If you’re living downtown this semester, you may not have the luxury of walking down two flights of stairs to swipe your student ID and do your laundry. So, rather than sneaking into the dorms and fighting with freshmen for an open washer and dryer, you may want to consider some of the many options available for having your laundry done.

Tide University Laundry Program

This fall, Penn State partnered with Tide to introduce a university-wide laundry service. You can now drop off your dirty laundry at any of the commons buildings and then pick it up 48 hours later. When your laundry is done, you can choose to have it “clean and folded, retail-style, or dry cleaned.” The laundry is stored in designated Tide lockers, which are accessible 24 hours-a-day.

There are three different plans to choose from when purchasing this service. The plans vary by the weight of the laundry — 10, 20, and 30 pounds — and range from $300 to $800 dollars with an option of being billed annually or semesterly. Here is a breakdown of the cost:

Annually

• 10 pounds per week: $649 per year
• 20 pounds per week: $749 (Most popular plan) per year
• 30 pounds per week: $849 per year

Semesterly

• 10 pounds per week: $349 per semester
• 20 pounds per week: $399 per semester
• 30 pounds per week: $449 per semester

In order to utilize this program, you’ll need to download the MyLaundryApp to manage your account and keep track of updates and notifications.

The Lazy Lion

Located downtown, the Lazy Lion is another service available to students who want their laundry washed, dried, folded, and delivered directly to their doorstep.

Students pay a fee at the beginning of the semester and can have their laundry done each week. Pickup and delivery for those living in apartments is between 5 and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be made by appointment. For those living in fraternities and houses, pickup is between 5 and 9 p.m. on Mondays, while delivery is between 5 and 9 p.m. Wednesday nights.

The prices for this service are less expensive than Tide University, which is always an added bonus for college students who are juggling the costs of books, tuition, and of course, alcohol.

• 10 pounds per week: $229 per semester
• 15 pounds per week: $279 per semester
• 20 pounds per week: $329 per semester
• 25 pounds per week: $369 per semester

You can sign up for this service here.

Chute

This up-and-coming laundry service is easily accessible, speedy, and individualized to each customer. You can choose where you want your laundry picked up and delivered, and exactly how you want your laundry washed, folded, and returned (i.e. color-coded).

As far as cost goes, there is a special college plan where students can pay either $229 per semester or $399 per year to have up to 12 pounds of laundry done each week. What’s more, Chute accepts traditional payment methods in addition to Venmo, LionCash, CashApp, and Bitcoin.

The best part about it? Chute cleans all laundry with eco-friendly detergents and products. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Balfurd Dry Cleaners

Located on both North and South Atherton, Balfurd Dry Cleaners offers yet another environmentally friendly and convenient laundry service for Penn State students.

Those who utilize this program can put their laundry in one of the company’s bags and leave it on their front doorstep before 8 a.m. on the designated day for pickup. Clean, folded clothes will be delivered the next day for a price of $1.69 per pound.

For more information, you can visit the company’s website here.

Overall, you can’t go wrong with any of these different laundry services, which can be tailored specifically to meet your needs.

If you’re living on campus, you may prefer the Tide University Laundry program, as it’s easily accessible in the commons buildings. But if you’re looking for something a little less expensive, The Lazy Lion and Chute services might be more for you. Chute offers an additional convenience with its many options for payment methods. Lastly, if you just so happen to be in a pinch and aren’t looking for a full-time commitment, Balfurd Dry Cleaners is the way to go, as you can pay per pound whenever you need.