You’ve stocked up on quarters and dryer sheets, and the basket is nearly overflowing. Hopefully after last week’s post, apartment laundry day is looking a little less grim. Now it’s time to head down to your community’s facility, and you want to be prepared for handling anything. Keep in mind that by practicing good etiquette yourself, a standard is set for other users of the machines. This means maintaining the cleanliness of the laundry room and being a respectful neighbor.
Before lugging your heavy laundry basket downstairs or across the complex, walk over with just a bottle of detergent in hand. Scope out the situation and make sure there are empty washers before getting started. If any other residents are in the room, greet them— politeness goes a long way at apartments, and you may even make a new friend! Leave your bottle of detergent on an empty washer to reserve it while you step out to bring in your remaining laundry gear.
If they’re all being used, check back in about half an hour. Never unload somebody else’s finished load of wet clothing from a washer and leave it on the counter for the owner. This can seem disrespectful and could contaminate their clean clothing if placed on a dirty or dusty surface. Most likely, he or she is just running behind on switching over to the dryer.
When loading the washer, read the instructions before inserting your quarters. It may seem unnecessary, but not all machines are created equally. You don’t want to end up with the machine eating your money because you didn’t select your cycle pressure/temperature first. To avoid ruining any of your clothing, do separate any delicates or sensitive fabrics into a separate load set for a cold, gentle wash. Take note of how long the cycle will take to complete, and head back to the facility in time to move your laundry to the dryer.
If you encounter a machine that is broken, leave a note on it to warn other residents. Immediately contact your apartment management to let them know about the problem. You may also ask to be reimbursed for payment on a faulty machine. You’ll be tackling apartment laundry day like a pro, whether you live in Dallas apartments, Phoenix apartments, Austin apartments, or Seattle apartments.
