Alerts have students in a spin

FOR most students, doing the laundry means packing their dirty clothes into a bag and taking them home to mum.

But a new online system for students at Edinburgh University now means there's no reason why they shouldn't be doing their own washing on campus.

Students in halls of residence can view the availability of washing machines and dryers at their nearest laundry room by visiting a website.

They will also receive an e-mail to let them know when the cycle has finished.

The system, called LaundryView, was introduced by Yorkshire-based Circuit and is also available to students at Glasgow and St Andrews universities.

At Edinburgh University the service is available at each laundry site, including all accommodation for first year students, a family block and a returning student block.

Senior accommodation manager at the university, Eileen Prentice, said: "The introduction of LaundryView at Edinburgh has provided greater student satisfaction with our laundries, not just because they can check availability before trailing all their laundry to the laundry room, but because any faults are immediately detectable by Circuit, and the time that machines are out of use has reduced dramatically."

LaundryView was introduced at the university following feedback from students which showed there were never enough washing machines and tumble dryers available.

If students find they are clashing with others during their visits to the laundry room, a "weekly stats" mode on the website can analyse the last week's activity and identify peak times, so they can re-schedule their visits.

Students also receive e-mails via computer or mobile phone when a machine becomes available.

Biological Sciences student Lorna Jackson, a fresher at the university, is looking forward to using the new system.

The 19-year-old, who is staying in the Darroch Court halls of residence, said: "I think it's a really good idea and it's a good way to save you going backwards and forwards to see if a washer or dryer is free. It saves a lot of time and effort.

"I have been to the laundry room a couple of times and there's not been any washers free, so it's good for that."

The scheme was first introduced at Edinburgh University last year and is available to approximately 5,000 students.