One of the big questions that new cruisers face actually has nothing to do with the boat, life aboard, or cruising. Nope. It’s laundry room etiquette.
The two biggest questions? Basically, two sides of the same coin:
I was late getting back to the laundry room and someone took my clothes out of the washer. Is that considered okay?
If there are clothes just sitting in a dryer, is it okay to take them out so I can dry my clothes?
Marina laundry facilities are often crowded, especially during the peak cruising season. Lines are common — and each person usually has multiple loads to do.
If we all respect each other’s time, we can all have clean laundry. And there are a few other common-sense courtesies, too.
With that in mind, the unspoken rules in most places are:
- First come, first served . . . as long as you’re there. If you leave, and a washer opens up, don’t expect others to wait for you to return.
- When you arrive, pay attention to who is already there and waiting. Know your place in the line.
- When your clothes are finished washing or drying, remove them as soon as possible so others can use the machine. No one wants to spend all day doing laundry!
- If you leave the laundry room while your clothes are washing or drying, that’s okay. But if you’re not back when they are done, expect that the next person in line will remove them so they can use the machine. If you don’t want someone else touching your items, either stay in the laundry room or set an alarm (on your watch or phone) so you’ll be back in time.
- Before you remove someone’s laundry, do a quick check to make sure they aren’t just sitting right outside the laundry room.
- If you remove someone’s laundry, put it somewhere “safe” — on a table, in a basket or whatever — so that it doesn’t get dirty. Keep loads separate in case they belong to different people.
- If you take clothes out of the dryer, it’s a nice gesture to fold them . . . but don’t expect someone to fold yours if you leave them!
- When your clothes are dry, take them all out of the dryer before starting to fold them so that someone else can use the dryer.
- If folding space is limited and others also have dry clothes to fold, share the space. Don’t spread your stuff all over the only table.
- If there’s not a lot of seating and a bunch of people, don’t put laundry bags or baskets on the chairs.
- One from the comments: don’t sit on the folding areas and don’t put your feet on them, either!
- Find out ahead of time whether you need coins, tokens, cards or something else — and get them before you put clothes and soap in the washing machine.
- Pay attention to the correct amount of soap to use — many machines are high efficiency and using too much soap will cause suds to overflow and go all over the floor.
- Don’t use fabric dye in the washers . . . the next person probably doesn’t want residual dye in their clothing and doesn’t want to wait for you to run an empty load or two to get it out.
- If you have “gunky” rags or clothing that you are washing, be careful where you set them down while waiting for a washing machine. Don’t put them where people will be putting clean clothes to fold!
- If you use chlorine bleach and spill a little, wipe it up thoroughly so that it doesn’t damage anything — for you or the next person.
- When you take your clothes out of the dryer, clean off the lint screen so it’s ready for the next person.
- If a machine doesn’t work, put a sign on it so the next person won’t also waste their time and money . . . and be sure to tell the office so it can be fixed!
One more quick tip: If you’ll be dinghying back to the boat, I highly recommend using dry bags to keep salt spray off your nice clean laundry. Trash bags just don’t do as good a job, particularly if there is any water in the bottom of the dinghy or it’s windy and there is a lot of spray.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Kathy Orr says
Great list of tips. We’ve been fortunate not to find many lines, but it’s a good place to meet and socialize with other cruisers. Also, many laundries also have book exchanges, so if you’ve got some to share, check the laundry.
Nessa Magee says
Many a good book read and shared via marina’s laundry
Pamela Douglas Webster says
Great list that should be posted in every laundry room.
Although I laughed at the idea of writing a list post for laundry that basically says what every major religion does: Treat other people the way you want to be treated. 🙂
Donna Shetler says
These rules can also apply to appt and condo buildings!
The Boat Galley says
College dorms, too!
Gil Lhotka says
Thank you for posting this. It is absolutely a question that we had before started living aboard as well.
I can recall the first time we came back to the laundromat and had our stuff taken out and put on the table. I felt horrible for not having gotten back in time however I also wasn’t sure if I was offended or not? It felt weird someone moved my stuff.
Then the first time I waited for someone to return, I realized just how it was fine to remove the items when done respectfully.
When we first got to the marina we are located at now, we went to do laundry one morning and the woman that was in there doing laundry at the time informed us Monday mornings are when she typically does laundry. It actually is a system that works really really well. This is a small Marina with about a dozen people living aboard and not a lot of transient slips or visitors. It is also a small laundry room with just one washer and one dryer. My wife and I know that on Monday mornings for about an hour and a half this other lady will be in the laundry room completing her laundry. We just planned ouris around it and it saves us the trip of going up to the laundromat and not having an available machine.
Great article as always Carolyn. Logical considerate tips for all of us. They can be summed up simply as “do unto others…”
Robert Hill says
Boat Galley is always useful and timely but this one, wow!!! I’m doing my laundry in a public laundromat as I am reading today’s post. Thank you.
Carolyn Shearlock says
🙂
Diane Ericsson says
Another one- Don’t sit on the laundry folding table/counter. This ESPECIALLY applies when people want to fold their clothes and have no other surface to use. And keep your feet off the folding surfaces.
The Boat Galley says
Good one — I guess I’ve been fortunate enough not to encounter THAT!
Tricia Johns says
Thanks Carolyn! I love your blog and just wanted to say so.
Charlotte Caldwell says
Great post as usual Carolyn. can you post it on Women who sail as this issue seems so to come up weekly!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks! I did post it there a few minutes ago, but anytime you see something appropriate, feel free to share the link there (rule is to only share one of your own posts a month, so I can’t share too many, but you can share as many as you think are helpful).
Alex Todd says
My co-op building has shared laundry facilities (the building’s plumbing is too old to support in-unit washer/dryers) so I’m used to these situations.
A few additional things to be on the alert for –
Dog fur – it doesn’t always drain from the washer completely, especially after washing the dog’s bed, towel, etc. Like dryer lint, make sure the washer tub is clean.
Sand – I live very close to Lake Michigan and so our residents use the beach regularly. And sometimes aren’t as diligent at keeping sand outside as they should. I’m not sure how this translates to cruising though. Is sand similar to salt – you just learn to live with it being around?
I’ll take clothes from the dryer, but I’m not folding anything. Too many items that I have no business being around…
Nancy Hardy says
I will add, please do not dump your dirty laundry on a folding table in order to sort it
Cheryl says
Amen!
Sharon Scott Dow says
Is it proper to start someone’s forgotten wet clothes in the dryer? I find it inconvenient to have someone show up and finally starts their drying at the same time my clothes are finished washing, using all the available dryers, thus doubling their lateness offense. The one time I did start someone’s clothes in the dryer, they paid me back and thanked me.
Carolyn Shearlock says
I know that problem well. Most people are happy you started it, a few are upset because there was something they didn’t want to go in the dryer.
Eve says
Great article as usual… but also reminds me of why I am determined to have even a tiny combo washer/dryer and watermaker aboard our future cruising boat!
In my 20s and 30s I lived in small studio apartment in San Francisco without laundry facilities and had to use the neighborhood laundromat. Too many gross stories to tell… if only people had your courteous list of rules to follow!
One note on bacteria… studies have shown that bacteria from one load will hang around in the washer unless bleach is used. If you can afford it and you’re not holding up others, I recommend doing an empty load with bleach and hot water first, to clean the washer, and then proceed to do your laundry. Or at least do your white load first with bleach, so you kill off other people’s bacteria.
Just writing this makes me think I might be too much of a germ phobe for cruising LOL!
Ann Robinson says
Detergent will kill 99.9% of bacteria – you can be too fussy and bleach in a shared machine is a no no
Shirley Duffield says
Great tips for any laundry room. I have folded many loads of other people laundry. One other tip might be to ALWAYS check pockets before doing laundry. I have ruined cloths because people left ink pens in the pickets then it gets stuck and is not clearly seen. Thank you Carolyn
Molly on S/V Sabai says
The same little digital Timex I use to remind me to pay attention and look around during my time on watch is also handy on laundry day. I set it to ring at 5 minutes before the wash or cycle will be up. That way I can keep working without or doing something else without being the scourge of the laundry room.
Anonymous says
Thank you Carolyn! We’ve all been burned by he adsentee launderer who thinks their time is more valuable than yours.
Anonymous says
Every marina laundry room should put this on the wall! Add to it: don’t wash pet bedding in marina machines. I’ve gotten dog hair on my clothes many times!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks! I’ve heard a couple of people say they’ve printed it out and posted it at their marina. Feel free to!
Anonymous says
It is a never ending battle. People are just so disrespectful. And remove the lint from the dryer when you are finished!!!!!!
Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious) says
Great list Carolyn.
Usually there are a few things that are priorities when making landfall. Laundry is one. Often email is one also. Laptop and laundry often seem to go well together. Then I’m there to switch machines and fold and get back to the boat.
To your point about emptying machines, it is in your own interest to put your bag or basket on top of or next to the machine with your clothes so someone unloading can move clothes to your container.
R Hackett says
Good standard advice, but I definitely would not want anyone to fold my laundry unless I was employing them for that purpose (having read that some of you see that as a favor, I will be even more diligent to return in time, even more so now because of Covid!).
Carolyn Shearlock says
I know that some people absolutely don’t want anyone else touching their laundry, and that’s one of the reasons I wrote this. Yes, be back in time!