Students resort to hand-washing clothes to save money

University students have resorted to hand-washing their clothes after the cost of campus laundrettes shot up.

Videos are circulating on social media showing first- year students washing clothes in buckets, before hanging them up in halls or residences rather than paying for a tumble dryer.

In one video a group of students said they were living like Victorian children “because the prices to pay for washing at uni are mortifying and we’d rather spend it on nights out”.

Others joked they had effectively turned “Amish out of anger”.

Students claim prices for university accommodation laundrettes have crept up in the last five years and can vary greatly between campuses.

Most university halls of residence laundrettes are operated by supplier Circuit Laundry, although prices are set by universities.

Circuit Laundry posted profits of £3.6m last year, a slight fall from its £3.9m profits the year before.

At York University, hundreds of students signed a petition last year urging the university to cut ties with Circuit Laundry and offer more support to students. A university spokesman said at the time that it already offered “food vouchers, free laptop loans, on- campus employment, emergency loans and other support measures”.

An average wash cycle at Cardiff University costs £ 3, while at Bristol it is £ 2.30, according to the universities’ websites. However on some campuses, students have complained about spending up to £7 for a single wash and dry.

Last year, Newcastle University announced it would be reducing the cost of its Circuit Laundry machines to £1.30 for a wash cycle to reduce the cost of living burden on students.

Some have invested in portable washing machines or take clothes back to their parents to wash at home. It comes as the student maintenance loans have reached their lowest realterms value since 2016, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

Save the Student said the average student’s monthly living costs had risen 17pc since 2022 to £1,078. Last year, the campaign group found that there was a monthly shortfall of £439 between the average student’s maintenance loan and living costs – up from £340 in 2021.

This is because the maintenance loan was uprated in line with inflation forecasts of 2.2pc, but in November 2022 inflation was far higher than expected, reaching 11.1pc.