Every mom has thought or said this a million times, and now our college kids are (hopefully) learning the tedious task of doing their own laundry.  I taught my daughters how to do theirs during their senior years of high school and then helped to refine their skills during the summer before they left for college.  I’m not going to lie and say that they have perfected the skill of taking care of themselves, but at least they can run a load of dirty clothes if needed. I think a parents’ biggest wish is that they just wash their sheets and towels weekly, but then pray for at least a few times a semester.

Luckily my oldest daughter found that a little peer pressure in the “doing laundry” department helped keep her on her toes.  The kids are so busy that they sometimes forget that they have two pairs of underwear left, and when they see a roommate starting laundry, it jumps starts their brain to get some chores done as well.

In the dorms, laundry rooms are found in common areas or on the first floor. It costs $1.25 for a load and they can use quarters or their Bulls Bucks from their student IDs.  No longer are the days of waiting around or constantly checking the status of the machines in hopes that someone wouldn’t dump your stuff on the floor.  Now, students can view the status of any machine and even get a text message when a machine is ready. LaundryView can be found on the homepage of the MyUSFMobile app.

*If your child “forgets” how to do their laundry, USF has a video to help out, or your child absolutely needs a laundry service to help them out, try Mango Cleaners & Laundry.  They provide services to the USF area and offer pickup and delivery as well.

For other services check out:

Richie’s Cleaners – located on Temple Terrace Highway.  New customers get 20% off their dry-cleaning order.

Lapel’s Dry Cleaning – located on Preserve Walk Lane.  They offer lots of different services including alterations.  They have online coupons as well.

McNatt’s Cleaners & Laundry – located on N. 56 Street.

Young Tailor Shop – located on N. 56 Street.

Elite Dry Cleaners – 11301 N 56th St Suite 9, Temple Terrace, FL 33617 6 am to 7 pm

McNatts Cleaners – 16027 Tampa Palms Blvd W, Tampa, FL 33647 7 am to 7 pm

Busy Bee Dry Cleaners – 4708 E Busch Blvd, Tampa, FL 33617 7 am to 7 pm

$1.99 Cleaners 320 West Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, FL 33612

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Does everyone need a maid? Ok, let me start by saying that yes, my children know how to clean their rooms and bathrooms. Do they like to? No. But, boy did my oldest learn quickly that there really is no other way to be when living in a tiny dorm room and sharing a bathroom. It was actually a great life lesson because when she moved into an apartment, she kept up her clean ways. That being said, there are actually times where hiring a cleaning service may not be such a bad idea.

First off, if your child is in an apartment and a roommate comes down with the flu or something else contagious, having a one-time cleaning to disinfect everything is not a bad idea. For some reason, germs spread like wildfire around college kids. This could help keep everything from spreading. The only other reason would be having a clean of an apartment to avoid a charge when moving out. Let’s face it, kids get lazy towards the end of a semester, and frankly, they may not have a lot of time to clean either. They will be swamped with studying for finals, writing papers, attending the end of year events, and packing.

Here are a few cleaning services to try:

• Dorm Mom 877-478-5332, They offer both laundry services and apartment cleaning. They send out one cleaner who will clean the common areas, kitchen, and bathrooms for up to three hours. Check their site for pricing.
• MaidPro Tampa 813-903-8000 -They have coupons on their websites that are useful.
• Royal Maid Service 813-773-3147
• 2 Girls N a Bucket 813-445-7139, They offer one-time cleaning, moving in/out cleaning, and apartment cleaning.

I would also suggest looking at the student and parent Facebook pages.  Recommendations can be found there. You may even find some students offering their help to earn extra money. Pass on these great tips, tell your friends and like us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Find out more about how to use HaveUHeard as a great resource. Sign up for other great tips at haveuheard.com.

The post I’m Not Your Maid: Cleaning Services appeared first on HaveUHeard.com.