Following investigations into stolen devices and damaged hardware on laundry machines in Letts, Anderson and Centennial Halls, the Housing and Residence Association announced on Feb. 18 that it would switch from digital payment via the Speed Queen application to students’ One Card IDs.
Issues with laundry systems began in November, 2025 when an email from Housing and Residence Life was sent alerting freshman students to an issue on the Speed Queen app. LAC residents were later alerted of vandalism to the machine network hardware, leading to the shutdown of all laundry services on Nov. 20.
The vandalism to the hardware led to many residents losing laundry access points, which were restored after the investigation’s conclusion, according to the Feb. 18 email. Any further cases of vandalism or theft were referred to the American University Police Department and the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices for further investigation.
“Please continue to treat the machines with care and respect, so that laundry remains available for every student,” the email read.
The University has communicated frequent system outages to students since November, 2025
“It’s been really inconsistent for me. Either something’s broken or Speed Queen is down,” Ariel Williams, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “I would just say it’s never consistently working, whether I have to pay for it or not.”
Like Williams, other students residing in the freshmen dorms report frustration with the way laundry is operated, both in accessibility and affordability.
“I feel like I have to stay up late to even get a washer because it’s literally always broken,” Haley Potts, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said.
Potts also took issue with the payment method change from the third-party Speed Queen app to University OneCard IDs. She expressed frustration with the University and the transition.
“I know you need to pay for laundry, but it’s really frustrating because I feel like this university tries to make money off of everything,” Potts said.
A freshman in CAS, Breanny Trujillo, said she doesn’t believe the switch away from Speed Queen will help decrease technical issues.
“I just feel like they should just make the laundry free,” she said.
When working as intended, Speed Queen’s services make it accessible for students to view all the busy or available machines in LAC. It also includes a timer feature in the app and the option for users to set reminders to retrieve their clothes.
“It’s easier to use [a One Card], but I kind of prefer Speed Queen,” Williams said.
Additionally, Potts highlighted concerns with the price of laundry. She said she is especially upset that the fee for washing only covers 30 minutes, which she said was not even enough time for her tide pod to work effectively.
“It’s absolute insanity that I have to pay $1.75 … I think they can improve it by making it free. So then however disappointing it is, it’s not that disappointing because it’s free,” Potts said.
This article was edited by Natalie Hausmann, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Paige Caron, Mattie Lupo and Ava Stuzin.
