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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU or are they PFL (Precious Fucking Laundry)?

43 replies

Barksdale · 25/09/2016 12:42

I live in student flats. We share washers/dryers. If the washing sits in the machines for 20mins+, there's an unwritten rule that the laundry is carefully taken out and popped in a pile on the sofa in the laundry room for collection.

It's Sunday, all machines are on the go pretty much all day.

I go down, find 4 machines with washing just sitting in them. I pick a load, pop it on the sofa.

Come down later and find the world's snottiest passive-aggressive note, that includes the phrase "I don't know where YOU'RE from, but in England it's common decency to WAIT" and the claim that I have no right to touch their "personal belongings".

AIBU or PFL?

OP posts:
PinkSwimGoggles · 25/09/2016 12:47

yanbu

ayeokthen · 25/09/2016 12:50

Yanbu, I'd leave a blunt note saying "if you'd got off your lazy arse to come and get it, I wouldn't have had to! Don't be so fucking precious, and casually racist/xenophobic and come and get your laundry when it's finished." But that's just me.

ConvincingLiar · 25/09/2016 12:52

"You're mistaken. In England, and everywhere else, it's courteous not to make others wait."

user1474792594 · 25/09/2016 12:53

I'd reply "in England it's dommon decency not to make others wait. Don't be so bloody rude"

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 25/09/2016 12:55

Wow. In England it is customary not to inconvenience others.

In many universities that note would be treated as racist.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 25/09/2016 12:56

Piss off and move your fucking washing.

Also works well in England.

RhiWrites · 25/09/2016 12:58

Why don't people have laundry crates? It's so weird. Bring a crate, put it on top of the machine you're using so if your laundry is finished before you get back there's a clean place to put it.

I wouldn't like my stuff dumped on a random sofa but I'd bring a crate. I'd have no problem with someone moving it.

Original poster
Barksdale · 25/09/2016 13:00

50% of the building are Chinese and I'm sure they were deliberately making an issue of that. It's actually really pissed me off that someone would be so racist/unfriendly.

I don't want to start a "note war" but when I get my drying I'll retrieve the note from the bin and show the building manager.

OP posts:
DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease · 25/09/2016 13:00

Yanbu

dementedpixie · 25/09/2016 13:02

I agree to leaving a washing basket with the machine and then the washing has somewhere to go so the next person can use it

BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted · 25/09/2016 13:02

You don't know who the note-leaver was and they don't know it was you who moved Their Precious Laundry. In view of that I'd write on their note "fuck you, you passive-aggressive machine-hogging twat!"

Finola1step · 25/09/2016 13:02

Ooh, a casual racist/xenophobe. Now in your shoes OP, I would be tempted to do nothing except watch and wait. Give it time and you will find out who left the note. Then you will know all you need to know about that person.

I bet they are all sweetness and light in company. But you will know what is really lurking underneath...

BarbaraofSeville · 25/09/2016 13:16

They're PFL. No way is it fair to make you wait until they can be arsed to come and take their washing out of the machine.

They should come and remove it promptly or expect to find it dumped in the allocated place. The sofa sounds grim though - is it clean? I can imagine that it gets damp if wet washing keeps getting piled up on top of it. Don't they have laundry baskets?

Original poster
Barksdale · 25/09/2016 13:18

The sofa is clean, it's just like a sort of pleather so the water doesn't affect it and nobody really sits on it. No one seems to have a basket. I just make a note of the time duration and come down and pick it up as soon as it runs out.. most of the others seem to manage that too!

OP posts:
DixieWishbone · 25/09/2016 13:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 25/09/2016 13:19

i'd have a good look at the clothes so I could id the note leaver and then I'd set their laundry on a boil wash with bleach next time I found it. Rude fuckers.

ollyollyoxenfree · 25/09/2016 13:21

I work for student halls and we'd take that note very seriously- do you have a resident advisor/warden type person you can give it to?

And yes as long as you're not dumping clean laundry on the floor it's fine! No one would get anything done if we all waited for the last person to move their stuff out 😁

LadyConstanceDeCoverlet · 25/09/2016 13:23

I assume you have some sort of communal notice board? If so, put the note on the board with a notice saying: "To the racist person who left this note: in this building it is accepted practice that if you can't be bothered to move your washing when it is finished, others are entitled to take it out of the machines so that they can use them. In England it is common decency to be considerate of other people."

Also ask the building manager to put a notice up about emptying machines as soon as they are finished without delay.

Original poster
Barksdale · 25/09/2016 13:25

I've already emailed the woman who works in the office (she's lovely and we get on well) and I've managed to get the offending note out of the bin in case she wants to see it.

I think there's CCTV in there, so theoretically they might be able to find out who left it! I'm glad I'm not being AIBU, when I saw the note it really triggered my anxiety and I felt really on edge the whole time I was in the room in case someone came in and kicked off at me.

I'm relieved that I'm probably not being U.

OP posts:
Sgtmajormummy · 25/09/2016 13:26

Due to them being late you were also handling their underwear etc. as you took it out of the machine. Admittedly clean, but never a nice thought.
YADNBU!
Ask for a written notice of 15 minutes waiting time from the manager.

AdaLovelacesCat · 25/09/2016 13:29

how fucking offensive.
I mean I know students are the queens of passive aggressive notes., but there is no need for blatant racist comments thrown in is there?
I would have been tempted to write a really offensive note back , but written in Welsh...
Actually no that would go over their head.
Honestly it is so offensive that I think you should continue with your contact with student services. This has no place in a university.

Soubriquet · 25/09/2016 13:30

I think you a being a bit unreasonable

They might not have known about the rule and could have panicked when their washing wasn't in the machine

Saying that though, that note was unacceptable

AdaLovelacesCat · 25/09/2016 13:31

Soubriquet, not knowing where your washing might be for 60 seconds is not an excuse for blatantly racist notes is it?

ayeokthen · 25/09/2016 13:32

I'm trying and failing to think of a place where you'd get so many different races/colours/nationalities/faiths/creeds/gender identities/sexualities all living together other than student accommodation, and failing miserably. People with attitudes like that have no place in society, I hope they are found and told that in no uncertain terms! My uni halls had a large Chinese contingent and guess what? We all got along just fine!

Soubriquet · 25/09/2016 13:32

Did I not say the note was unacceptable in my comment because I think I did?

Oh look there it is. Right at the bottom

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