Okay, I’m doing my laundry right now I was thinking I’d like to hear from the Teeming Millions…
When someone leaves their clothes in the washer/dryer for an extended amount of time after they are done, do you pull them out or wait for the people to come and get them? If you do pull them out, how long do you wait?
I would wait half an hour or so. Then I would take them out, and, if dry fold them. If just out of the washer I would try to stack them as neatly as possible. In both cases I would leave a short note of explanation, with times of action mentioned. If there are mutiple washer/dryers going I might not mention who I was, just in case the owner of the clothes had a hissy fit over my actions. Call me a coward.
After about fifteen minutes, if the clothes have been left in the washer, put them in the dryer. If they have been left in the dryer, toss them on the table. If there’s no table, the owner of the laundry should be punished for inconsiderately putting you in a difficult position by having their freshly laundered clothes piled up on the nasty laundry room floor. Otherwise they’ll never learn.
I wouldn’t want strangers folding my laundry, and I’m not going to fold yours just because you forgot to come and get them out of the dryer. If you don’t want other people touching your laundry, sit there and read a book until they’re finished and remove them immediately.
Of course it’s not a problem at my apartment complex because we have a laundry thief who will steal your laundry if you leave it unattended and then leave ransom notes on the notice boards above the mailbox, carefully made from cutting individual letters from magazines. And you thought you had it bad with other people merely touching your laundry!
-fh
I’m with Hazel-rah (I think that’s the second time this week!). I will take the clothes out of the dryer and pile them on the table. It’s not inconsiderate of ME, it’s inconsiderate of THEM for not being there when their laundry’s done. If it’s not dry, tough luck.
If it’s in the washer, well now that’s a tough decision, but after a few minutes I’d probably do the same thing.
Hey, I’ve pulled laundry out of the dryer that was COLD, meaning it had been there a LONG TIME. Inconsiderate slobs.
15 minutes is the limit, if there aren’t any machines free. And all you get is your laundry (wet or dry) piled on top of the machine you were using.
Because if you’re really, really late, I’ll just stuff 'em back inside when I’m done, and you won’t be the wiser…
I’ll usually toss em in a clean garbage bag, but leave the top open to let them see its their clothes. I hate when people cant tend to their laundry tho.
True Laundry Story:
In the coop I live in, we had a “Laundry Incident.” Appearently, one member left their laundry unattended in the dryer for a while. Another member (we’ll call her Member B) came and put A’s clothes on the lid and went about drying her own laundry. Member A got upset and ended up trying to choke member B!
I was a witness to the “incident,” (the laundry room is right outside my door,) and gave a statement to the police. But nothing ever came of it, I’m not sure why.
Member B tried to get Member A evicted, but the board of the coop decided to give Member A one more chance. They stated two reasons, the first being that the police couldn’t make a case, the second being that because she was Somali, (according to the board,) somali’s have different cultural values concerning laundry. Appearently they consider it very bad to touch someone else’s laundry.
So now I never touch anyone’s laundry. Ever.
I think the Golden Rule applies to laundry: Do unto other’s laundry what you want done to yours.
If you think someone can pounce on your wet laundry and remove it and stick it in the dryer, then do so.
But if you don’t want anyone touching yours, I wouldn’t touch anyone else’s.
I fall in the latter category. I never move anyone else’s laundry. I leave notes or just fume in my own apartment.
Or I just forget about it and do my laundry later.
If they have left a basket, I will take laundry out of the dryer (never out of the washer) and put it in the basket, and I would have no problem with someone doing the same to me.
What I hate, though, is that people will take my laundry out of the dryer and put it on top of the dryer, totally ignoring my laundry basket. Even if I have put the basket on top of the dryer, they will move it to the floor and put the laundry there. 
I’d probably just pile it up on top of the machine/table. But I would make SURE the cycle was done, since it’s a $1.75 a load in this building (not worth the money to go anywhere else, either) and it SUCKS to have your load stolen! It’s happened to me (somewhere else) where I was sitting there, next to the machine, doing homework, and some prick comes over, opens up the washer (which I’d just started) and starts taking my clothes out of the machine! I got pissed off and told him to put it back, and what the hell did he think he was doing, etc. You know what he said? “But I don’t want to wait - I’m going out tonight!”
%(W& @#)#$@!!!
Finders, keepers.
I no longer have this particular issue, but when I was younger I lived with an SO in an building that had shared laundry.
I always did our laundry on Sunday afternoon, and another gal on my floor did her families laundry at the same time. Basically we would switch off with who took what out when - I would fold her stuff, she would fold mine. We never actually spoke to each other, and I lived there for more than a year, but we certainly had a mutual laundry agreement going.
Of course you should take the laundry out of the machine when it’s done. You don’t know how long you would have to wait for the person to come and do it himself. HOWEVER there was an occasion when I did that, and when I returned later to take my own laundry out, there was a note on the machine that said: “To whoever took my clothes out of the machine: If I ever find out who you are I will personally KICK YOUR ASS!”. I would say that that must violate some rule of etiquette :rolleyes:. So my laundry room etiquette tip is to not leave threatening notes in the laundry room.
Of course you should take the laundry out of the machine when it’s done. You don’t know how long you would have to wait for the person to come and do it himself. HOWEVER there was an occasion when I did that, and when I returned later to take my own laundry out, there was a note on the machine that said: “To whoever took my clothes out of the machine: If I ever find out who you are I will personally KICK YOUR ASS!”. I would say that that must violate some rule of etiquette :rolleyes:. So my laundry room etiquette tip is to not leave threatening notes in the laundry room.
Of course you should take the laundry out of the machine when it’s done. You don’t know how long you would have to wait for the person to come and do it himself. HOWEVER there was an occasion when I did that, and when I returned later to take my own laundry out, there was a note on the machine that said: “To whoever took my clothes out of the machine: If I ever find out who you are I will personally KICK YOUR ASS!”. I would say that that must violate some rule of etiquette :rolleyes:. So my laundry room etiquette tip is to not leave threatening notes in the laundry room.
Heh. So that’s how that happens {
I never touch another person’s laundry because I don’t want anyone touching mine.
When I lived in a dorm, if there were no machines available, I went back later. When I had three roommates plus their lazy boyfriends, we created a schedule.
Now, I have my clothes laundered. I drop it off dirty; I pick it up clean. I know someone else is touching my stuff, but somehow it doesn’t bother me if I’m paying someone to do it.
The quarter you put in the slot only gives you the right to it while it’s running. To go off and leave your laundry sitting in an idle machine is not only rude to other customers, but it’s stealing from the management.
If there are other dryers available, I usually don’t worry about it. But if the place is packed and lots of folks waiting for dryers(happens a lot here), then I have no reservation about removing a rude persons things. Or discussing laundry ettiquete with them upon their return.
Wait a few minutes to see if they care about their own action (or lack of action).
Then into the laundry basket they left behind.
When you get your own house and pay for your own private appliances you get the privileged of leaving your stuff in there until Hades freezes over.
Until then, we’re all in this together and consideration of others is part of the game…everyone’s game.
At university in my first year half the campus shared the facilities of one launderette, those machines were in use constantly.
So one day I’m next in line and a load has been sitting in the washer after spin drying for at least 15 minutes. It had been spun so it wasn’t going to mess the floor up…I piled it on top of the machine.
(I would have used a bin liner if I had one, I would have gone out and bought a bin liner if I had spare change, I would have used the inconsiderate SOB’s bag if he’d been trusting enough to leave it. Instead I dusted off the top of the washer and piled everything on there very carefully.)
So my washing is soaping up nicely when in walks the guy with his girlfriend. He demands to know who took his load out and threatened to “come back and have words” if any of his socks were missing. The fact that his girlfried was looking on probably helped puff him up.
Since I was extra careful, I knew nothing was missing. I merely smiled, said “Fine, whatever” and we parted ways. I think the nonchalant dismissal stung him the most.