Do you consider it proper or improper laundryroom etiquite to remove someone else's stuff from a washer or dryer and leave it in a pile somewhere?

I do it. Usually I try to give it as much time as I can. Sometimes I just can’t wait and need to put my stuff in.

I do try to be respectful of their things. I won’t put the stuff on the floor but I will put it on top of the machine.

I agree with johnpowell. As long as you don’t get it dirty, I think it’s fine.

If it has been finished at least an hour, then no, I don’t have a problem with removing it! I will lay it neatly in their hamper though.

If I’ve taken it out of the dryer, I’ve been known to fold it for them.

If they aren’t around and you know their stuff has been in there for a while, with no sign of them coming back it is perfectly okay to take their stuff out. And if my stuff is done in the washer before they come back, I put theirs back in, they’ll never know…

I got pretty upset once because someone took my things out of the dryer and I only stepped outside long enough to have a smoke. that was really rude, If I had left it for 30 minutes to an hour, it would be understandable, because it would have been rude on my part to hog the machine for that long.

Here is something I just did last week tho. I wash my clothes at home, and dry them at the laundromat. There was a woman who was using an entire row of seats to fold her clothes. She had her things spread over 6 seats, and there was no other place to sit. I asked her if she would move to one of the 7 available folding tables and she said she was almost finished, and refused to budge. I couldn’t believe how rude she was, looking at me, standing there on crutches, and refusing to give up a seat! She went to her car for something, so my SO and I moved her things to the table ourselves. When she came back in, I gave her a look that dared her to say something about it.

When sharing machines, the good behavior falls on those whose laundry is done to get their things out in a timely manner. If we don’t, I think we need to expect that others will do it for us. Or if they don’t, we will have to do it for them.

@scamp: I’m totally with you on your second paragraph, but your first…
How is that person supposed to know that you were only going to be outside for a smoke? An absent person is an absent person. Unless you left a note saying you would be back in (how long does a cig take?) a few minutes, you can’t fault the next pesron in line for removing your clothes. And how long should they wait before making their move? Five minutes? Ten? Often when I’m doing laundry (in NYC) I have only a limited ammount of time and even five minutes makes a difference.

I usually wait for a little time like 10 min if no other machine is available. Then I usually will take out the load and fold it a neat pile on the machine while keeping all undergarments hidden from view. Just be sure you do not mix your clothes with theirs otherwise you gf/wife will wonder where the lingurie came from :-)

@breedmitch I understand your point, but the person I am referring to watched me go outside, and could still easily see me there in front of the window. The dryer was running and still had about ten minutes on the timer when I walked out. I was only out there for 10 to fifteen minutes tops.

@scamp: Well thats a horse of a different color.

Yeah, I guess I didn’t explain it well enough the first time.