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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask neighbours not to use washing machine late at night?

149 replies

ILoveMyMonkey · 12/04/2021 06:35

So new neighbours moved in a few weeks ago and have started putting on a late wash that spins at about 10:30 at night. The problem is that the walls between our houses are ridiculously thin and the spin cycle sounds like a chinook helicopter is inside our house. Last night it woke my son up, it really is horrendously loud.

We didn’t get on well with the previous neighbours and 2 separate attempts at asking them to keep the noise down (they really were noisy and had no consideration at all) was met with utter contempt and made them worse so DH thinks we shouldn’t say anything to these new neighbours as he feels it won’t actually achieve anything, whereas I feel it might be worth a try.

So...
AIBU - don’t say anything they won’t give a crap and can do washing regardless of how it affects you.

YANBU - say something they might not realise how shit the walls are and most people are considerate of how their behaviour affects others.

OP posts:
FireflyRainbow · 12/04/2021 15:42

I do my washing late and theres water hammer so it bangs. Im at work all day, then have to try to drag the kids out for a walk, then feed them and wash up then wash the muddy/food covered clothes.

Hyperion100 · 12/04/2021 15:49

We sold our old house for this very reason.

Their dryer was upstairs against the party wall 9 inches from our bedroom and they ran it CONSTANTLY. A perpetual low hum that made the pictures on the wall vibrate. Huuuum, stop, start, stop, start, stop start...

Ear plugs didnt cut it. It sounded like they were tumbling bricks.

Lost count of the number of times we had to knock on their front door at midnight.

They ran in for 40 hours one week. It broke us.

Devlesko · 12/04/2021 15:55

Isn't that just part of living though.
We are a house of musicians and there's practice from 9am - 8pm.
That's how long it takes. If our neighbours moved we wouldn't change our lives to suit their lifestyle, why would you?
As long as you aren't making noise after whatever the law states then nobody can complain really.
Can you move your son to a different room.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 12/04/2021 16:01

@PattyPan

Isn’t ‘wakes up my child’ noisy by any reasonable definition?
Nope.

What if the child has a three hour nap every day from say, 11-2. Would you expect neighbours to be silent for that time in case they woke them?

BusyLizzie61 · 12/04/2021 16:35

[quote ILoveMyMonkey]@Fieldsofstars
I agree with you but moving takes time and finances. People in mn seem to act as though it can happen overnight.

I’m feeling as though the level of noise created by the spin isn’t coming across clearly- the actual wash was fine, can barely hear it, all god with that but the spin was extremely loud as though a jackhammer was being used in our house. It wasn’t a nice soft gentle spin it was one of those that moves the machine across the entire room.[/quote]
I have one of those, and I admit that there are times when it's on at night usually to have finished by 9ish. But I think that really its not unreasonable of it finishes before 11pm, as that's the whole noise time thing that councils use.

I think that regardless of what you deem as when they should do their washing, it's entirely their choice and could be due to economy seven for example.

I think that sadly as much as you believe you're more courteous, others will say its unnecessary and you cannot expect the same in return.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 12/04/2021 16:48

@marchez

Well, in that case it's no wonder you don't use it.

I honestly thought it was a standard thing, to have a delay start function.

Tbf I did too. And I have a cheap ish one
WiddlinDiddlin · 12/04/2021 17:12

Ignore the whatabouters and the vipers constructing elaborate fictions about your neighbours.

Pop round, take 'em some cake and just mention that the spin cycle on their machine probably doesn't sound that bad in their house but sounds like a Chinook taking off inside yours and can they stick some sort of padding in behind it or try to avoid spin cycles after 9 or whatevers reasonable.

Its entirely likely they have NO idea what it sounds like in your house and they are never going to know unless someone tells them (*heck, get them to put a spin on and pop round to yours if you can have people into your house now?).

SchrodingersImmigrant · 12/04/2021 17:20

Its entirely likely they have NO idea

Absolutely. It's really hard to guess how much can neighbours here. My neigbour and I were doing the dance around at the beginning when I asked how much can they hear us and they claimed they can't at all. Absolutely nothing. Week later she mentioned our pet😂 So I knew they can hear that.

It's not malicious (well some noise is, but washing machine most likely really isn't). It's just not easy to guess.

Herbie0987 · 12/04/2021 17:23

I run my washing machine overnight as I have economy 7 electric - cheaper at night

eatsleepread · 12/04/2021 17:24

YANBU.

SakuraEdenSwan1 · 12/04/2021 17:25

You seem to have constant run ins with your neighbours, perhaps you are the issue @ILoveMyMonkey ?

Original poster
ILoveMyMonkey · 12/04/2021 17:26

@HikeForward - I know for a fact they aren’t - the company vans parked up explain their jobs.

OP posts:
nancywhitehead · 12/04/2021 17:32

@Cactus1982

Why is that so Mumsnetters are so intolerant normal neighbourly noise? There was a thread the other day from someone who was whinging about the noise her neighbour made when she put her children to bed. I mean who even complains about stuff like that?

So no, I wouldn’t say anything. 10.30pm isn’t even that late and might be the only time they are able to do a wash. It’s part and parcel of living close to other people that you have to put up with stuff like this. The fact you had problems with other neighbours suggests that maybe you are little oversensitive and need to develop a bit of resilience.

I sometimes wonder you’d all cope if you lived next to really noise people. As in loud thumping music at all hours of the night etc..

This is really insensitive.

People have different thresholds of tolerance for noise. 10.30pm for a wash would be late in most people's books (especially people with children). There are very few people who actually wouldn't be able to find any other time in the day to do a wash.

Chances are it would be less hassle for the neighbours to slightly change their routine than for OP and her kids to lose sleep over this.

nancywhitehead · 12/04/2021 17:33

OP there is a good chance that they have no idea that their machine is even bothering you. If they seem like reasonable people then just talk to them about it.

3JsMa · 12/04/2021 17:40

Yes,it is annoying but unreasonable to expect they will adhere to your request.The law states that no audible noise outside of the property cut off time is 11pm until 7am.
The only option is to insulate your walls.

Skyla2005 · 12/04/2021 17:50

You complained about noise to your previous neighbours and ruined the relationship and now your going to complain again about noise. I see a theme here. People have to live. They pay to live In their house just as you pay to live In yours leave them alone for gods sake

Original poster
ILoveMyMonkey · 12/04/2021 18:16

@ SakuraEdenSwan1 no I haven’t had constant run ins actually. The last neighbours were horrendous and I asked twice for them to stop the middle of the night screaming and running around. I haven’t had any run in with these neighbours - I asked advice on mn. Get your facts straight!

@Skyla2005 there was no relationship with the other neighbours even before I asked very politely for them not to scream and run around and shout in the middle of the night! Turns out the owner of our house sold because of their noise and just didn’t tell us - she pushed for a very quick sale and was a nightmare seller - we very quickly worked out why.

Thank you to those people who have offered constructive and sympathetic comments, they are appreciated and have been taken on board.

To the posters all but accusing me of being an evil witch that doesn’t want anyone else to make even a peep in their own homes and that I’m completely unreasonable to even question whether or not I could say anything - maybe you could all be a bit more empathetic. There have been no run ins, there was going to be no demands, no hammering on the door screaming at them to shut up, no threats of violence etc some of us are capable of polite conversation.

I’m going to leave this thread now as it is just going around in circles and i’m really surprised by how many comments there have been over a washing machine.

OP posts:
SakuraEdenSwan1 · 12/04/2021 18:51

My eldest years ago had food poisoning and vomited several times over his bedding from 7PM onwards literally all night. No way was I leaving spewed bedding all night so I washed them because I had too and my neighbour never said a thing.

Rosewood017 · 13/04/2021 14:15

Shock imagine a job where you get to scour mumsnet all day!

Crispina · 13/04/2021 17:22

Wow. I'm glad they're reporting on such important and fascinating news.

user1471538283 · 13/04/2021 17:37

It is just about consideration. And we are still in the middle of a pandemic where people are starting to fray. I'm long in bed by 10pm because I work early. It must be loud to wake your child.

I would mention it to them and see if it stops. If not then you've got a neighbor that doesn't care.

Original poster
ILoveMyMonkey · 13/04/2021 20:51

@BonAmi45 Shock wtf how lazy are the daily fail that they chose this totally boring thread to post in their shitty paper - gobsmacked.

Fuck you Daily mail.

OP posts:
BonAmi45 · 14/04/2021 16:33

@ILoveMyMonkey I agree.

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