AIBU to ask my lodger to cut down on washing machine use?

it was clearly a smalls load 😮‍💨

I'd just preface it with 'I don't want to come across full eco warrior but...' and then come across full eco warrior. That's outrageously wasteful.

Five loads a week isn't a lot at all. And he could have spilled something in the shorts and needed to throw them straight in the machine when he had nothing else to wash. If he was using it 5x a day I'd understand but I think you'd be very unreasonable to moan about 5x a week.

I can see loads of people pointing out the environmental and cost issue of this in terms of water and energy but under loading can also cause actual damage to the machine itself due to imbalance during the spin cycle!

All of the above is more than good reason to raise this with lodger.

Whilst I think washing just one pair of shorts is wasteful, I don't think you can police how often a grown, paying adult does their laundry. If you feel the water/electric used is too much (and it's included in the rent), then just adjust the rent at the next review.

I'd probably sit him down and ask him what the almighty fuck he was thinking.

A 2hr eco wash as well?! Would be slightly less bad if it was a quick 20-30 min emergency wash. Definitely need to have a word! Tell him you don’t want to have to make it token/coin-operated 😂

If I were you, I would point out the environmental issue of washing handful's of clothes at a time. We have a drought. Perhaps suggest he soaks things that he is afraid of staining (may be the reason for doing one pair of shorts). Ask him from now on to do full loads only. Your house, your rules.

I once had a landlord who clearly had some trauma from previous tenants because she made the washing machine coin operated. 20p for 10 minutes. It only took 20ps. If you didn’t have about £2 worth of 20ps a week, you could not wash your clothes. If you ran out of 20ps half way through, the machine would stop and lock and no one else could use it and your clothes were help prisoner until you got more 20ps she would come round every weekend, let herself in and collect her 20ps.

Anyway, yeah you need to tell him it’s not on. Doesn’t he know it’s a drought etc etc?

@Member869894 just have a word:

"Lodger. I noticed you ran the washing machine for just one pair of shorts the other day. Could you make sure you only run full loads? I have some hand wash stuff if you need to wash a single item"

I was going to say something like this. He’s probably slipped something (ketchup?) on his shorts.

The problem with having a lodger is that you have to live with him and he gets to treat your house / washing machine as his own.

In a nutshell.

What's the problem with spinning? It means drying time is shorter.

Just tell him ... washing machine is for full loads and you need to hand wash the odd item that needs washing inbetween ... to much water/energy use which in not environmentally friendly

Well I am a clean person, I live on my own and do a max of two loads PER WEEK. One is clothing etc. the other is sheets/towels/undies. I handwash small urgent (!) items and they are dry in an hour in this weather.

He obviously has no clue about water conservation or the cost of electricity. He is taking the piss putting on a two hour wash for a single pair of shorts. The lazy sod should have rinsed them out by hand FGS or waited until he had a fuller load. But he probably only has one pair of everything including socks ha ha.

I agree with others, and couch it in terms of water shortages and economy. Full load or hand wash individual items please. I'd keep it lighthearted and non snappy.

Just a pair of shorts on its own is unreasonable, but I don’t think 4-5 loads over a week is unreasonable.

1 pair of shorts might mean he's had an accident.

That's crazy wasteful. Tell him he needs to be having full loads, it's too wasteful otherwise. What idiot washes one pair of shorts in the washer and then uses the dryer?

Under loading a washing machine is a total disregard for water and electric, it’s taking the piss

id explain that a washing machine being constantly under loaded is not good for the machine ( it’s not particularly) as is overloading. So in future you’re limiting his use of the washing machine to 2x per week for free and any additional loads to £10 each load.

that will hopefully make him realise the cost, and when it becomes his cost rather than yours he will change his habits

Good God I'm glad I don't live with some of you. Timeslots and charges to use a washing machine! When I lived alone I probably did 4-5 loads a week, darks, lights, whites, towels and tea towels, bedding. It's easy enough when you've got work clothes, outside of work clothes, pyjamas, gym clothes etc.

I think it's fair to say the machine is for full loads OP mainly due to the water shortage. Our machine has a 15 minutes refresh cycle that's just steam I think for a smaller amount of items. Does yours have a half load function? If he doesn't have lots of of clothes he might struggle to get to a big load and still have things he can wear, especially if he has specific work clothes/uniform

Using the tumble dryer as well??? Omg

I would say three loads acweek is reasonable. I wonder if he hasn’t got many clothes so needs to wash them more often.

Our washing machine actually went funny recently because I put just 3 items in and one was heavy (a bath mat).
Normally I pack it so full the stuff in the middle is still dry (exaggeration but you get the idea) but my toddler accidentally pooed on the bath mat so it went straight with a cloth and a sock.
It just would not drain properly. We pulled it out and did all sorts of checks but then a plumber neighbour said it was just the small but heavy load - it was making it imbalanced inside so it stopped it working.
As soon as I filled it with other stuff it was fine!
Another reason not to wash tiny loads.

Just mention the cost of water and electricity and that obviously it's not something you want to have to start charging him for. So request he tries to cut down on WM use.

If he works in a really sweaty job like a builder or chef and wears uniform, plus does sport/ exercise with a couple types of kit, wears formal stuff and casual wear when not at work? That could just about explain it.

But if he insists he needs to then you'll have to start charging him for it. Presumably he uses his own detergent? Doesn't leave stuff damp in the machine or dry things all over the house?