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

[hooochycoo]

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?

If I were your neighbour I woudn't mind being asked and I woudn't put the machine on after 8 pm.

I'm with frostymorning1, if you asked me I'd probably agree because I'd feel uncomfortable saying no, and 90% of the time it wouldn't be a problem, but there would definitely be times it inconvenienced me and then I'd probably let myself be inconvenienced to keep the peace, and feel resentful towards you. I know it's a pain and I do sympathise, but I agree that that's just the price of apartment living. Most people have enough plates in the air as it is without also trying to time their domestic chores around your children's needs. Sorry!

I'm going to be a complete killjoy here but for the people who say they run the machine while they're out, or run it while in bed, please don't . A friend of mine woke up to a fire when hers was on while the family was asleep and they were lucky to get out - the firefighters said it was far too common and they wished they could get the message out to people to only run them when they are in the house and awake.

If she works funny shifts it might be even harder for her to avoid.

I often leave the house at 5am and don’t get back until after 7pm if I have meetings so if I was restricted on the evenings like that my only other option would be putting a wash before I left at 5am which I’m assuming wouldn’t be popular either. I’d probably offer you the option and see what you preferred if I was your neighbour so worth an ask?

I think YABU.

Not sure if your council has regs around this. Ours does, your next door neighbour should not be able to hear your washing machine/dryer/air con after 10pm. So for us we would need a load on by 7.30pm as front loader takes 2.5hr for full 20kg load and the spin cycle at the end is what’s noisiest.

Theoretically we can’t use the dryer during the week as a full washing load would be 2x dryer loads. At 90min/load that means we would need to put a load of washing on by 4.30pm if we wanted to use the dryer.

Luckily all moot as at this house we are far enough from our neighbours that neither can hear our laundry even at midnight (we have checked). However over the years we have lived in many houses much closer to neighbours where we had to stick to the time limits. With two people working it was hard enough to make 7pm to put a load on, if a neighbour had come and asked that the machine was not on after 8pm I think I would have flipped.

Your neighbour is not responsible for your sleeping layout.

If I were your neighbour I woudn't mind being asked and I woudn't put the machine on after 8 pm.

Bully for you.

However, not everyone is as flexible as you due to circumstances beyond their control.

Lots of people do their washing at night for cheaper rates.

You are BU to expect them to do it do as to not wake a little boy up.

You could always mention it, after all she isn't backward about stating her preferences to you! But I suspect you won't get anywhere. Offer to let her come in to hear how loud it is from your sons room. Otherwise, maybe your son will get used to it? We always made sure ours were used to noise and still they can sleep through anything, so it might surprise you!

Very unreasonable, especially if they work all day.

In addition to downHere's fire warning, I once left a washing machine on whilst out and somehow vibration caused the connection to the mains water to become disconnected, leading to a phone call from a neighbour to tell me that there was water pouring out of my back door. There is no way i would risk leaving an unattended washing machine on, if i lived in an above ground floor flat.

Tough call whether or no to gently ask about their washing machine, as from reading all the replies their reaction could go either way.

From my experience, I've had a bunch of kids, they go to sleep fine because the noise becomes 'normal', like a train line or busy road.

If this is only the soon-to-be bedroom, how do you even know it will wake your son up? Many children sleep quite happily through adult noise, which is just as well as most adults aren't keen on spending 15 years tiptoeing around the house until their children are able to cope with adult bedtimes.

As the neighbour, I would be a lot happier to be inconvenienced to solve something that was already a problem than to obviate something that we don't even know is going to cause a problem but the parents imagine it might.

Yea was going to say we run our machine at night because of economry energy rates, the flats have however been designed with no bedrooms near kitchens.

The problem with the new washing machines is that they are still tested on concrete floors and most people have wooden floors which doesn't dampen the vibrations, there is a limit to how much it can be dampened.

While I don't think you should ask them not to use their machine I can also understand that the noise and vibration is annoying, however that is why I won't live in a flat, other people's noise. They probably hear your noise, and your child, which will increase as the volume of a child does increase with the age of the child.

You could buy them one of these www.steadyspin.co.uk/ and an absorbent mat to go underneath. Other than that, accept that they have the right to use their home normally, as do you.

YABU.

YABU

How old is DS. Is he a light sleeper? Maybe try him in his new room and see how it goes first. It’s amazing what some kids can sleep through and what noises they find soothing. The week DD came home from hospital with DGD coincided with major building works starting in the flats behind theirs. All day there was sawing, drilling etc. Sometimes it started up suddenly and it sounded like the flipping drill was in the next room. It was horrendous. We were amazed that DGD managed to get to sleep or wasn’t woken when she was mid-nap and loud hammering started up. I’d not have thought anyone could sleep through such a ridiculous amount of noise. If DS is disturbed by the washing machine there’s no harm in asking very very nicely if there’s anyway they can do it earlier/later but as others have said, 8pm isn’t an anti social time.

I wouldnt mind being asked but really I dont think the neighbour is doing anything wrong. I'd think about you paying for your sons room to be soundproofed.You can buy the boards and put them up yourself.

YABU

The regulations around construction noise which includes DIY noise, are different to that from household noise such as running washing machines.

So the lady was right to tell you to stop hammering at 8pm but you have no right to tell her not to use get washing machine after 10-11pm as per your flat's lease. (My flat's lease states no household noise between 11pm - 7am daily while local council regulations says no construction noise between 7pm-7.30am Mon- Fri with shorter times at weekends. )

I know someone that used to put the washing machine on while her child slept as she said the noise helped him to sleep.

Yes, there might be some reason as to why they can't use it at any other time. Maybe someone in the house works nights, so the only time they put washer on is when that person has gone to work.

I would try but sometimes we aren’t in until that time and I need to wash my own uniform during the week - we only get one skirt and one jacket - so I have to use it. But I would try to compromise and see if I could minimise the vibration.

It doesn’t hurt to ask, but IWBU to expect her to never use it at that time unfortunately. People work different hours and flats are often not well soundproofed.

Yes, I think you are being very unreasonable, 8 is not late to be doing a washing (especially for shift workers, of whom I have several, often necessitating a late, quick wash).I doubt the noise will disturb your son.

YABU!

And yes you would be unreasonable to even ask!