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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Wibu to ask my neighbour to not use washing machine after 8pm?

266 replies

hooochycoo · 29/04/2018 11:27

Our neighbours’s Washing machine is right above our son’s soon to be new Bedroom. He goes to bed about 8. The washing machine makes the whole room vibrate. Would it be unreasonable to ask the neighbours to try and not use it after 8pm?

OP posts:
Difficultparent · 30/04/2018 23:12

No. We agreed not to use our washing machine after a certain time with our neighbours below. I can understand how bloody loud and annoying it is and I was perfectly happy to do that. Why wouldn't I. I think you have to compromise when you live in flats.

margesimpson40 · 01/05/2018 00:50

The guy who lived upstairs had a noisy washing machine that made my Windows rattle, no one likes noise, but seriously a noisy washing machine is different to loud music, shouting, banging doors etc and is not anti social, I'm sure my neighbours weren't keen on my son crying in the midfielder night either, again it's not anti social. You have to accept some element of noise and give and take a bit. A noisy washing machine certainly does not come into the neighbour from hell bracket either. Some of the posts have been unbelievable in this thread. Why don't you and your neighbour go on Jeremy kyle, this is the kind of insignificant nonsense he considers entertainment

DoJo · 01/05/2018 01:29

frequently a little bit pisat from drips

I thought that 'pisat' might be one of those words in another language that we don't really have in English, meaning 'slightly piss-stained'. I'm a little disappointed that it was a typo...

browneyes77 · 01/05/2018 07:56

but seriously a noisy washing machine is different to loud music, shouting, banging doors etc

How is it different? It’s loud noise. The same as loud music is loud noise, or banging is loud noise.

Yes you have to have some give and take and compromise and if the noisy washing machine was on in the day it wouldn’t be an issue. But when it’s going late at night and is preventing someone from sleeping then it is anti social. Because the noise from the washing machine is happening at anti social hours.

The difference in your son crying in the night is it can’t be helped. He’s a child. My neighbour below has a baby who cries at night too, but it’s a baby, they cry, the baby can’t help it. A noisy loud washing machine being put on a stupid o’clock, can be helped however.

And there was no need for the little dig about Jeremy Kyle either. Just because something is ‘insignificant’ to you, doesn’t mean it is to other people.

duplodancer · 01/05/2018 08:00

But it will help your child sleep most likely. I put my massively noisy one in the hall next to my kids rooms just as they go to bed deliberately!

MombieMumbles · 01/05/2018 08:26

If my neighbour approached me politely about my noisy washing machine I'd make an effort to minimise the noise or timing of it. That is unless I couldn't help.

MombieMumbles · 01/05/2018 08:26

*help it

Dulra · 01/05/2018 08:33

I think it is a tough one you don't know their routine and maybe putting washing on late and hanging out in the morning is what works for them. Your son will get used to the noise and stop hearing it. A couple of years ago our neighbour started delivering refrigerated goods and the noise of the refrigerated van was quite loud and parked in drive next to our kids bedroom. It annoyed them for a night or two and now they don't even notice it.

TawnyPort · 01/05/2018 09:33

How is it different? It’s loud noise. The same as loud music is loud noise, or banging is loud noise

Of course its different, don;t be daft. Nobody needs to play loud music, everyone needs clean clothes. Someone making a racket for no reason is not ok, doing their own laundry IS always ok. Its not everyone elses fault that your home is badly insulated or constructed.

TawnyPort · 01/05/2018 09:35

It isn’t silly at all. It is anti social to do your laundry at a time that disturbs your neighbours. It’s no different to having your tv too loud or your music too loud. You are making loud noise that is causing a disturbance to others. That is anti social behaviour

Are people actually so self centred that they think people doing their laundry is anti social behaviour? Do you think the entire world revolves around you?

browneyes77 · 01/05/2018 09:42

Nobody needs to play loud music, everyone needs clean clothes.

Nobody needs to do their washing after 11pm at night.

And you can stop being purposely obnoxious. Doing your laundry in itself is not anti social behaviour. Doing it late at night when you’re disturbing other people is. And no I don’t think the world revolves around me at all. Apparently my neighbours think it revolves around them however.

DougFargo · 01/05/2018 10:02

Nobody needs to do their washing after 11pm at night

You don't know that, but the point here is after 8pm at night, which with economy modes means putting the washing on by 6pm!
YOU are the antisocial one if you expect your neighbours to not be able to do their laundry at the perfectly normal time of 8pm.

BITCAT · 01/05/2018 11:11

ArcheryAnnie theres 6 of us in the house, 2 working adults, one works in the food trade and one who works outside and in a dusty atmosphere. Another Adult(myself), 3 kids they have clean clothes every day. The only item we dont wash is my daughters blazer. So we do around 3-4 loads a day. People tend to change their clothes after school or work. And my son works odd hours so sometimes we have to do a late night wash. Thats just life...

Lethaldrizzle · 01/05/2018 11:14

3 to 4 loads a day seems excessive

DougFargo · 01/05/2018 11:16

Excessive how? I do two loads a day but thats a 10kg machine. 3-4 in a small machine sounds about right for a larger family.

HoppingPavlova · 01/05/2018 11:45

I do 7 loads a week, more if I do sheets. That’s a 10kg machine. If I had a 5kg machine I’d do 10 loads a week without sheets.

Add in sheets, that would be at least another 2 loads or 4 in a small machine. If you have chuky babies etc then the sky’s the limit. I used to do 30kg/day with one of mine who had shocking reflux, exorcist style.

BITCAT · 01/05/2018 11:54

DougFargo exactly. School clothes plus work clothes plus other stuff..and bedding once a week for 6 people.
Im thinking of getting a bigger machine so i can fit duvets in. Atm i have a 7kg.
They all have showers everyday too..so fresh towels all the time. It all adds up.
My mom had 7 of us and she used to do around 8-10 washes a day!!

DougFargo · 01/05/2018 11:55

The 10kg is fantastic, it actually seems twice as big as a 7kg, rather than just a bit.

browneyes77 · 01/05/2018 12:25

YOU are the antisocial one if you expect your neighbours to not be able to do their laundry at the perfectly normal time of 8pm.

I didn’t say though did I?? I said my neighbours did theirs after 11pm at night and that was unreasonable and anti social. Please learn to read properly before you dish out snarky comments.

I said the OP was not unreasonable to speak to her neighbour about their washing machine being on at 8pm at night if she felt it was disturbing her too much. 8pm isn’t late for most people, but it’s her son going to bed at that time underneath the room containing the washing machine that is the issue for her. She perfectly within her rights to have a friendly conversation with her neighbour about it. The neighbour may not realise and may be able to do it at a different time. Until she speaks to them she’ll never know.

anonymousbird · 01/05/2018 12:28

In Switzerland, people call the police if you use your machine after 8pm! And it's taken seriously!

Also no power tools on Sundays!

DougFargo · 01/05/2018 12:29

I didn’t say though did I?? I said my neighbours did theirs after 11pm at night and that was unreasonable and anti social. Please learn to read properly before you dish out snarky comments

Actually you did, when you said that anyone making noise that bothers you at all is anti social Hmm

sugarr · 01/05/2018 12:39

do their laundry at the perfectly normal time of 8pm

Normal time? I tumble dry, and then iron, 8 would be far too late, I wouldn't be done until 10 lol Grin

BITCAT · 01/05/2018 12:41

In all honesty, a child needs to learn to sleep through normal household sounds and noises. Life doesnt stop..we still have to use the toilet etc at night. Sometimes if a child wets the bed or is sick then the washing machine goes on.
Normal households sounds like washing machines, tumble dryers, hoovers, toilets flushing people can do these things at all hours because everyone has different working patterns. My kids have slept through parties, hoovers everything because we never tip toed around them as babies. 8pm is not late, they may not be able to do another time.

DontCallMeCharlotte · 01/05/2018 12:49

I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if I'm duplicating but, OP, maybe you could suggest to the lady upstairs that the "feet" of the washing machine might be uneven - they should be adjustable. We had a very noisy machine but once we adjusted them, the difference was amazing. It was like a new washing machine!

caringcarer · 01/05/2018 14:29

When I put on a load of washing it takes 2 hours and 40 mins. If you don't want washing machine on after 8pm that means cycle would have to start by 5.20pm. You must realise you ate being entirely unreasonable. I switch on washing as I go to bed ready to dry in morning. Police say quiet after 10pm. If you hear their wm maybe they hear your dc crying or playing.

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