Laundry Wars

Some simple rules for shared laundry spaces

Photo by Sana Saidi on Unsplash

I am 35 years old. I have been living on my own in apartments since I was somewhere around 22. In these last 13 years, I have yet to understand how my neighbors, who in almost every other area of life are reasonable people and a pleasure to live next to, cannot follow basic laundry etiquette.

Just now, I went to advance my clothes from the washer to the dryer. And just now, there was a very dry load of jeans that was there for at least an hour. Now, they at least left a basket for their clothes to be put in, which I boldly did, but the last time I did that I heard some woman (who violated another cardinal laundry rule by doing laundry on a different floor than she lives) screamed “RUDE!” out in the hallway.

Here’s a basic list of what I think are basic, easy to follow laundry manners.

1. If you’re not going to be home to get your laundry out of the washer or dryer, don’t put them in either. The laundry room is not a crockpot where you can let your clothes simmer while you’re gone for the day.

2. Set a timer. It takes about 35 minutes for my clothes to dry. I know that, and I intentionally set a timer so that I won’t forget to check and bring my clothes back to the safety of my apartment.

3. Clean out the lint trap. I don’t mind doing that for you (in fact, I get some sick satisfaction from emptying things like lint traps . . . I know, it is weird) but its not my job. I don’t make you do it for me.

4. Don’t take my detergent. I usually bring it back to the apartment while my laundry is washing, even if I’m planning to do more than one load, but the one time I forgot and left it out there, someone swiped it. How neighborly.

5. Finally, you must not leave the floor you live on to do your laundry. Now, I’ll gladly make an exception if your floor’s unit is broken. But just because you decided to have three children under the age of 7 and don’t feel like packing the rugrats up to drive them to the laundromat where they have the industrial-sized machines doesn’t mean you should be doing laundry on my floor. Go to a laundromat. Its cheaper, quicker, and won’t inconvenience me.

Simple right? Don’t worry; I’m not posting this in the laundry room. I’m afraid it would end up on PassiveAggressiveNotes.com.

Originally published on May 31, 2011.