How to Be a Good Neighbor--Laundry Room Etiquette

Practicing some simple principles of laundry room etiquette will make your clothes clean and fresh-smelling, and best of all, your apartment neighbors won't despise you.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Before you put your clothes in the machines, read all the signs that your landlord or building managers have posted. The rules are there to help save money and keep the machines working properly. For example, you might be instructed to rinse with cold water to save energy, or only use 1/2 the amount of detergent because the rinse cycle has problems.

2. Next, be certain that you have enough detergent when you put your clothes in the washer. Just because your neighbor stores her soap in the laundry room doesn't mean that it is community soap. Respect other people's property.

3. Remove your clothes from the washer as soon as the cycle finishes. You never know if another neighbor is going to need the machine for his own laundry. If you leave your clothes in the washing machine, then somebody has to spend valuable time taking them out, and putting them in a clean spot. A rude or frustrated neighbor may just pile them on the floor.

4. Conversely, if all the available machines are idle with washed clothing inside, wait about ten minutes for a tenant to come get his laundry. The cycle may have ended only seconds before you arrived. If nobody comes after you wait ten minutes, then take the clothes out of a machine. Put them on a clean surface or basket, and make sure you don't miss any socks!

5. Put your clothes in an available dryer. Do not stop somebody's dryer in mid-cycle! Even if you think somebody's clothes have been in there long enough, it doesn't mean that the clothes are dry. Maybe somebody is drying a heavy blanket. If all the available dryers are idle with fresh clothes, see Step 4.

6. If you need to air-dry some articles of clothing, only do it in the laundry room is there is sufficient space. Otherwise, buy a foldable laundry rack and dry them in your apartment.

7. When you are finished with the dryer, clean the lint trap, and take your clothes back to your apartment.

8. 
    

   Follow these steps for laundry room harmony, and you won't be on the receiving end of passive-aggressive notes.

[joanhaines]

on 5/22/2009 Very good. Politeness in the laundry room is important for all.

[writer7]

on 5/22/2009 Great info on Laundry room etiquette. This article should be posted in public laundry rooms!