Apartment Laundry Room Etiquette? Really?

Laundry Room Etiquette for Apartment Dwellers

Every seasoned apartment dweller has seen damp clothes slumped on a laundry table or clinging to the top of the dryer for dear life. Perhaps its happened to you-yikes!  Sharing a communal washer and dryer takes work on every one's part, that's for sure. We found a few apartment laundry room etiquette tips around the web that make good sense. Enjoy!

Mmm-feels nice!

1. Handling or removing your neighbors laundry:  The buzzer goes off and no one is there to claim the laundry. What should you do? 98% of people surveyed said it freaks them out a bit to have others touching their clothing. Since many of your own neighbors are under serious time constraints, the respectful thing for a neighbor to do is gently put the clothing in a basket (if it is clear it belongs to that neighbor) on top of the dryer/washer or on the nearby laundry table. 100% of people surveyed said they would be angry to find their clean clothing strewn on the floor, understandably right? Avoid putting clothing at all cost.

2. Goodness! Just don't leave it: Don't let your laundry meet their fate on a dryer, or worse-- the floor! Set a timer a few minutes before you know the buzzer will sound. That will give you ample time to return to remove your clothes promptly from the washer and dryer. 98% of apartment dwellers surveyed said they definitely get impatient when waiting to do laundry-even if it's waiting for a few minutes.

3. Be sure to leave a basket: Yes, it is considered laundry room etiquette to leave a basket near your clothing. So, if you know you can’t make it down to the laundry room when the buzzer goes off, then leave a basket for your neighbor to put your clothes in so they don’t end up goodness knows where. This is not something that anyone recommends to do all the time, however. 22% surveyed recommend (if you are really forgetful) that leaving a note with your apartment or phone number. Hopefully, they’ll call you if you forget to retrieve your laundry.

5. Keep it clean: Good etiquette means emptying the lint trap of the dryer and wipe off any spilled detergent on the washing machine. A quick scan of the of the laundry room floor of debris you left should be picked up, as well. 100% of all apartment dwellers surveyed said they want to come down to a clean laundry room.

Laundry? No sweat, I got this..

6. Can I do laundry after hours?: Orchard Crossing Apartment residents do have a key when laundry rooms are locked after hours but, of course, residents can get in at any time. Laundry room etiquette does recommend adhering to the hours permitted for laundry room use, for the reason that there are few things are more annoying to your neighbors than listening to a washing machine running after 10:00PM. However, much of the time it simply can't be avoided.
Hope these recommendations and stats were helpful! Have a great day!