I live in an apartment building with a pretty small laundry room on the basement with only around 10 washers and 10 dryers so most of the time, if one or two people has a very big laundry (most likely doing laundry for their whole family), they’d occupy all of them.
This morning, all washers are occupied so I waited around an hour. No problem at all. I notice that around 4 washers have been occupied by the same person, I knew because they had a big cart and it was obstructing all of the washers. It seemed like it’s been sitting there for a while because the loads were already finished when I got there and I waited for an hour like I mentioned.
Thankfully, two washers finally opened (from a completely different person) so i began doing my laundry.
There were around 6 available dryers.
I decided I would "reserve" a dryer for myself so I blocked it with my basket and all. Anyways, the lady finally took her laundry out and was looking at me very funny and if one of us opened our mouths, a fight would surely break out. I guess she was planning on occupying all of the dryers as well?
Anyways AITA for taking/reserving one (1) dryer for myself before my laundry finishes?
You’re TA. Public laundry facilities are first-come, first-served.
UGH. I would say when it comes to communal laundry it’s always a combo of ESH and NAH. So while its an AH thing to do to “reserve” a dryer, you gotta make moves when doing laundry because some other AH is occupying half the machines meant for the whole building or putting wash in and then running errands for four hours and leaving it there. You’ll be there all day otherwise.
I used to go to a public laundromat where families would put like, 6 things in each dryer (but use like, 12 dryers) so that things would dry faster (the dryers were free if you did your washing there). Sometimes I would bring a clean, dry towel that didn’t need washing and just throw it in a machine to claim it so that I knew I would have a dryer when my stuff was done. AH fights AH.
NTA. But only because her being an AH and you being an AH cancel each other out. She was an AH for hogging all the washers and not being there to immediately put her wash in the dryers when the cycles were complete. You were the AH for reserving a dryer before your wash was complete.
That being said, I probably would have done what you did. Sometimes you just gotta be an AH when dealing with other AH’s.
ESH is what happens when both are the AH
At least wet a towel, put in dryer and pop in a couple quarters…voila! Reserved
Yes
YTA. Waiting for stuff is part of apartment living. If you don’t like it, use a laundromat or move.
I’m on the fence about this…
Basic etiquette of shared laundry facilities includes not reserving equipment you aren’t currently using. Someone else could use the dryer you reserved while your washing is finishing up.
Then again, removing your laundry as soon as it is done to free machines for another person to use, especially when you are occupying nearly half facilities, is also good etiquette… Her laundry was done when OP arrived and was still in the machines an hour later. Washing machines are for washing clothes, not storing them. It’s not difficult to set a timer on your phone….
I guess since her selfishness caused OP to respond in kind to protect their own time, NTA.. Though next time I would be inclined to simply remove her laundry to her cart and use the machine after 20 minutes of waiting.
I agree but I think ESH for all the reasons you stated
YTA.
I’m sitting here LOLing at “a pretty small” laundry room that has 10 of each machine. That’s a laundromat size laundry room. The last place I lived had 2 of each machine for 110 residences, the kind of place will someone will take out your clothes while still soaking wet then leave them on the counter.
Yes YTA. If one person is using 4 washers, and there are six dryers available, there was no need to reserve one of the six. It’s first come, first served. Doing something wrong because someone else is doing something wrong is how we turn the whole world into assholes.
YTA
You don’t need the dryer until your load finishes.
Other people’s lives aren’t your business, neither are the number of loads of laundry they are doing.
That said, if someone leaves their laundry in the washer or dryer, feel free to put it in the basket … or ‘big cart’ that was clearly sitting there for those loads…
YTA because she was only blocking the units she was using, you’re blocking something that you’re not going to use for at least the cycle of the wash.
Since the lady was there moving to the dryers when you were starting your wash, you’re not inconveniencing HER you’re possibly inconveniencing someone else