# Apartment Building Laundry Room Ettiquette **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 26, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952 "2002-05-26T20:38:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/21 "2002-05-28T14:04:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doug Bowe \* > \*\*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. \*\* This is why the very first thing I bought when we moved after college (besides a bed) was a washer and dryer. Before a couch, before a table, before anything else. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/22 "2002-05-28T18:11:53Z")
The second the cycle is over, I’ll pull them out. If I choose to wait a few minutes, someone else will have done it & I’m waiting another 1/2 hour or so to either wash or dry my clothes. I expect others to do that to mine if I leave it in the washer or dryer - so long as they don’t throw it on the floor and dance on it, I’m ok. If it’s in the dryer, it goes on the table (unless there’s an obvious basket to be associated with the laundry) - if it’s in the washer, it goes into either the empty dryer (first choice) or if there is no empty dryer, onto the table. I don’t fold because it’s kind of creepy (someone once took my clothes out of the washer & had folded everything and left it on the table - damp, folded underwear on top of the rest of my damp, folded clothes that was just going to put into the dryer - odd) My etiquette tip: If you decide to open the currently dryer to check on clothes that should have been finished hours ago because you have failed to notice them on the table or in the basket on top of the dryer. Restart the damn dryer before leaving the laundry room. Do not merely close the dryer drawer, but press the stupid button - it’s mean to make someone else pay an extra $1.00 (and wait an extra hour) because you weren’t ready to get your laundry when it finished drying. ---
**Author:** ![Rib\_Eye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Rib\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rib_Eye)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/23 "2002-05-28T19:00:35Z")
In my building there are 22 units and only 4 washers and 4 dryers. A washer takes 30 minutes a cycle and a dryer 45 minutes. If you decide not stay in the laundry room to wait until your cycle finishes tke a look at you freakin’ watch before you leave and then BE THERE when the cycle finishes so the next person can use the machines. If I enter the laundry room to use it and find washer or dryer sitting with laundry inside here is what you as owner of that laundry can expect to find: Your clothes piled on top of a dryer. I don’t wait. I live on the third floor and there is no elevator. I’m not hauling the bantha-sized hamper up and down over and over until I find an empty machine. If you don’t have the consideration to be there and promptly empty your machine, don’t expect anyone else to consider you either. And if when I open your dryer to remove your dry and attended clothes I find any paper money that has made its way to the lint trap from a uneptied pocket it’s mine. Your lucky I don’t take a big steaming crap on your delicates you inconsiderate bastard! 😛 Thanks for listening! ---
**Author:** ![Rib\_Eye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Rib\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rib_Eye)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/24 "2002-05-28T19:01:03Z")
In my building there are 22 units and only 4 washers and 4 dryers. A washer takes 30 minutes a cycle and a dryer 45 minutes. If you decide not stay in the laundry room to wait until your cycle finishes tke a look at you freakin’ watch before you leave and then BE THERE when the cycle finishes so the next person can use the machines. If I enter the laundry room to use it and find washer or dryer sitting with laundry inside here is what you as owner of that laundry can expect to find: Your clothes piled on top of a dryer. I don’t wait. I live on the third floor and there is no elevator. I’m not hauling the bantha-sized hamper up and down over and over until I find an empty machine. If you don’t have the consideration to be there and promptly empty your machine, don’t expect anyone else to consider you either. And if when I open your dryer to remove your dry and unattended clothes I find any paper money that has made its way to the lint trap from a unemptied pocket, it’s mine. Your lucky I don’t take a big steaming crap on your delicates you inconsiderate bastard! 😛 Thanks for listening! ---
**Author:** ![Wisp00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/977dab/32.png) [@Wisp00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wisp00)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/25 "2002-05-29T03:45:00Z")
This reminds me of one of those “hidden camera” shows I saw recently. A laundrymat security camera shows a woman removing some unattended clothes and placing them neatly on top of the machine before placing her own clothes inside. Then the camera cuts to when the man returns to see his laundry’s been removed. He goes and gets a bottle of bleach and pours the whole things inside with the woman’s clothes! Over-react much? Anywho, since I’ve seen that, I’ve been afraid to touch anyone else’s clothes. 🙂 I would say to people who don’t want others touching their clothes: then make sure you are there when your clothes are done! When I lived in the dorms we had two washers and two dryers for the whole floor. If someone left their clothes in there all day (and many times I’ve seen someone throw in their laundry and head off to class for two hours…) then nobody else ever will get their’s done. I’m busy, too, I don’t have all day to be running back and forth to the laudry to see if you finnaly removed your clothes! If both parties are nice about it (the Washer removes their clothes promtly or accepts that someone may remove it for them, the Remover makes every effort to keep the clothes clean and neat, such as putting it in a basket if availible…) then there shouldn’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/26 "2002-05-29T07:12:03Z")
I don’t think that it’s been pointed out yet, but in some washing machines, leaving the clothes in there after the cycle has completed is not good for them. They seem to develop a funky, _almost_ mouldy smell very quickly in my experience. I would never want my damp clothes to sit in a metal box for any length of time. IMHO you could be doing them a favour by giving some air, at least they can start to dry off. ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/27 "2002-05-29T16:46:03Z")
I don’t have to deal with this anymore, but at my old apartment, there were 6 units and 1 washer and 1 dryer, and the landlady didn’t want us doing laundry between 8pm and 8am (WTF??). I think we were a considerate bunch – clothes were regularly left in the machines (which doesn’t bother me unless they’re left for days), and the next user took them out and either piled them on the machine, put them in the basket, or folded them. Sometimes, I came down to put my clothes in the dryer and found a neighbor had already started my clothes drying! (I left the $.75 in those cases.) No one, as far as I know, ever objected to other people handling their clothes. The only problem I ever had was a couple of times someone would dry my clothes, and there were a couple of things that weren’t supposed to go in the dryer. But oh well – I’d rather keep the nice neighbors! ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/28 "2002-05-29T18:41:00Z")
There’s currently a [Pit](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=117343) thread going on that deals with this very subject. ---
**Author:** ![avocet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@avocet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/avocet)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/29 "2002-05-29T18:50:54Z")
I’d wait forever. By the golden rule- If I’m suddenly tied up with a phone call and can’t get back in time to suit my neighbors, I don’t want them pawing through my spiderman underwear. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952/30 "2002-05-29T19:32:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by avocet \* > \*\*I’d wait forever. By the golden rule- If I’m suddenly tied up with a phone call and can’t get back in time to suit my neighbors, I don’t want them pawing through my spiderman underwear. \*\* The golden rule cuts both ways. If someone needs to use the washer, then we shouldn’t expect them to wait forever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-building-laundry-room-ettiquette/110952.md?page=1)