Laundry, Labels, Organization, and More - New Camper Blog Series
Another Tuesday means another week of our New Camper Blog Series, our weekly series focused on getting our new camper families ready for their first summer at camp. This week we are going to look at a hodgepodge of camp details that moms just love: laundry, labeling, sheets, staying organized…let’s jump in!
Laundry:
If your daughter is coming to June, Main, or August Camps, we will wash her clothes during her session. Here’s what you need to know about our laundry system:
- We do each cabin’s laundry together. Girls put all of their dirty clothes into red bags, and these clothes are washed together. Clothes are then folded and returned in these same red bags, with the counselor helping to sort the clothes back to the girls.
- Laundry turn-around is 24 hours. Campers put clothes out after Rest Hour one day and have them back by Rest Hour the next day.
- Lights and darks are washed together. Because of this (and the fun nature of camp in general), don’t send your nicest clothes! Our laundry service does a great job with taking care of your daughter’s things, but you don’t want to send nice, irreplaceable things.
- Laundry is done on site. Camp washes all clothes at camp by our wonderful Laundry crew. This is a huge advantage, as all clothes that come into camp, stay in camp, never leaving.
- Don’t send netted bags in the laundry. Washing such a large load of clothes in our industrial washers, often clothes in small, netted bags don’t dry, slowing down the entire washing process.
Labeling:
Along with our Laundry system, it is so important to label all your things. This makes a big difference in getting back all of your clothes after sending them to be washed.
- If you’re looking for a labeling company, check out Oliver’s Labels. You can find a link in your Greystone Account, and a portion of your purchase of all labels goes to our Great Day Fund.
- Don’t forget to label non-clothing items: shoes, tennis rackets, Chacos, hats, cameras, costumes, riding equipment, Bibles, sleeping bags, book bags. These types of things often don’t have labels – don’t forget!
- We have a Lost and Found under our Dining Hall, where we sort items by cabin when they have a label, and the counselor picks these up each day before Rest Hour. We also have a shelf for non-labeled items that campers can come check, if they have lost something.
Valuables:
The gist? Don’t bring them! This includes anything that you and your family considers irreplaceable. For some, that could be a shirt or a jacket. For others, it is jewelry, a camera, shoes, and more. Did you read our post about Rainy Days? Girls love getting wet and dirty! You don’t want your favorite and best clothes to be ruined due to a late afternoon slide in the mud.
Sheets:
Campers must change their sheets one time during June and Main camps. We also offer an optional sheet change each Sunday for any camper at any of our sessions.
- We provide a set of sheets and a red jersey-style blanket for you to use while you are at camp, if you would like to. These are available on Opening Day.
- Many parents choose to bring their own sheets. If you do this, make sure to send 2 sets during our June and Main sessions, as we cannot wash personal sheets through our laundry system.
Keeping Things Organized:
Along with laundry and labeling, parents always ask how they should set up their daughter’s things while at camp. We have lots of good suggestions from parents. Make sure to check out:
- Packing from a current Greystone mom, which includes how to keep clothes organized.
- Unpacking Guide from a current Greystone mom.
- Structure or Spontaneity? You’ll find out whether packing in those ziplock bags is worth-it or not.
- Check out some Helpful Hints, which include suggestions on organization.
Have any more questions about laundry, labels, sheets, or organization? Let us know! Comment questions below, and we will answer them. See you next week!
