<p>We had a HUGE, sometimes acrimonious but otherwise useful debate on laundry service last year at this link:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/984300-will-you-signing-up-your-bs-child-laundry-service.html?highlight=laundry[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/984300-will-you-signing-up-your-bs-child-laundry-service.html?highlight=laundry</a></p>
<p>We signed up, by the way–Exeter’s service is relatively inexpensive (though it’s annoying to pay for both mandatory linen service AND optional laundry service). Our son has to wear dress shirts every day and does sports every season so has lots of stuff to be washed. And I think he’s one of those kids who would just keep wearing stinky clothes rather than wash them. Anyway, he used the service regularly, and is so busy we’re happy to take one task off his shoulders. Dorms have laundry machines though, so it wouldn’t really be a big deal to do it–it’s more the folding and hanging, and potential mess/extreme wrinkle/stink factor that pushes me toward splurging for the service.</p>
<p>My son’s dorm locks automatically–kids need a keycard to get in–so it’s pretty secure. I don’t think he even locks his room most days–locking his laptop would be overkill. Then again, they don’t take laptops to class–don’t know if that would make a difference? If my kid had a lock, I don’t think he’d remember to use it…</p>