinking of you - someone way back was debating sending two full size comforters - one to use and one to wash!</p>
<p>Cangel - Yup, you got it right - will send the camp towels, unmatched. (Now D had to have matched stuff, but S couldn’t care less.) But, uh, what is Damp-Rid??? </p>
<p>S keeps saying he is excited to be going someplace that will be different… Any other wise words for a mom who has only lived in the NE, MW and PNW? S and I are already arguing about sunscreen.</p>
<p>ohok
damprid is probably that chemical stuff that you can use in areas that are damp and don’t get used much like vacation cabins
we do use it sometimes, the liquid is toxic so make sure animals or little kids won’t get into it</p>
<p>Damp-Rid is calcium …, the husband knows what it is exactly. It is extremely hygroscopic, and can be “renewed”. It comes in a 2 layered cup which you put up on a shelf in a closet, and it soaks up excess humidity. Every so often (fairly frequently down here, it is amazing how much water there is in the air) you pour off the accumulated water, until the crystals completely dissolve. If he has a place to put it, it will help.
Buy some baseball caps and lots of sunscreen and flip-flops. Anything damp or wet will mildew rapidly (24 hours if his room is a little too warm) - my kids are well trained to hang up towels, and not mix towels with other clothes in case of dampness. A roach motel (aahh, palmetto bug establishment) might also be a good room accessory. We have giant roaches down here that actually live outside, but come in when the weather has either been unusually dry or unusually cold. Ants, also come in when the rain is heavy.
He doesn’t need to slather on sunscreen to walk to class, but any exposure over about 20-30 minutes - he’ll need it until he gets a good tan. Baseball caps and good sunglasses will comein handy, too</p>
<p>Thanks, C! The good advice is much appreciated. We are now off to get the meningococcal vaccination, on the first day of no school. Your good advice was helpful for that, too! Wanna come help pack?</p>
<p>Only if you return the favor in August - now what is the best brand of long underwear?;)</p>
<p>I really like patagonia- capilene- also some newer kinds out that self adjust, more for outdoor sports though.
REI has some nice ones, I like silk but it really doesn’t last that long but then again synthetic ones can hold odor.
Smartwool makes long underwear as well as really nice socks that I may be trying out this year- reputed to be soft and washable as well as easy to care for.</p>
<p>Does a kid really need the high tech, heavy duty synthetics for walking back and forth to class, or is that more for outdoor sports, with presumably sweating? What I remember about briefly living in colder climes, and wearing long johns, was always being “too” - too warm inside, too cold out.</p>
<p>I don’t think you would need long underwear for back and forth to class- a good coat/jacket with wind and rain protection ( and a hood) would be first list
then good boots with good soles- can be all weather boots if room for wool socks
jeans are fine-llbean has fleece lined ones I think
I often go out cross country skiing with just a pair of nylon pants and maybe some long underwear on underneath if I am planning to be out a really long time.
I would get a pair of bottoms and some great socks- but he also can wait and buy them online.
keep the feet and head warm and most of your bodyheat will stay in ( and hands)</p>
<p>Cangel, EK gave you great advice. My D (was at Grinnell) dressed in layers because the buildings were always hot while the outside temp was in the single digits. Save the long johns for outdoor activities as they won’t be necessary to go between buildings. But send a few hats and extra pairs of mittens since they often seem to get up and walk away!</p>
<p>Thanks guys - I bought her a couple of sets of silk long johns on sale last March, and I will get her to look at the fleece lined jeans. She doesn’t wear jeans much (she’s 4’9", and it’s hard to find jeans that fit properly), but I’m thinking she will like wearing cords - do people still wear corduroys or is that totally beyond the teen fashion pale, up north? I was thinking she would need a pair of those waterproofed “tennis shoes” - they look sort of like sneakers but they are waterproof (what do you call them?), and a pair of boots.</p>
<p>cangel - I really think (if you can stand it) that it’s best to wait for this warm winter gear and clothing. She won’t need it when she arrives or for at least a couple months after. Then she can see what is “in” at that time at that place. Boots, in particular, kids are very fussy about what they will and won’t wear (S spent this entire winter NEVER wearing anything but regular athletic shoes, except when actually skiing/sledding). I know it makes no sense,but that’s what they do. The winter shoe of choice for some is a kind of slipon/well-treaded suede looking kind of moc (I, too, forget what it’s called), but if her peers are not wearing it where she ends up, she probably won’t either. She can either shop when she’s there, or if she’s disinclined or hasn’t got the time, you can order online and ship to her.</p>