If you've ever relied on a laundromat or a building's shared laundry room, you've probably encountered this issue: The washing machines are all full, except for one machine that's completed the cycle. But the owner hasn't come to move them to the dryer. Do you take their wet clothes out of the washing machine so you can start your load? The debate about moving someone's laundry is a tricky one, and social media users have strong opinions.
One Reddit user kicked off the most recent round of the debate with a post in r/laundry, explaining that they had been five minutes late retrieving their laundry and come back to their clothes in a wet pile atop the machine. "I can understand if I left it there for hours, but five minutes? Really? Maybe the person was in a rush or something for work, but I just think that was rude and I personally would not have done that. Who’s with me or am I seeing this wrong?"
We tapped our resident laundry scientist and executive director of the Home Care & Cleaning Lab Carolyn Forté for a verdict. Keep reading to see what she says about this interesting laundry debate.
Team "Move the Laundry"
Team "Move the Laundry" came in hot, immediately defending whoever it was who moved the wet clothes, even if it was after just five minutes.
"I think five minutes is not an unreasonable time to wait, but of course, they didn’t know you would only be five minutes," writes one user.
"Well, not the answer you’re looking for but yes, it’s acceptable. People need to do laundry. That person was in a rush and can’t wait around," explains another.
Others reminded themselves of how they would feel if someone didn't come to switch their laundry right on time.
"They had no idea if you were going to be five mins or five hours. I don’t like it when people move my laundry, but I understand it’s my responsibility not to hog the (very limited number of) washers beyond the time my cycle has finished. Other people’s time is just as precious as my own—the five minutes I was too busy to come move my stuff is the only five minutes they can spare to run down and put their clothes in," shares another user.
u/pocketsithas didn't shy away from a bit of tough love to explain their standpoint: "If you don’t like people touching your things, it’s on you to make sure you are there on time."
Team "Wait It Out"
One user explained why they try to give a grace period: "The way my internal logic worked was, if at all possible, I would wait, potentially even multiple hours and just check every so often. This is the times when I’m doing laundry 'just because.'"
But even they admitted that if they were absolutely desperate to wash a load, they'd probably only wait 5-15 minutes before moving someone else's clothes.
Another said it depends on whether the clothes are in the washer or dryer. "I personally think moving somebody’s wet clothes less than 10 minutes after the wash cycle ends during non-peak hours is rude. For dryers, I’m more okay with my dry things being moved to a clean, flat surface if I’m not there within five minutes to get it out of the machine," they explained.
The Verdict
While there unfortunately is no set "rule" to follow, we asked our laundry pros at the Good Housekeeping Institute for their perspective when it comes to laundry etiquette.
"I think the best advice is to think about how you'd feel if you were the other person. If your laundry is in the washer or dryer and you don't want someone touching it, make sure to return within five minutes (before or after) of the end of the cycle. If you're waiting to put your load in a machine, give the person a 10-minute window to come empty it before moving it yourself," says Forté.
