When you move into a new apartment community, you may find yourself sharing laundry facilities with your neighbors for the first time. Shared laundry rooms are a common approach to offering on-site laundry facilities without installing appliances in each individual unit. Some machines are coin-operated, while others connect back to card readers. No matter the set up, there are a few unspoken rules of etiquette you should know about.
One of the biggest frustrations of sharing a laundry room with your community is the potential for mess. Spills and garbage are likely to build up if folks aren't cleaning up after themselves. Rather than leaving a mess for someone else to pick up, be proactive about leaving the space as nice (or nicer!) as you found it.
Timing is also worth considering. You want to make the most of your time while minimizing the minutes your clothes are left sitting unattended. If you've ever used shared laundry facilities or washed a load at a laundromat, you know how frustrating it can be to find every machine loaded up with clothes. Rather than taking your time, aim to be as efficient as possible when doing a load of laundry.
Should you discover someone has left their clothes unattended for more than a half-hour or so, you might find yourself wondering: is it ok to move their belongings out of the machine? The answer varies based on the situation! Generally, though, it's bad form to touch other people's things. If you know who the clothes belong to, try giving your neighbor a friendly knock at their door to remind them about their laundry.
-- Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management
