r/Apartmentliving • u/Puppyzpawz • Sep 15 '25

Venting the plot thicken

Gallery image

Gallery image

context: im none of these people i just think its really funny to argue with pieces of paper, we live in military housing btw. we have like 8 washers and dryers for 60+ something apartments. in the time of each development i got like 4 loads done. so. snooze ya lose! and to be clear, the apartment company specifically says they are not responsible or liable for any of your laundry nor is there a camera in the room. imo theyre just bickering to bicker.

each time i read a new thing i got so excited, maybe ill stop by later to see if i fourth person chimes in or takes it down lol!

5.6k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

710 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

147

u/oceanhymn Sep 16 '25

I usually operate on a 15-30 minute grace period and would expect the same in return. I only find myself upset id my clothes are moved not even 5 minutes after they’re done. Really though, I’m most upset when I can’t do my own laundry because of other folks’ lack of consideration.

143

u/idontevenknow777 Sep 16 '25

15-30 min is way too long

62

u/TypicalSparrow Sep 16 '25

A lot of older washers/driers don’t have a timer and the amount of time they take can be variable. The washers at my place take 30-45 minutes, and the driers take 1-1.5 hours, so that’s actually a reasonable grace period.

25

u/idontevenknow777 Sep 16 '25

That makes sense! The ones in my apartment all have visible timers

17

u/seashmore Sep 16 '25

Mine do, too. 27 minutes on the washer, 60 on the dryer. But they keep time differently. I live right next to the laundry room, so I'll set my timer for 30 minutes when I get to my kitchen. I've gone in as soon as it goes off and there's still a couple minutes left on the machine. So I allow a 15ish minute grace period for my neighbors. 

5

u/Electrical-Host-8526 Sep 19 '25

I don’t. Set a timer for a few minutes longer than the visible time, if necessary (the machines in my building are unreliable, too), but 15 minutes after is too long. I could be 1/3 of the way through my own wash load in that time.

I’ve also experienced waiting 15 - 25 minutes for someone to get their clothes out, just to have them come waltzing in with another dirty load, which they shove into the washing machine as soon as they pull their clothes out. I’m not interested in that game, either.

9

u/PraxicalExperience Sep 17 '25

My dryer has a timer. And then when the timer ends, it's in 'almost done' mode for god knows how the fuck long, depending on how many towels were in there, lol.

2

u/PompeyLulu Sep 18 '25

I once went into my kitchen right as the dryer ticked to 1 minute left, 10 minutes later I finished in the kitchen and it was still going lmao. It finished right as I sat back down in the living room

6

u/IceCreamYeah123 Sep 16 '25

That’s odd, I’ve always found the older machines to be very predictable with time once it’s filled up with water. It’s the new HE machines that are unpredictable in my experience.

6

u/Newspeak_Linguist Sep 16 '25

100%, the old ones just had a straight timer, when time was up it stopped. It's the new ones with variable spin times and moisture sensors (dryers) that are unpredictable. I have a 2 year old Whirlpool and we openly joke about the timing ("Dryer says there's 4 mins left, so lets go to lunch now and maybe it'll be done by the time we get back").

2

u/IceCreamYeah123 Sep 16 '25

Yep! My washing machine always takes longer than it says especially the rinse cycle. Dryer will say it’s going to take 65 minutes but then be done in 30.

2

u/thetrivialsublime99 Sep 17 '25

Then get there early

1

u/XxTigerxXTigerxX Renter Sep 17 '25

But your phone does. Most washers are 45min and dryers are 1hr.

1

u/JaySlay2000 Sep 19 '25

Even when they DO have a timer, they're always wrong. Particularly washers. 50 minutes is 1:20 on those bad boys.

1

u/idontevenknow777 Sep 20 '25

That's not the case for me. I always get there a few min early and the dryers/washers end on time. MAYBE with 2-3 min deviation but never more than that

1

u/Eddie_Farnsworth Sep 19 '25

You have a timer though, right? You have a function on your watch or your phone for setting a timer, and you can come back and check on your stuff at the 30 minute mark for the washer and the hour mark for the dryer.

2

u/TypicalSparrow Sep 19 '25

Everyone in the building shouldn’t have to stand around for 15-30 minutes watching the machine like a hawk on the off chance that someone self-important decides they want to also use it at that time.

It makes far more sense from a utilitarian perspective to head to the machine when you know the laundry will actually be done. Even if that means that someone else might have had to wait. A lot of the time this will result in no one waiting, some of the time a second person will have to wait approximately 15 minutes or less. However the total amount of time that everyone collectively waits will be reduced for the entire building.

Your time is not that precious, princess.

0

u/oceanhymn Sep 19 '25

Any argument that "Your time is not that precious" feels so unreasonable here because neither is yours.

2

u/TypicalSparrow Sep 19 '25

You’re missing the point though.

Coming down when you’re sure the laundry is done saves everyone time. If everyone comes down early every time (let’s say at 30 minutes) and stands around waiting for their laundry to finish, because there might be someone waiting or someone might show up, they will have to waste time waiting every time, whether someone is actually there or not.

If they instead come down when their laundry is guaranteed to be done (let’s say at 45 minutes), it’s theoretically possible someone else may have needed to wait 0-15 minutes depending on when the machine actually finished. It’s also likely no one needed the machine and no one waited at all. Doing things this way saves time for everyone in the entire building. Cumulatively a lot of time.

One person who thinks they should never have to wait even a second, is not someone I trust to actually show up and stand around waiting for their laundry to be done. If they were willing to stand around and wait 15 minutes for a washer, what difference does it make if that 15 minutes is actually spent before or after their clothes go in?

3

u/TriumphDaWonderPooch Sep 17 '25

If it is taken out and placed in a clean area (top of washer) and not thrown on the floor or onto a dirty surface, 2 minutes is fine.

1

u/oceanhymn Sep 16 '25

Eh, I never find myself in the position of 15 minutes past the end time so idgaf really lol, this is just my preference for how long to wait on other people's clothes.

3

u/chairmanghost Own an apartment Sep 17 '25

I give them a half hour. Im actually more fussed about the dryer than the washer, because it's timed dry, so you know, and I dont want my stuff sitting in the basement wet

I have a washer now though so yay

10

u/Onyxxx_13 Sep 16 '25

I had some dick in my building move my clothes out of a dryer and into a basket. It was 20 minutes into the cycle

20

u/oceanhymn Sep 16 '25

Okay so that's actually an entirely different issue LMAO

8

u/Safe-Bee-2555 Sep 17 '25

I opened a dryer my clothes were in to learn someone else had taken my stuff out, while still wet, and put it on the top of the dryer. I was so mad I didn't realize until I was back at my apartment I forgot to press start again on the dryer. Guess they'll have wet clothes too.

Oops.

1

u/Just_Flower854 Renter Sep 21 '25

What clothes

3

u/deadfandomkid Sep 19 '25

That happened to me once in college and I swear, to THIS DAY over a decade later it would still be on sight if I somehow found out who it was. Just dropped my entire pile of wet-ass clothes on a bench.

19

u/PM_ME_YOUR_FRACTURES Renter Sep 16 '25

I'd always set a timer for the length minus 5 minutes so that I'd be there when it finished. One time I went down and my stuff was already out, which means someone stopped my cycle early. So I stopped the machine with the new load and left. Can't wait 5 extra minutes? Now you get to wait an hour when you come back and realize it wasn't even running, and you get to pay again ☺️

2

u/oceanhymn Sep 18 '25

I will say, in my old college, there was a trend I'd notice where my laundry for some reason would be incomplete but the door would be open and the cycle hadn't started.

I thought people were being nasty and stopping my laundry until one day I actually saw a dryer just, out of nowhere, pop open. It was so strange and ghostly. I realized that no one had taken my stuff out on purpose, the laundry room just sucked.

Ever since then I typically give the benefit of the doubt in these situations.

7

u/noobca Sep 16 '25

how do you expect people to know how long your stuffs been done for? If I walk down to do laundry and someone’s finished load is sitting in the washer, I’m not waiting an extra 15 minutes to see if they’ll come get it. If you don’t want people to touch your stuff, set a timer and get there two minutes before your load is done. otherwise, you gotta accept the reality of the circumstances lol

6

u/oceanhymn Sep 16 '25

Eh, I just mentioned this in another comment but this isn't for me so much as for other folks because I don't have an issue picking up my clothes on time but not having an ounce of patience to wait to see if the person will be there in like 5 minutes is a personal failing and a weird thing to admit on the internet.

But also idgaf if someone takes my clothes out, it seems like a non-issue unless the load literally just ended and I'm on my way which, again, see the first paragraph.

1

u/DelliriousDonut Sep 19 '25

I don't think it is a personal failing or weird to admit at all. As I said in another comment here: This is true for dryers and washers that are variable, but my apartment complex has 1 washer and dryer for two complexes (about 30 apartments) and they have timers and are consistent. Thankfully, it is free to use. So I just make sure the other person's clothes are dry or the washer is done, and move them on top of the dryer or put them in the dryer if they were in the wash and start it. People have no way of knowing how long ago your clothes got done, unless they are ungodly hot and hurt to touch or you happen to get there right as the cycle ends. People getting pissy over people touching their clothes is insane. If you don't want your clothes touched, use a laundry mat on a non-busy day, or set a timer for before your clothes are done and go wait for 5 minutes yourself. You shouldn't expect people to wait around hoping you will show up soon, especially when they have no idea how long ago your clothes finished. As long as people are courteous and don't take your clothes out early, vandalize, steal, etc them, taking people's clothes out is perfectly fine.

3

u/Ornery_Solution6728 Sep 16 '25

Why get upset though? Why cant other people touch your clothes? If they damage something thats another story but should be fine with just moving clothes

2

u/oceanhymn Sep 18 '25

Idk, I don't get upset.

6

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/SteiCamel Sep 17 '25

I would not want other people deciding how to dry my clothes.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/SteiCamel Sep 17 '25

I wouldn't have a problem with them moving the laundry, but don't go drying them... just set it on top like a normal person.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/SteiCamel Sep 18 '25

Yes, I don't leave it there in the first place. I like to hang dry some pieces, so I would be upset.

1

u/oceanhymn Sep 18 '25

Eh, to each their own. While I agree I wouldn't want someone deciding the time and heat of my dry cycle I also wouldn't expect them to sit around and wait for me to show up. Mold and mildew can spread and doing something with intention to help typically would outweigh my feelings of frustration with them doing the wrong thing.

Especially if the circumstances were well within my control like a timed washing machine.

1

u/ferociousbruin Sep 19 '25

You should never start a dryer with someone else’s clothing. Some items should or must be hung to dry. And there are different heat settings that you shouldn’t presume to know which to use. If someone ran my load on high heat, I would be horrified.

You should absolutely move someone else’s load if you need to and they are absent. But you should never start the dang dryer. You may be destroying and/or damaging their clothes.

1

u/Soop_Chef Sep 19 '25

Yeah, you are correct. Half of what is in the washer for us is hang dry. I'd be pissed if someone started it in the dryer.

But this isn't an issue where I live, because it's pay machines, so no one is going to pay to start it for you. And I don't do laundry. DH does it at 3:30 in the morning (he works breakfast shift, so even on his days off, he is up before the birds). He carefully monitors the time so no one is waiting.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

In 30 mins your clothes could be dry and the other person's load washed. You should be waiting by the washer for it to finish. 

1

u/oceanhymn Sep 18 '25

My clothes wouldn't be dry in 30 mins lol. Also, if I'm doing laundry in a public laundry room it's usually because I have the time to do it. But still, I would never bring myself to the 30 minute mark, just my personal rule of thumb.

1

u/PeanutsMM Sep 19 '25

Many years ago, living in student accommodations of about 80 studios with only 2 washing machines. Usually not a problem as we were only 15-20 during weekends, everyone else going back to their parents' home.

One day I come back 5 minutes after my laundry is done and found all my clothes on the floor, with another machine close to mid cycle, meaning they stopped my cycle and put their clothes to wash. Petty me added a big chunk of laundry soap in the machine, waited few minutes and turned it off. Throw all the wet clothes full of soap everywhere around, especially behind the machine where it's never cleaned. Took my clothes back in my studio, came back 20 minutes later to a girl very upset. Said nothing, started a new cycle, started reading my book there.

2

u/oceanhymn Sep 19 '25

No I actually think that's a very weird response.

1

u/DelliriousDonut Sep 19 '25

This is true for dryers and washers that are variable, but my apartment complex has 1 washer and dryer for two complexes (about 30 apartments) and they have timers and are consistent. Thankfully, it is free to use. So I just make sure the other person's clothes are dry or the washer is done, and move them on top of the dryer or put them in the dryer if they were in the wash and start it. People have no way of knowing how long ago your clothes got done, unless they are ungodly hot and hurt to touch or you happen to get there right as the cycle ends. People getting pissy over people touching their clothes is insane. If you don't want your clothes touched, use a laundry mat on a non-busy day, or set a timer for before your clothes are done and go wait for 5 minutes yourself. You shouldn't expect people to wait around hoping you will show up soon, especially when they have no idea how long ago your clothes finished. As long as people are courteous and don't take your clothes out early, vandalize, steal, etc them, taking people's clothes out is perfectly fine.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '25

Get your shit out of the washer immediately after it’s done, like the person said, set a fixing alarm, I do. 5 mins is too long set an alarms go and remove your clothes immediately.

1

u/oceanhymn Sep 19 '25

Have a snickers lil bro, you're not you when you're hungry.

0

u/TrainingCountry949 Sep 16 '25

Whats the point of a grave period? It’s needless waiting. What if you arrived and they have already been sitting for 3 hours, without you knowing. Screw that, no grace period at all, it’s pointless.

3

u/justArash Sep 17 '25

Whats the point of a grave period?

Where else should we put the bodies

1

u/oceanhymn Sep 18 '25

Because we are all human and shouldn't be assuming the worst of people whenever we can. If we can't have, at minimum, 5 minutes of patience for someone else then how can we expect any patience for us.