AIBU to think neighbours are using my dryer?

[DontThinkSoBro]

In our block of flats each floor consists of 2 flats which share a drying room on the landing. The drying rooms are jointly owned by the two flats, we have a key each & our own tumble dryers on each side of the room.

New neighbours have moved in - lovely so far, no issues at all... except over the weekend I found one of their sons socks in my dryer & last night I found one of the woman’s socks in my dryer. 100% no mistaking that they are theirs as we only have plain socks & these are most definitely a little boys socks & a woman’s pair of patterned socks.

I absolutely don’t want to cause an argument about it. Could there be another simple explanation that I’m not thinking of as to how twice now, their socks have ended up in my dryer?

How would I approach this without causing a rift with otherwise very nice people?

Maybe, they don't realise they are racking up your electric bill?

I live in Switzerland, each apartment building has a washer dryer in the basement, you use a unique key to turn it on. It took me several years to realise the reason everyone has a unique key is so the electricity is charged to your flat.

Keep the socks and wear them to clean the floor with.

Dishonest people don’t become more honest after a quiet word, they just become more careful about covering their tracks.

Just get a socket lock- they can hardly object, can they?

The locking socket thing seems your best option!

Can you use the fuse box in your flat to disable the socket when not needed?

A massive bow around the machine with a glitter bomb hidden inside if anyone tries to remove it. No idea how you‘d actually get to the machine yourself to use it, just brainstorming

There is no other explanation really.
Remind them in a friendly way. They may carry on doing it but will check and remove their socks!

OP has already said: When they moved in we had a whole conversation about it l, so no question that they are mistaken..

So they clearly know which belongs to them.

I hate all this “excuse me I’m so sorry to bother you but would it be at all possible for you to stop using my [insert item here] I mean, it’s totally okay if you need to use it sometimes occasionally but if you could try not to I’d really, really appreciate it!” attitude.

My CF neighbours clearly knew they were using our bin as it had GIANT white ‘505’ stickers on the top and on every side of it. People are just pisstakers.

Don't accuse malice when it could plausibly be incompetence.

If it's off your electricity, is the breaker box in your flat? That would give you the easy solution, just turn off the relevant breaker when you're not using it.

If you mention it they will just be more careful to not get caught if they are those type of people. If you know when they do ther laundry walk in and tell them how someone in the building has been using your dryer and broken it, have they noticed anyone coming in. Put a lock on it and a note or talk about cctv installation and watch her squirm .Id also turn their dryer on so it charges them and evens out the costs but I am a revenge driven cow

Get something like this and don’t worry about offending. They aren’t worrying about you are they?

It’s accusing someone of doing something that they blatantly know they shouldn’t be doing, so it’s never going to sit comfortably is it?

It is sitting comfortably enough for them to use your electric though. If you speak to them they’ll just make doubly sure they empty it properly.

Lock or main fuse. Nothing will cause more upset than the resentment you will soon feel.

In Germany/Sweden (prob other countries too) they solve this by having a board that you have to put a key into to activate the electricity supply to your own washing machine/dryer. Each key is different, so a neighbour can't use the wrong machine.

I would be popping into the room on a regular basis, catch them in the act. Then empty the dryer and take it all down to them, explaining that you need to use your dryer and please can they use their own!

Bin the socks, they shouldn't using your dryer. A new pair of socks is roughly the cost of the electricity they've stolen.

If they are CF enough to do this in the first place then a polite word won't make a shred of difference!

I assume they had lots to dry, and assumed they weren’t doing any harm in using yours.

@HarryElephante

I can't believe the amount of suspicious people on here, telling OP to install locks etc.

Society is going to freaking pot! Just talk to them!

Cheeky fuckers like this don't care about being "talked to".

You are a better person than me Brussels

If I found someone else’s stuff in my machine, it would be binned.
(Only half joking)

That would piss me off. Socket lock and I wouldn't leave washing powder etc out either. I've had too many neighbours help themselves to mine.

Or they've lived with pisstaking neighbours so many times they can no longer be arsed and just put a lock because it's obvious these people are using the OPs dryer to avoid paying to dry their clothes

Is this how you live? Assume everyone's a complete arse until you see evidence to the contrary?

I like it. It has some merit.

Cheeky fuckers like this don't care about being talked to

Jesus christ.

I would take the clothes round there and say, ‘I found these in my drier-are they yours’ and see what they say.

I think a conversation will naturally ensue. If they lie and deny all knowledge, get a socket lock.

How old are the children? Could one of them have been sent to do the drying and used the wrong one by mistake?

Just talk to her about it and ask her to stop using your drier.

It's weird when people post threads on here about such inanely simple things! Honestly! It obviously just needs a conversation and if she continues then you will have to put a lock of some kind on your drier.