This might be a hot take: If you choose to do your laundry on the weekends, you can’t complain about people’s stuff being in the washer/dryer. And no, you don’t get to take it out.
I understand that we’re all busy bees with hectic schedules. I’m taking 22 credits, working two on-campus jobs, participating in research and extracurricular activities, and running the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the Campus Times. I made the decision to take on those responsibilities and I’ve learned how to multitask and plan — I’m not complaining, or flexing.
All I’m saying is that, even with all those obligations on my plate, I make time to do my laundry and I understand that, should it come to me crossing this chore off my list on a Saturday, I must face the consequences of doing laundry on the weekend.
A recent post on Overheard at Rochester showed an image of the Anderson laundry room, where people’s stuff was being taken out of the machines. It’s already a sin to take someone’s wet clothes out of the washer (and not put them in a dryer), but it’s even worse to do that when we’re in a pandemic.
You shouldn’t touch people’s stuff right now — at all. If you are going to take someone’s laundry out of the washer, have the decency to put it in a dryer and leave them a note. But you should seriously refrain from doing this at all this semester.
This critique might not be fair to the people who take it upon themselves to set timers and plan out their day accordingly. But COVID-19 hasn’t been fair to anyone. There is no logical reason for touching other people’s things right now, no matter how much of a hiccup it causes in your day.
We can all try to be better about the timer. I admit that I mess up from time to time, too. I try not to take up machines for any longer than I have to, but life happens sometimes. People make spontaneous dinner plans, or get wrapped up in studying for their midterm. Understand that people try their best.
And, yes, a few people don’t try at all. But if everyone chose to be tit-for-tat inconsiderate, then nothing would work. Take the high road in the laundry room.
If you make the conscious decision to do your laundry on the weekend, understand that many of your peers will be doing the same. My suggestion is if you’re bothered by people leaving their things in the washer and dryer for an extended period of time, don’t do your laundry on the weekend.
You’d be surprised by how many people do their laundry on Monday through Thursday instead. They’re the perfect laundry days!
Or are you an early bird or a night owl? Do your laundry then!
Right now, I can’t sympathize with people taking clothes out of machines. If there weren’t a highly contagious virus floating around, then that’d be one thing. But even when the threat of COVID-19 wasn’t hanging over our heads, I still didn’t understand the thought process behind simply dumping someone’s wet clothes into a pile for them to deal with later.
For some people, college is the first time they learn to do their laundry, grocery shop, budget, and build time management skills — which are all wonderful things! There’s a mix of skill levels on any given campus, and that creates a hectic laundry room. And when you complain, hey, that’s college. It’s all part of the experience. Life isn’t a smooth ride, so why would college be any different?
To improve the laundry experience for everyone, watch the machines’ timers. Set a timer on your phone. Try to make sure you’ll be in the building, or else somehow be able to take out your laundry when the timer is up.
And please, at least for the moment: Don’t take someone’s personal belongings out of a washer or dryer during COVID-19.
