# LaundryMat unwritten rules. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008 "2005-12-10T05:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/21 "2005-12-10T21:46:51Z")
\ After a wash and dry this thread still smells like IMHO to me. Let’s give it a little Bounce[sub]TM[/sub] over there, shall we? \ ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/22 "2005-12-10T21:54:25Z")
> [@Rico](#): > > \ > > After a wash and dry this thread still smells like IMHO to me. > > Let’s give it a little Bounce[sub]TM[/sub] over there, shall we? > > \ Nice puns! ::Gives **Rico** an all-tempa-Cheer![sub]TM[/sub] :: YAY! ::and a Snuggle[sub]TM[/sub] :: (but I don’t mean anything by that). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/23 "2005-12-10T22:42:11Z")
I’ve had people fold my clothes while I was busy folding them 🙂 I used to live in a Neighborhood that was 85% hispanic, and the Laundromat I used I was usually the only white guy there. One time there were a big group of little old ladies speaking Spanish while I grabbed my stuff out of the dryer. I don’t really fold, I just bend along a random axis or two so nothing hangs out of the basket. Suddenly one of them said something kind of scolding, stepped in front of me dumped out my basket and refolded everything. I guess she just couldn’t stand incompetant folding. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/24 "2005-12-10T22:46:12Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > I’ve had people fold my clothes while I was busy folding them 🙂 > > I used to live in a Neighborhood that was 85% hispanic, and the Laundromat I used I was usually the only white guy there. One time there were a big group of little old ladies speaking Spanish while I grabbed my stuff out of the dryer. I don’t really fold, I just bend along a random axis or two so nothing hangs out of the basket. Suddenly one of them said something kind of scolding, stepped in front of me dumped out my basket and refolded everything. > > I guess she just couldn’t stand incompetant folding. That’s awesome. Sometimes you just gotta love moms, and no doubt, these little old ladies were moms. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/25 "2005-12-10T22:58:23Z")
I don’t get not touching someone else’s clean laundry? Is this some new phobia? Do you eat hotdogs? Canned food? Do you know that the USDA has permissable levels for such things as rat feces and moth wings in food destined for human consumption? Do you drink water? There is a finite amount of water on Earth and it has been “recycled” millions of times, imagine where that glass of water has been before you consumed it and where it’s going from there. My granny used to say “You have to eat a peck of dirt, before you die”, not to mention how much you will touch. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/26 "2005-12-10T23:04:39Z")
I’f I’m not there to remove my laundry from a machine when it stops, then I’m being inconsiderate and I will apologize for inconveniencing someone who had to remove them for me, as well as thanking them for doing so. If someone berates me for removing their cloths I may tell them “You’re welcome”. Take a book, magazine or newspaper w/ you and stay until the job is done. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/27 "2005-12-11T00:57:05Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > I’ve developed tolerance from being a veteran of 31 years of washing BVDs with skid marks on 'em. 😃 > > Also, ladies’ underwear frequently comes on individual hangers. > > But sheesh, guy, if it’s got stains on it, they’re still _clean_ stains, eh? 😉 The nature of a “stain” is that it’s inert, non-functional. That’s what makes it a “stain” and not “dirt”. All the active skid mark molecules have been washed out of it–all that remains is the memory of the skid mark that once was. > > No, I’m not callin’ ya a pussy, but…sheesh… 😛 Just turn any suspicious bits into the middle of the bundle so ya don’t haveta actually, like, _touch_ them or anything, and sling the whole thing out onto the table. Conquer your fears, my son, and claim your rightful place at the washing machine. 😃 Very funny,thanks for the chuckle. I will try to raise to the challenge. I think it’s not just handling their undies but one day a lady walked in just as I was talking her undies out of the dryer…because she was late and I had been waiting…really… :o ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/28 "2005-12-11T00:59:35Z")
> [@A.R. Cane](#): > > I don’t get not touching someone else’s clean laundry? Is this some new phobia? Do you eat hotdogs? Canned food? Do you know that the USDA has permissable levels for such things as rat feces and moth wings in food destined for human consumption? Do you drink water? There is a finite amount of water on Earth and it has been “recycled” millions of times, imagine where that glass of water has been before you consumed it and where it’s going from there. > My granny used to say “You have to eat a peck of dirt, before you die”, not to mention how much you will touch. Thanks for ruining several things I used to enjoy… :mad: ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/29 "2005-12-11T01:06:17Z")
Oh yeah. I think the “those are my panties and I’m a woman so you can’t touch 'em” rule is trumped by the “you left your panties in the dryer after the cycle was done and I need the dryer” rule. You don’t want your panties touched, don’t leave 'em in the dryer. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/30 "2005-12-11T07:27:40Z")
Clothes fold? ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/31 "2005-12-11T08:15:01Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Oh yeah. I think the “those are my panties and I’m a woman so you can’t touch 'em” rule is trumped by the “you left your panties in the dryer after the cycle was done and I need the dryer” rule. > > You don’t want your panties touched, don’t leave 'em in the dryer. I solve the problem by not actually wearing panties. I have a couple thongs I wear for when I wear short skirts, but I just wash those in the bathroom sink with some Woolite. Other than that, in my apt. building’s laundry facilities, there _is_ no where to sit around and wait, so I just come back later. If someone’s thrown my clothes on the counter so be it. Never had anyone fold them for me, but if they wish to, so much the better…well, the hubby’s clothes, anyways. I hang up all my clothes in the closet (including my t-shirts). Oh…and one last thing? Skid marks?? EW! My god, **Duck Duck Goose** get some baby wipes or something. They work wonders for preventing that sort of thing. =p ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/32 "2005-12-11T20:20:34Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > So, you would have no problem rubbing some stranger’s underwear skid mark stain all over your face if it came fresh out of the wash then, eh? ??? Eh, what’s your damage? We’re not talking about shoving your face in a stranger’s undies here; we’re talking about picking them up with the same fingertips that one uses to wipe one’s bottom, pick one’s nose, and clean up after the dog. > [@Cerri](#): > > Skid marks?? EW! My god, **Duck Duck Goose** get some baby wipes or something. They work wonders for preventing that sort of thing. =p Sure, great idea! But why don’t you tell my husband that, seeing as how they’re **his** BVDs? 😉 I’ve only been mentioning it to him for 31 years now, but he might pay attention if it came from a stranger… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/33 "2005-12-11T20:30:29Z")
> [@A.R. Cane](#): > > I don’t get not touching someone else’s clean laundry? Is this some new phobia? Do you eat hotdogs? Canned food? Do you know that the USDA has permissable levels for such things as rat feces and moth wings in food destined for human consumption? Do you drink water? There is a finite amount of water on Earth and it has been “recycled” millions of times, imagine where that glass of water has been before you consumed it and where it’s going from there. > My granny used to say “You have to eat a peck of dirt, before you die”, not to mention how much you will touch. I don’t use a public laundry anymore, but I always hated having to take someone’s unmentionables out of the dryer. I don’t want to know if the guy next door wears boxers, briefs, or a speed-o. Some things best remain a mystery. Second, it encroaches on a level of intimacy. I certainly don’t want my neighbors to see my frilly underthings. That’s reserved for invitees only. I have left my clothes too long a couple times when I was getting used to the whole etiquette of public laundering, but I learned quickly. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/34 "2005-12-11T20:34:24Z")
At around the age of 20, returned to a laundromat to discover to my undying horror and dismay that a half dozen _Pop’s Surf Shop_ Ts and an equal number of favorite jeans were gone to a thief who couldn’t have had one hundredth of the emotional attachment to them as I. Quite possible that took a couple fortnights off my stay on this planet. ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/35 "2005-12-11T20:39:26Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > ??? > Sure, great idea! But why don’t you tell my husband that, seeing as how they’re **his** BVDs? 😉 > > I’ve only been mentioning it to him for 31 years now, but he might pay attention if it came from a stranger… 😃 Hm…maybe take the toilet paper out of the bathroom, leave a box of baby wipes on back of the toilet and hope he gets the hint? Or you could just tell him no sex till he learns how to wipe his arse. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/36 "2005-12-12T05:56:50Z")
> [@Cerri](#): > > I solve the problem by not actually wearing panties. I have a couple thongs I wear for when I wear short skirts, but I just wash those in the bathroom sink with some Woolite. Hmmmm…let me see if I can visualize that…uh huh! yeah! …okay! Here’s a unique business idea. Arthurs all nude laundrorama and grill. Naw!! it’s been done. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/37 "2005-12-12T06:16:40Z")
Dorm rules are similar. Let’s see…four wings, six floors, ~30 rooms on floors 2-5, 2 people per room in ~25 rooms per floor, 1 person per room in the other 5…so that’s 220 people per wing, 880 people in the building. We had three washers and three dryers in each wing, plus a bank of six (or eight…can’t remember) of each in the middle. Even it was odd hours, I always tried to follow the courtesy of using just two of the three in my wing, just in case someone else needed the other one. ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/38 "2005-12-12T07:03:24Z")
At apartment complexes I’ve lived in, you’re extremely lucky if all that happens to your unattended clothes is that they get taken out of the dryer. At the last complex I lived in, there was somebody who stole laundry and then left ransom notes for it, letters cut out of magazines and everything, next to the mailboxes. Other times your clothes would get tossed in the pool. Years back at a different complex, if you left your clothes in the dryer unattended, somebody used to _toss a handful of shrimp_ in with your clothes and then restart the dryer. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/39 "2005-12-12T12:51:24Z")
I worked at a laundromat for awhile. People knew to ask me (the attendant) to remove things from the washers or dryers. I would do so and keep them until the owners came back. If they were from the washer and looked like they would be left overnight, I’d throw them in the dryer and fold them. People were usually aghast that someone else did their laundry and didn’t ever do it again. > [@hazel-rah](#): > > Years back at a different complex, if you left your clothes in the dryer unattended, somebody used to _toss a handful of shrimp_ in with your clothes and then restart the dryer. That’s just fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008/40 "2005-12-12T15:14:08Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > [hijack] > > Is ‘laundrymat’ a ‘real’ word? I’ve heard several people use it, but having grown up with ‘laundromat’ it sounds strange to me. > > [/hijack] Heh. I always say “laundrymat” and was tickled to see the OP use it and folks follow the example. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundrymat-unwritten-rules/335008.md?page=3)