Okay, it’ll never replace Mom, but Ithaca’s new high-tech LaundryView website sure makes getting your clothes clean a whole lot easier.

Now when you have four loads of laundry to do (two if you don’t separate), help is just a click away. From the comfort of their rooms students can go online to see how many washers and dryers are empty. (A jiggling, dancing icon means a machine is in use.) And once the laundry is in, students can click to see its progress. They may see a message that says “est. time remaining 6 min,” or “cycle complete 60 minutes ago.” Time flies, so if that’s not enough, students can request an e-mail alert when the laundry is done. What’s more, there’s no charge for either the online access or the washing itself: students in all residence halls can do their laundry for free.

Among students, the consensus is that LaundryView is a cool tool. “It’s a time-management thing,” says senior Chris Wyland. “For the past three years I had to schedule hours for laundry. The washers would be full, then the dryers. I would wait until I didn’t have anything [clean] to wear. Now you can check it out before you ever start.” He also claims he can clean his room while his clothes are washing.

We can’t swear to that, but we do know this: Now that your next weekend at home doesn’t need to include three or four loads to wash, your mother will be even happier to see you.