If you live in a flat....

[NeverGuessWho]

And you are a considerate neighbour, what’s the earliest time you’d:
Put a wash on?
Hoover?
Been desperate to do both since 6:00am, but haven’t yet. I’m new to this flat life, so just wondering what others think.

Also, how early is acceptable IYO for your neighbours to do the same.

Background: my neighbours are furloughed but don’t work nights anyway, and I live in the top flat with another family adjoined on one side, and a couple in the flat below. My washing machine won’t be heard by the family living to the side of me, but probably will be heard by the couple below. I have laminate flooring throughout, so no carpets to soften the noise.

TIA

9am

I'd probably wait until about 10 on the weekend for people who might be having a lie in

Weekdays - 9am till about 7pm

Saturdays - 10am till 5pm

Sundays - 11am till 4pm

That's just how I used to time it. Others will differ.

I agree with 9am as it is Sunday. Maybe 8am on a week day.

I’d go with 10am on a weekend and 8am during the week for washing machine and hoovering, sound really travels in flats without carpet to muffle the noise

I live in a top flat too. Earliest I put my washing on is 8.30 so the loudest part of the spin cycle is after 9am.
Hoover I normally wait till the afternoon but again, definitely after 9am.

I live in a middle floor flat. Families either side and an elderly couple downstairs. I would say 9/10am is fine. I've been up since 6am with the two year old so I've also been itching to put a wash on since then

Thank you. I feel like re washing machine, everyday is a weekend. The couple below are both furloughed, so can lie in any day.

But maybe that means I should wait till 10:00am everyday? I’m going to go for a walk and will put wash on when I get back.

Thanks for replies so far.

I'd put a wash on at 8, it doesn't get noisy/fast until 40mins in. I'd hoover the lounge/kitchen from Then too but not bedrooms, downstairs flat has same footprint as ours.

That said we live by the tube which has loud announcements from 5am and nearby construction starts at 8 so domestic noise isn't that much of a bother.

Thanks @gatsbylove & everyone.

Weekdays - 9am till about 7pm
Saturdays - 10am till 5pm
Sundays - 11am till 4pm

So @gatsbylove, do you mind me asking - do you work/WFH and/or have a dryer?

I cannot hear my neighbours doing washing or hoovering. Either they never do it or the noise doesn't travel. So in this building I don't mind the time. Ive soemtimes done the waahing over night since the noise doenst travel (but only in emergency) But in general for me anyhting between 9am-10pm goes.

OP, I don’t live in a flat, but I just wanted to say what a lovely considerate neighbour you are being!
One of my DDs is in a middle flat in Edinburgh, and the upstairs neighbour had been playing loud music late at night. In typical middle class Edinburgh passive aggressive style, all the other neighbours signed a notice complaining about it, prominently displayed in the communal lobby! The music ceased.

After reading these replies, I’m definitely going to hoover in the afternoon from now on. Thanks.

@Babdoc -Thank you.

I always forget about the washing machine being loud and usually put it on about 7.30am or 8am

Hoovering though, not until 9-10am usually.

It is hard to know. In Switzerland in some cantons you cannot flush the toilet after 10pm in case you wake people up for example.

Also some people work shifts. My son who bought a detached new built house last Autumn in part did that to avoid having neighbours - he was in a terrace before. He drives groceries and his shift starts at 12.30pm every day (full time into the night) so he will always be sleeping late as he gets back from work so late.

I would be surprised is washing machines were particularly noisy. One my daughters lives in a flat and she has lovely neighbours and they all try to be considerate of the others.

I think you can put on the washer any time you like from 6.30am ish even but perhaps not hoover until 9am. I am in a house not a flat and I don't use the lawn mower until after 9am for similar reasons (and we have a code of conduct which bans it at weekends and bank holidays so I respect that too)

in the lock down a lot of people are very unhappy and angry and sad so we just have to try to cut other people some slack - how they show how they feel will differ.

Our local council bans loud building works at certain times which is a good scheme eg nothing before 8am and nothing on Sat afternoon or Sunday or bank holidays.

Dd lives in a ground floor flat and I don't think she hears her upstairs neighbours washing machine (she knows they have one as it once leaked and came through her ceiling !)

Check the terms of your Lease, the times should be outlined in there.

Also, laminate flooring, unless sufficiently sound proofed, may not actually be permitted (I appreciate you may not have installed it).

Previous block manager - read hundreds of Leases and dealt with dozens of neighbour complaints.

i have neighbours who return home at 11 and make endless noises until 4am. Loud TV, playing games, laughing and chatting, i know everything they say. So i put my washing machine anytime from 8am till 10pm. And i couldnt careless cuz they started all this thoughtless noise for two months before i stopped caring.

I used to do these after i've done all cleaning at 11ish.

I'd set the washing machine off as it doesn't really get noisy until rinsing. Hoovering depends - perhaps you could ask them if they can hear you hoovering? You might be fine, you might not. They may not be bothered either what

Way

We’re the ground floor flat so less of an issue for us, but we get the benefit of hearing upstairs! I think it depends on the layout. Their washing machine is above our living room and I can’t hear it from our bedroom, so I don’t really mind when they run it! However if they hoovered their living room (above our bedroom) before 9am I’d be pretty pissed off - ok I’ve been awake since 7 but I’ve been lying in bed reading etc. Normal moving around noise I can hear but it wouldn’t wake me and I don’t feel like I’d be justified in being annoyed

Why run the risk of pissing off your new neighbours for the sake of a few hours? It's Sunday - work on the assumption they're having a lie-in, or simply want to relax over their breakfast without being disturbed by your washing machine or vacuum cleaner. You can always get your wash and detergent ready to go in advance.

I live in a first floor flat but my downstairs neighbours say they don't hear us. My kitchen and washing machine is above my entrance/porch/stairs so it wouldn't disturb them anyway. They are hard of hearing though, and we can hear them, so maybe the noise from us is there, they just can't hear it. It's only normal living noise, I tend to wait until I hear them around before I hoover or anything like that, or after 10 if I can't hear them.
Sometimes though I have no option because I work shifts (pre lockdown) and they're 24/7 so at times I've needed to get up and have a bath (no shower) and dry my hair and leave for work, if I've done an early shift on a Sunday. Usually do nights though.
A family of 5 lived here before and apparently were very noisy, there's two of us and with me working at night and sleeping in the day usually I suppose we're much quieter!
I think it's just about being considerate as well as tolerant towards others.

So @gatsbylove, do you mind me asking - do you work/WFH and/or have a dryer?

When I lived in a flat (top floor) I worked in London most days so was out of the flat 7-7 (ish). But the washing machine had a delay timer and I have rather slack standards about how long washing sits clean/wet in the machine until I get to it to hang it out

No drier at the time.