Author SaraSnow Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 The other option is simply to take all your things to a laundromat like many in the rest of the world. Stop waiting around for this guy who is a major inconvenience to you. Consider that washer-and-dryer off limits and all the issues you have about him touching your clothes will be a non-issue. Yeah, that is an option I could look into. To be honest, I think I preferred the days I lived in a flat and had a laundromat! Because even if someone did take things out and handled your intimates, I didn't need to know who it was, and they didn't know they belonged to me! Link to post Share on other sites
Author SaraSnow Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 parnets Sorry for all the typos, I have a hand injury! I'm better than this normally, honest! Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Sorry for all the typos, I have a hand injury! I'm better than this normally, honest! I hope the hand injury isn`t down to scrubbing delicate items by hand? Hope you resolve your laundry complications. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Phoe Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 When I lived in a house with 30 other girls and just one washer and dryer, we had a system. We had a whiteboard near the washer. Whoever was doing laundry wrote their name on the board so we all would know whose clothes they were. Then there was one space under that person's name for who was next in line. Just ONE space. We weren't gonna have a line of 5 different people. Times were written down, so that if the person in line didn't arrive by that time, you could cut them in line and start your own laundry. Most of us left a laundry basket near the dryer with a note on it saying "If I'm not here when the dryer stops and you need it, feel free to throw my clothes into this basket." That way at least it's not getting tossed on the floor, a counter, whatever. It's in a basket and it's my own fault for not being there if it gets wrinkly. Posting start and stop and arrival times creates accountability so that people knew to either be on time or lose your spot. In all the time I lived there, there was NEVER an issue or drama over laundry. The rules were clearly understood. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I'm thinking an equally big problem as the guy is your washer and dryer taking that long to wash and dry!! No wonder someone is always using them. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to wash a load and about an hour to dry them on every machine I've ever used. So look into the landlord getting better appliances. Get yourself some disposable gloves if you have a phobia about touching his stuff and remove it into a basket or box or bag and don't worry about it. Don't forget you also left stuff in there, so it's a two-way street. He isn't worried about your underwear because he's a grown-ass man, not a 13 year old. He's been there the longest, sounds like, so he gets the big place and the living conditions were existent when you moved in, so you tacitly agreed to it. I really think your appliances are causing half the problem though. They don't sound like they work right. Don't overload either the washer or the dryer. Link to post Share on other sites
CarrieT Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I'm thinking an equally big problem as the guy is your washer and dryer taking that long to wash and dry!! No wonder someone is always using them. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to wash a load and about an hour to dry them on every machine I've ever used. So look into the landlord getting better appliances. Meh - my brand-new washer has a standard cycle of 57 minutes and the "short" cycle is 42 minutes! Commercial, laundromat washers have shorter cycles for more usability. Link to post Share on other sites
Author SaraSnow Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 He's been there the longest, sounds like, so he gets the big place and the living conditions were existent when you moved in, so you tacitly agreed to it. There weren't living conditions in place when I moved in - his previous 3 housemates had all left in a short space of time, as soon as their lease had ended (very telling), so 3 new housemates = new living conditions and adapting to new people. Maybe the past three were fine with his behaviour. Also, the washer is fine - it can do washes that last 30 mins, I had to do a longer wash which lasted an hour and a half as they were whites. However that didn't matter because the dryer would have taken two hours anyway - reason being is that it was a large load of laundry (because I didn't get the chance to do it sooner, because he hogs it). So the appliances are ok, though not amazing. Link to post Share on other sites
Author SaraSnow Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 he's a grown-ass man, not a 13 year old. He is a 30 year old male, but I'm not sure I'd call him a "grown-ass man". His mother does pretty much everything for him bar laundry and cooking. I have also heard him throw a tantrum because his laptop wouldn't work. A full on tantrum, like a toddler. Link to post Share on other sites
evanescentworld Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 He is a 30 year old male, but I'm not sure I'd call him a "grown-ass man". His mother does pretty much everything for him bar laundry and cooking. I have also heard him throw a tantrum because his laptop wouldn't work. A full on tantrum, like a toddler. Who, on here, once said: "It doesn't matter: How old they are - What job they hold - How much they earn - Whose clothing brand they wear - What car they drive, or Where they live: They're all 9-years-old." Oh yeah, hang on.... That was me. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Arieswoman Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 SS, Simple solution. You call a meeting to discuss this. You each agree to buy a plastic laundry basket in a different colour - these are cheap - and each attach their name to it. Put your basket near the machine when you are using it. If the laundry is finished and needs to come out (and you aren't around) the person concerned puts your clothes in your basket. If you don't want others handling your clothes then you'll need to "stand guard" over your own laundry. Simple. When I was a student I shared a (big) house with 24 other girls and we only had one washer and one dryer and we managed to keep out of each other's way in the laundry room. Link to post Share on other sites
anika99 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 OP I'm on your side. I don't know why some people on this thread are giving you instructions on how to wash your delicates and then telling you it's all your fault because you don't wash clothes the way they do. LOL! too funny. Talk to your other roommates and see if they agree that this is a problem. If they do then brainstorm some possible solutions. Perhaps a laundry room schedule. I once lived in a house where each person had 2 days a week to have the laundry machines to themselves. That worked pretty well for everyone except me as I worked odd shifts and often couldn't take advantage of my laundry time. For this reason I started using the Laundromat and after a while I started to prefer it as it was a fast way to get all of my laundry done at one time. If a schedule wont' work for you and your roommates then think of some other ideas. I like the solution by the poster who said they had a whiteboard and a basket available for clothes that had been left. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 This is a great thread. My mother used to use `Dreft` for her `Tiny` items. She was very particular. Now my other half uses a warm wash on the `Zanussi` and hangs then lovingly on the multi-purpose dryer i spent a small fortune on. As for solving the OP`s issue, i agree with Arieswoman, a house meeting is needed to`air` out the ablutions of the clothes dilemma. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
evanescentworld Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 'Dreft' and 'Lux flakes'... can't find either of those for love nor money.... and blue bags... if you remember those, well... how old are YOU?? (apart from probably my age, that is!) laundry is serious stuff....! Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 'Dreft' and 'Lux flakes'... can't find either of those for love nor money.... and blue bags... if you remember those, well... how old are YOU?? (apart from probably my age, that is!) laundry is serious stuff....! Try Waitrose. Link to post Share on other sites
evanescentworld Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 One supermarket beyond my pocket.... I suppose you could call it a 'LUXury' item!! *groan*! 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Phoe Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I can see both sides regarding the delicates. Handwashing preserves the life of them. But I personally am a person who likes to minimize laundry and simplify everything in life. I don't have white clothes. Why? I don't want to do a 2nd load of laundry separate from the darks. I intentionally wear black, blues, and greys. Not only does it simplify laundry, all my clothes match together! I do have a small "delicates" hamper where I toss my sweaters. Once I have maybe 3 or 4 sweaters in the hamper, I put them in a mesh bag, put them on the delicate cycle, then air dry them. Not only that, but I will wear a shirt under the sweater to keep it clean and safe from any sweat. As long as I don't get the outside dirty, if all I did was wear it for a few hours at home and to the grocery store, no reason not to hang it back up. Then i'll just wash the simple shirt I wore under it. Just a cheap plain shirt, meant to be washed a thousand times... There are ways to simplify the laundry process, make it something you do less often, and there are ways to make it work when sharing the washer and dryer with someone you barely know. Just gotta get creative! Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Try Waitrose. Dreft i mean. The other stuff...when rationing ended? Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 SS, Simple solution. You call a meeting to discuss this. You each agree to buy a plastic laundry basket in a different colour - these are cheap - and each attach their name to it. Put your basket near the machine when you are using it. If the laundry is finished and needs to come out (and you aren't around) the person concerned puts your clothes in your basket. If you don't want others handling your clothes then you'll need to "stand guard" over your own laundry. Simple. When I was a student I shared a (big) house with 24 other girls and we only had one washer and one dryer and we managed to keep out of each other's way in the laundry room. Maybe you could even do a "sign-up sheet" to reserve laundry times for each week. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
veggirl Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Damn what kind of washer/dryer takes 2 hours to wash and 2 hours to dry?! Why don't you suggest you guys allot certain days to certain people for laundry? Single people shouldn't need to do laundry more than once a week, he needs to consolidate. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
acrosstheuniverse Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 really? Most people are OK with their underwear being handled by, essentially, a stranger?? Yep... you kinda get used to it in a house share. When time with the washing machine is limited, you don't really want to be leaving someone else's clean and dry laundry in the machine when you could be using it. I would just grab the whole load out of the machine in one go not even looking at it and put it in the empty basket they brought the stuff down in. Wouldn't expect someone to not do some washing just because I put a load in then went out to work. There should be solutions to these simple problems really, though. For example, if there are only a few of you can you designate specific days each week for each of you to do your washing? You get Monday/Tuesday, he gets Wednesday/Thursday and so on. As for the noise, if he's really that bad then it is absolutely unacceptable in a house share. You need to have a word with him, in private, and tell him that you're not sure if he realises how thin the walls and floors are, but you're struggling to sleep or concentrate on work when he plays music at that level. He may genuinely not realise. After 10pm and before 9am nothing should be so loud that people in the house can't sleep, unless there's a house party going on that everyone is aware of ahead of time. In my old house share we had a secret facebook group for all of the housemates, so we could post something like 'made too many cupcakes, help yourself' or whatever, sometimes there'd be a post like 'not sure if anyone else has noticed but the doors are REALLY loud when they're let go to bang, I would appreciate it if people keep an eye out and try and shut them more quietly cos it's driving me crazy!' or whatever, it avoids the awkwardness of having to go straight to that person and tell them they're doing something you can't stand, but gets the point across anyway. Thought of that? Failing that, if he can't keep the noise down, talk to your landlord. It's in their interests to only have housemates who can live peacefully with others, or they find that one annoying housemate means lots of perpetually vacant rooms. There's a certain level of give and take expected, however, and you may have to chill out about certain things as far as possible, but being unable to sleep in your own room is something that is an absolute dealbreaker in my eyes. Link to post Share on other sites
evanescentworld Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 My elder brother used to live in a house with a fellow tenant who also had little consideration for his fellow house-guests. However, this offender soon learnt the error of his ways when one evening, during a particularly energetic session with his somewhat-vocal GF, the other housemates yelled, at the top of their voices, "Woo-hoo! You go *girl's name*! let it rip girl, we're all enjoying this!" The house went strangely quiet, quite suddenly.... When he subsequently had his music loud, they would yell the name of the artist, album and track... "Yup, like that one...." or "No, don't like that one... it's boring!" He soon got the hint.... 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Author SaraSnow Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 My elder brother used to live in a house with a fellow tenant who also had little consideration for his fellow house-guests. However, this offender soon learnt the error of his ways when one evening, during a particularly energetic session with his somewhat-vocal GF, the other housemates yelled, at the top of their voices, "Woo-hoo! You go *girl's name*! let it rip girl, we're all enjoying this!" The house went strangely quiet, quite suddenly.... When he subsequently had his music loud, they would yell the name of the artist, album and track... "Yup, like that one...." or "No, don't like that one... it's boring!" He soon got the hint.... That is hilarious! Link to post Share on other sites
Author SaraSnow Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 As for the noise, if he's really that bad then it is absolutely unacceptable in a house share. You need to have a word with him, in private, and tell him that you're not sure if he realises how thin the walls and floors are, but you're struggling to sleep or concentrate on work when he plays music at that level. He may genuinely not realise. After 10pm and before 9am nothing should be so loud that people in the house can't sleep, unless there's a house party going on that everyone is aware of ahead of time. In my old house share we had a secret facebook group for all of the housemates, so we could post something like 'made too many cupcakes, help yourself' or whatever, sometimes there'd be a post like 'not sure if anyone else has noticed but the doors are REALLY loud when they're let go to bang, I would appreciate it if people keep an eye out and try and shut them more quietly cos it's driving me crazy!' or whatever, it avoids the awkwardness of having to go straight to that person and tell them they're doing something you can't stand, but gets the point across anyway. Thought of that? Failing that, if he can't keep the noise down, talk to your landlord. It's in their interests to only have housemates who can live peacefully with others, or they find that one annoying housemate means lots of perpetually vacant rooms. There's a certain level of give and take expected, however, and you may have to chill out about certain things as far as possible, but being unable to sleep in your own room is something that is an absolute dealbreaker in my eyes. The Facebook group is a great idea - I had something similar for my previous house share and it worked really well. Though, like I mentioned, they were all considerate ad there was rarely cause to use it. I think the problem in my current situation, is that my housemates and I are not friends, and we don't have anything in common, we're off different ages etc. I was forced into it last minute, or I'd have been more selective. So we're not even friends on facebook - I don't even know the surname of one of my housemates! He does know he is loud - the previous housemate (now moved out) brought this up, in front of both myself and him. He knows he is loud, that he walks around like an elephant. He just doesn't care. If neither of us have anything in common, don't gel particularly well, he probably isn't going to second think anything that might inconvenience me. Particularly since he comes across as a pretty thoughtless person by nature. Myself and the other male housemate have started to play music when inconsiderate housemate does (to drown out his awful taste more than anything else). He will lower it down when we do this. However, he will still try and play it loudly. Again, it's a case of him just not caring. I am pretty much committed to moving out of this house anyway - I want a new job, which might entail a new city. But I will definitely bear this in mind with new house shares. Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Meh - my brand-new washer has a standard cycle of 57 minutes and the "short" cycle is 42 minutes! Commercial, laundromat washers have shorter cycles for more usability. My home washer/dryer washes in 30 minutes, if it's even that long, and a full load to dry is about an hour. It isn't brand-new or anything. I've had a few sets and none of them took longer than that to wash and dry. This dryer is probably the slowest one I've had. I honestly think she's leaving stuff in too long and that that's contributing to the problem, but they all need to coordinate to solve the problem. If she's leaving stuff in that long, she's adding to the utility bills, too, so they may have something to say about that. Link to post Share on other sites
Author SaraSnow Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 My home washer/dryer washes in 30 minutes, if it's even that long, and a full load to dry is about an hour. It isn't brand-new or anything. I've had a few sets and none of them took longer than that to wash and dry. This dryer is probably the slowest one I've had. I honestly think she's leaving stuff in too long and that that's contributing to the problem, but they all need to coordinate to solve the problem. If she's leaving stuff in that long, she's adding to the utility bills, too, so they may have something to say about that. does "she" refer to myself, the OP? If so, I did explain why the washing and drying time was longer - I chose a setting for whites, which took longer. There are shorter wash settings, which I would normally use. Then I had to dry a larger load (because I wasn't able to wash anything during the week, because he had full use of it). More clothes = longer drying time. Though I suspect he is ending the cycle before then anyway. Also, bills are not an issue. I am definitely not contributing to additional bill costs, more than is reasonable/more than the others. Link to post Share on other sites
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