Laundry room drama! (Wow, my life is exciting.)

[jaina]

Yes or no: in a public laundry room (ie, in an apartment complex), if there are no empty washers/dryers available, but some loads are done and their owners have not retrieved them, is it OK to take out their finished laundry and put it on the counter or in a cart, so that you can do your own?

I say yes, because why should I have to wait around forever for people to get their laundry? But I just got yelled at by some random woman in our laundry room. There were no empty washers. One was done, so I took out the laundry and put it over on the counter and put my own stuff in. I moved over to another one that looked done (it shows the cost, rather than the number of minutes left), touched the laundry, and realized it was still dry. Cue the woman saying, "That's my laundry, I haven't put the soap in yet." I apologized and went to wait for the next couple washers to be done. After the woman finished loading her six washers, she turned and called over to me "Don't touch my stuff!" in this really accusing tone. I was like, "Okay..." She said, "You touched my stuff! Don't do it again!" I said, "Yes, I opened the washer, realized it was your stuff, and I said I was sorry." Then she went off on me for taking out that other load of laundry, how dare I, it could get stolen, etc etc etc. (Never mind that it could just as easily get stolen while in the washer; it's not like they lock or anything.)

Ugh. I had such a nice productive day and this is putting a really bad taste in my mouth. :(

Comments

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Yes. Moving it is good. And right. That woman is stupid.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

What a bitch! Never mind you didn't move her stuff.

It's bad form to take up 6 washers at the same time for one, and for two, you should make sure your laundry doesn't sit there doing nothing and taking up a machine that other people need.

I think if laundry has been sitting there unwatched and unmoved and its clear its owners are no where around and gone for more than a few minutes, then it's fair game.

*hugs*

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the hugs! I am less cranky now than I was then but argh!

[meyerlemon.livejournal.com]

Now I can't remember where I saw this, but someone did a poll on this issue (or, on how long laundry had to be unattended before it was okay to move it) and the group-mind consensus was this remarkably clear bell curve. Like, it had to sit for 15 minutes, and then it was fine to move it. I was surprised there was such a semi-universal agreement.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

I love that people have done polls on this. Laundry is serious business!

[laragoth.livejournal.com]

I'm a mixed mind on the moving issue.

I've been the one waiting for someone to move their stuff, and I've had my stuff moved, and not only was it moved, stuff was missing after it was moved, and it was stuff I LIKED. Needless to say I was irked.

On the other hand, if you are truly paying attention to your wash, you won't let it sit long enough to aggravate someone into moving it for you, and if you do, it's really on you if something comes up missing, even if you only leave it a short time. It's why all the disclaimers are around about "not responsible for lost/stolen merchandise", etc. People do it all the time and probably blame the establishment, when it was really them not monitoring their stuff.

That doesn't give her any right to jump down your throat after she already expressed her concern about you moving her items. That's just a bit over the line. She expressed it was hers, you apologized, she didn't need to go further.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've had stuff go missing, which sucks. I've also had it go missing straight from the washer though. (Person who stole my bras, you are weird and stupid.)

On the plus side, this is the first really crazy laundry encounter I've had in five years of living here, so that's a decent ratio.

[hattermercury.livejournal.com]

Sorry about stealing your bras, but I can't help the way they feel on my skin...o0o00o0o (j/k!)
;)
Seriously though, I think the 15 minute rule applies, as well as the "is it dry?" rule. If both are good, put it on the table.
I've gone into our laundry before 5 minutes after it goes off, and they are still wet, sitting there on the table. What do you do now? Take their clothes out and put yours back in?

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

I've gone into our laundry before 5 minutes after it goes off, and they are still wet, sitting there on the table. What do you do now? Take their clothes out and put yours back in?

Now see that just ain't cool. :(

[mattador.livejournal.com]

Yeah, moving it is totally fine- some people forget and leave theirs in for hours, after all.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

I know, that drives me crazy!

[ferdalump.livejournal.com]

On a weekend especially (when I'm sure most people have to catch up on their laundry) I think it is entirely rude to take up 6 washers. And in my experience, if you leave your laundry like that unattended past the end of the cycle--you can expect it to be moved. It could've easily been stolen out of the machine just as well as where you put it. Ugh. Some people.

And really--why go on and on with you? Okay, you touched her stuff and she didn't like it. Fine. You clearly didn't steal it or ruin it or anything. Saying something once so you know it's her's is ok (still you were in the right to do it) but going on and on is just petty and wrong.

Sorry you had to deal with that. :( Laundry sucks all the way around.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Sunday night is prime time for the laundry room. I mean, I ended up doing 8 loads, but I spread it out over the whole day. There are 12 washers total so she was taking up half of them. :(

Laundry does suck!

[kagomechan.livejournal.com]

6 washers at once??? What a supreme jerk move. Also if you apologize and they continue to complain then they need to get a life. But alas some people just like drama and conflict.

Also I've seen people dump other people's wet or dry clothing on the FLOOR. Now that is a jerk move.
Personally I've always watched my Laundry like a hawk.. 0_0 But I would also bring work/reading/ drawing stuff to amuse me.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

On the FLOOR!? Ugh. Our floor is sooo nasty, that would be awful!

I usually go back to my apartment while the laundry is going, but I set a timer so I know when to go back.

[hollywdliz.livejournal.com]

Bitch. I say she deserved a punch in the face, but law enforcement tends to frown on that sort of thing. I agree with the 15-minute rule. I am more hesitant to move wet clothing from the washer, but if it's in the dryer and has obviously been done for a while, I think it's perfectly acceptable to move it to the counter or a cart -- especially on prime laundry day when it's even ruder to leave your wash sitting there for so long. I like the 15-minute rule someone else mentioned.

I set the kitchen timer too! My laundromat is right across the street, so it's a quick walk, and I've never had anything stolen (though the obligatory random sock goes missing once in a while, as socks are wont to do); my neighborhood is pretty low-key.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Yes! A punch in the face!

I really prefer not to have to move wet laundry, but if there's nothing else available and I have to get my laundry done, I'll do it.

[schneck128.livejournal.com]

Dude. I say if you don't want your laundry touched, you stay and watch it, and change it promptly. If you don't, it's not my fault, and it's fair game. If you can't be bothered to bring a book or set a timer, you are lazy, and not entitled.

You were totally in the right, IMHO.

My question is on the six washers thing. I always debated whether it was more rude of me (or a person) to take up two washers for three to four hours, or take up six for 40 minutes and be out of everyone's hair. I always leaned toward 6, figuring that it's better for everyone. But apparently, the people in these comments disagree. Oops. ;o)

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Word!

I'm kind of undecided on the six at once thing-- I guess either way, you're basically taking up the same amount of time. I generally try to do a ton of stuff at once only when the room's not busy.

[thedan.livejournal.com]

You are correct. Crazy lady is crazy.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[blusurfer.livejournal.com]

Bitch much? That lady needs to get a grip.

Here's my laundry room rules:

1. Taking up 6 (or more) machines is not rude. If you come into the room and there are that many empty, get all your laundry done at once and get the hell out. Why only use 3, leaving others unused, and in the end take up more time?

2. If you leave your laundry alone, you have no right to complain about anything.

3. Screw the 15 minute rule. I give 'em five. Either stay in the room or keep on top of your stuff. Hogging machines with finished laundry is what is rude, people.

Wow. Just thinking about laundry makes me bitchy.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

I think your rules are good! It doesn't bother me if people end up moving my laundry because I didn't get back quickly enough.

[raykel.livejournal.com]

I'm with Blu. I wouldn't even wait 15 minutes. If you don't want your stuff moved, then be there when it's done.

I had a less bitchy but similarly WTF encounter today. I was waiting for a weight machine at the club and a woman told me, "You know, it's rude to wait!" Uh... perhaps I should've wrestled her off the thing instead? (And that's not even getting into the fact that she spent most of her time on the machine chatting with her friend instead of exercising.)

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Rude to wait!? Er, what exactly were you supposed to do? Some people, honestly!

[sabrinanymph.livejournal.com]

Moving it is fine.

It happened all the time in the dorms. If you don't want it moved, then you stay there and watch it and move it yourself when it's done. Otherwise, deal with it.

In the dorms people sometimes even left baskets on top of the driers so you could just put the stuff in the basket when you moved it. Although... not many.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Exactly, that's what I did in college, and I follow the same rules now.

[amaz0n-princess.livejournal.com]

ug; ignore her. I used to do the same thing. If you don't want people to mess with your stuff in the laundry room... THEN DON'T LEAVE!

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Good point!

Oh, to live somewhere with my own washer and dryer...

[llyrafantasyfae.livejournal.com]

I am mixed. If it just stops I say NO!!!! I lived to long in barracks and would come back within minutes of finishing time and my stuff was out of the dryer still wet. I also say no to taking it out of the washer. Its still wet and that makes things easily get dirty again. But if the clothes are dry and you have waited more then 10 mins I say out they go.
I think I am sort of away from what everyone else is saying but I have lost more stuff, I mean really who wants my undies that is just gross, and had to redo laundry more times then I care to remember.
Though I do agree with everyone else about the lady she did not have to be rude about it. If you had done that to me I would of just said that was my laundry and I had just started it. I wouldn't have said anyting about the other persons laundry because I know I am wierd in my thoughts and if it had been mine you had moved I would of asked that you not do that again because it gets my clothes dirty. No need for ickiness. Geez... rude people.

[jainamsolo.livejournal.com]

Man, that sucks about having your clothes get dirty. We have wheeled baskets that live in the laundry room, along with a clean counter, so usually I put the laundry in those. The tops of the washers are gross so I wouldn't put anything there.

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

[econopodder.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!! And I'm with Blu. Moving it is fine. I don't see anything wrong with taking up the number of machines that you need when you need them, as long as you don't take them up *when you don't need them* (as in, when the washer or dryer cycle is finished). And lady shouldn't be using a public laundry room if she thinks it's okay to let stuff sit and get in other peoples' way!