# Folding dirty laundry: crazy or normal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415 "2010-12-08T15:19:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/21 "2010-12-08T19:11:21Z")
Did she do this often or only in this circumstance? You did rent the cabin from your Aunt, maybe she was just feeling nervous about your family. I have seen new SOs basically tarred and feathered by the family gossip machine for stupid stuff like this. General behavior when using a cabin is to leave it better than you found it, yeah it doesn’t really make sense because of the cleaning crew, but if it was a onetime thing I wouldn’t worry about it. After the fact I would probably tease her in fun a little and judge the reaction. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/22 "2010-12-08T19:19:44Z")
She crazy. I would have probably jammed the linens into a dirty pillowcase myself. Make sit easier to carry, it’s still easy to “unpack” and the linens look and feel neater sitting by the back door. So maybe I’m a little crazy. But she crazier. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/23 "2010-12-08T19:22:41Z")
Folding a whole load of dirty laundry? Totally nutso. The only time I would fold a dirty item is if there was a stain on it that it was very important they see because it could ruin the rest of the load (such as ink or lipstick). In that case, I would leave that item on top, folded so the stain shows. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/24 "2010-12-08T19:29:40Z")
I fold my dirty laundry. Not the same precise way that I fold clean laundry, but in a nice loose fold to make it easier to handle or sort. I don’t see anything wrong with her wanting to fold the linens, but it took her 10 minutes? That’s a long time to be folding such a small amount of linens. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/25 "2010-12-08T19:32:58Z")
Crazy, but as sitchensis says, upon seeing it is YOUR aunt you were renting from, I suddenly want to know how long you have been dating. Women have been known to do strange things when it comes to future-in-laws and we’d mostly rather would err on the side of caution. Perhaps she was just nervous about how they’d feel. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/26 "2010-12-08T19:57:44Z")
crazy. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/27 "2010-12-08T20:02:04Z")
I will see your “crazy” and raise you a “batshit crazy” 3 words: “lose that number” ---
**Author:** ![purple\_cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@purple\_cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_cow)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/28 "2010-12-08T20:37:29Z")
I did take into account the family possibility, but it was a cleaning service so there was no way they would ever find out. The family lived in new york so they didn’t have any day-to-day dealings with the cabin. Plus she had known the family for 20 years so they weren’t scary to her. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/29 "2010-12-08T20:38:58Z")
> [@purple\_cow](#): > > I did take into account the family possibility, but it was a cleaning service so there was no way they would ever find out. The family lived in new york so they didn’t have any day-to-day dealings with the cabin. > Plus she had known the family for 20 years so they weren’t scary to her. Crazy. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/30 "2010-12-08T20:44:30Z")
Possibly crazy, but who cares? Once you marry this girl, she’ll be responsible for all the laundry anyway. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/31 "2010-12-08T20:47:58Z")
Do you have enough “crazy” votes yet? If not, you can add mine. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/32 "2010-12-09T02:18:13Z")
Nuts. Like question continuing the relationship kind of nuts. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/33 "2010-12-09T02:49:24Z")
Wow, you mean you didn’t unfold the sheets when she wasn’t looking to prevent the cleaning staff from thinking you were crazy? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/34 "2010-12-09T04:45:09Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > I vote “neat freak”. It’s also confusing to fold dirty things – foldedness indicates clean-ness, and waddedness indicates wash-me-ness. This ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/35 "2010-12-09T13:36:44Z")
I do this if I stay at a friend or relative’s house. I strip the bed, and loosely fold the dirty sheets. Mo one will confuse them with clean sheets, and somehow it seems to make it look like I’m treating their house better than the local Marriott. Wouldn’t do it in a hotel or if a cleaning service was coming, though. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/36 "2010-12-09T16:55:58Z")
I fold mine. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/37 "2010-12-09T17:48:25Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Crazy. The only case that can be made for folding dirty laundry is if you’re packing at the end of a trip and have to fit everything in a suitcase - folded clothes will fit better than just tossing everything in. My answer exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/38 "2010-12-09T21:42:24Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > I do this if I stay at a friend or relative’s house. I strip the bed, and loosely fold the dirty sheets. Mo one will confuse them with clean sheets, and somehow it seems to make it look like I’m treating their house better than the local Marriott. Wouldn’t do it in a hotel or if a cleaning service was coming, though. I read some… thing… maybe an Ann Landers column (?) pleading “Please don’t do that.” re: stripping the bed when you’re visiting. Apparently, the writer was saying, it meant she had to deal with the bedding right away because she had limited space. Whereas if the guest had just made the bed, the room would have had a neat and tidy appearance and she could wait until wash day before dealing with everything. Although she appreciated her guests intentions, it had the opposite of the intended affect because she had to pull everything apart and put the sheets back on the bed for the time being. Anway, that aside, I’m voting for Grad A, Nurse Ratched, Cuckoos Nest, Tom-Cruise Crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/39 "2010-12-09T21:51:22Z")
Yeah, if it was my house, I’d prefer the guest to leave the cleaning decision up to me and just left the room as he or she found it, rather than starting a job halfway that I would have to finish anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415/40 "2010-12-11T20:04:36Z")
I would have folded the sheets, to avoid giving the cleaner a bad impression about me. I wouldn’t want the cleaner to think I was a pig for dumping the sheets in a pile on the floor. Then again, maybe I’m just strange. When I stay in a hotel, I always leave the cleaners a thank-you card and present too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-dirty-laundry-crazy-or-normal/563415.md?page=3)