Hill residents said UCLA Housing’s new laundry payment system offers convenience but has created some technical difficulties.
UCLA Housing updated its laundry facilities across the Hill to accept mobile app payments ahead of the 2025-26 school year. Residents can now pay for laundry using the WASH-Connect mobile app, replacing readers that previously accepted stored balances on BruinCards.
The app also allows residents to track the status of active laundry machines and dryers, as well as the availability of machines at any given time.
A UCLA Housing spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the Hill’s washing machines no longer supported BruinCard readers, leading UCLA Housing to explore different options. The WASH-Connect app integrates directly with the machines, they added in the statement.
Winston Chiang, a second-year biology student, said he believes the new system will offer convenience in the long run. Chiang, a Sunset Village Courtside resident, added that he loaded about $60 on his BruinCard before the system change – funds he planned to spend on laundry but will now have to find another use for.
BruinCard accounts with balances of $25 or more can only be refunded when a cardholder leaves the university – such as by graduating or unenrolling – as outlined in the terms and conditions. However, a UCLA Housing spokesperson said they are exploring ways to reintegrate BruinCard payments in the future.
The technology has also introduced some new problems such as machines falsely appearing as operable on the WASH-Connect app, second-year physiological science student Kevin Murillo said.
Sabrina Redifer, a second-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, said – aside from the app – she did not notice any major changes in the laundry experience as a returning Sproul Hall resident. Waiting for other people to unload finished laundry cycles was a problem, she added, but said she never had an issue of people moving her laundry because she always returned on time.
However, Redifer added that she found loading money onto her BruinCard to be easier than using the app.
“I like that you can see which washers are available, but I kind of just prefer how it was last year using the BruinCards,” Redifer said. “I was already used to how it was last year.”
Murillo – a Sproul Hall resident – said he regularly encounters out-of-service machines, which can create “chaotic” conditions. Students living in the dorms previously expressed dissatisfaction with broken machines, long wait times and out-of-order machines still accepting payments.
[Related: UCLA students express dissatisfaction with inefficient laundry systems]
Students can now request refunds directly through the app, a UCLA Housing spokesperson said in the statement. They added that maintenance staff are automatically notified about out-of-service machines, which “should help reduce frustrations related to downtime, long waits, and inconsistent machine performance.”
Murillo said he believes the app was difficult to navigate at first, but added that he appreciates its timekeeping features, calling it a “slight upgrade” from last year’s laundry system.
“There’s people that leave their laundry over time, and that frustrates everybody,” Murillo said. “Once you have the app, I feel like that really helps out because now you know when your laundry is done, and if somebody puts your laundry away somewhere else, well that’s on you because you know when your laundry finishes.”
Luke Saum, a first-year geography and environmental studies student, said he experienced some malfunctions during his first time doing laundry, as one machine would not connect to the app and accept his payment.
However, Saum said he instead chose a different machine that worked and was still in favor of the app overall.
“There’s some opportunity for it to be buggy just for the fact of the wireless connection, but I think its features are great and advancing is a good thing,” he said.
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