if your laundry situation sucks, go to the nearest laundromat and ponder how poor you are so you are motivated to improve your situation. Rinse and repeat

in college, my dorm had 2 washers, 2 dryers. I did my two loads in the washer and moved them the dryer. Some **** decided to move all my **** into one so she could use the other dryer. When i went down at the end of the time there was $1 in quarters and none of my **** was dry. **** that *****

Seems like this woman is running a side business.



Ah, to be 19 again...

Here is the correct number of machines to use at any one time given six machines and based on the number of loads you have:

loads you have	machines to use
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	3
6	3

Deviating from this is incorrect unless it is close to the witching hour.

chop is rarely wrong. This is one of those times.

Dids - your error is that you are trying to come up with the most mathematically efficient solution to the problem while not accurately taking into account the human factor. You likely see no difference between one person using all six machines and six people each using one machine, assuming the machine usage starts and ends at the same time. This is not how the average person sees things.

Let us contrast two examples.

Example 1: Six people show up at the exact same time, with one load each. They each take one machine.

Example 2: One person shows up with six loads, and takes all six machines.

Let us further assume that in both examples, the amount of time the machines will be occupied is identical.

Now let's look at how people respond to these examples.

For you, these two scenarios are likely identical. You do not distinguish between them because the amount of time you need to wait is the same either way. Your response looks like this:

Example 1: oh bummer, all the machines are being used
Example 2: oh bummer, all the machines are being used


For most randoms, it is much different. They respond like this:

Example 1: oh bummer, all the machines are being used
Example 2: %$#ASD!*F^A% WTF ARE YOU DOING HOGGING ALL THE MACHINES


It's not just about finding the most mathematically efficient solution. Humans are neither rational nor logical. Interacting with them is part of the equation.

how do you know who is using a washing machine?

is it worth investing in a decoy laundry basket to put on top of one if I plan to use all the machines so people feel better? maybe a pink one so no one will suspect me

I have no interest in appeasing those in group 2.

And

In college I'd generally give something like 10-30m of something sitting idle in a machine before taking it out. I'd be more lenient of wash loads than dry, but there was still a limit to my magnanimity.

100% of the sample I surveyed irl didn't didn't give a **** if all the machines were being used by one person or six when they arrived and found out they were all in use. That's only me and one pal.

100% of all people on earth would rather find one person was using all six rather than two people using three each-both with three second loads in queue if they were given a choice and realized in meant they would get a machine sooner. They still may or may not curse the person though.

Fwiw, my pal would still only use four machines at a time if he had six loads because he would feel selfish using every machine--even though he said he wouldn't care if someone else did it. If I had 6 loads of laundry to my name somehow, I would leave half of t at home and do it another time. Folding and heaving around 6 loads of laundry at once would be the worst.

I'd save a machine. like legit,. call me a pussy but I would feel bad taking all 6

First come; first served.

Use as many washers as you have loads of laundry. sfobv

Given how long it takes to fold laundry, there is literally no way one person can process 6 loads at once. As someone else pointed out, you get to 6 loads by doing someone else's laundry too (kids is different I agree). In a building with 45 units and 6 useful machines, I'd use 4.

Especially on a Sunday. If you want to use all 6 at 11am on Tuesday, that's different.

I'm all about manners and being courteous but in an empty laundry room you use as many machines as you need

If someone walks in mid-cycle and you still have additional clothes to watch then sure, offer them a courtesy machine once your cycle completes

Until there is a third party, do what you need to do

Regrading the poll:

Seems that there have been a fair number of conversions ITT from "wtf don't use all 6" to "ok to use all 6" - without tarding up the thread/forum, it'd be (mildly) interesting to re-run the poll.

Are you saying that stupid people's feelings should be the primary factor to consider, and thus you should choose a path that is sub-optimal, less efficient, more inconveniencing to yourself and perhaps more inconveniencing to others?

Say that you are at a fast food drive through, and you are making a much larger than usual order, one that will take 2x the amount of time as a usual order. When you are waiting at the pickup window for an inordinate amount of time, it is possible or even likely that some people may get upset or think or say %$#ASD!*F^A% WTF ARE YOU DOING WITH SUCH A BIG DRIVE THRU ORDER?!? So should you just make a usual sized order (1/2 size the order you want), then drive around and go back through the drive through again to complete your order, so as not to upset someone?

Semi-grunch

Sick lives@people who can't conceive a scenario where 6 loads is possible.

I can get there with only two people.

Normal weekly laundry Lights/whites/darks/towels and face cloths


+Emergency
potty training accident sheets and mattress pad/potty training accident comforter

Why are you only doing laundry once a week?

You tend to bunch laundry up more if you have to use a communal laundry room, for efficiency.

Laundry rooms are not always convenient to get to. The smaller ones are rarely available to be used on week nights. I always had the best luck at 6am on a Saturday getting open washers.

doing laundry not in-unit is a pain. i do it once a month (and take up as many washers as I need to when I do)

also remember some guy in the last laundry thread who somehow needed to wash 10 pairs of pants a week

Im guessing very few people ITT go to laundromat as well. A single load washer is almost unheard-of in those.. It's normally a handful of three loads some 5 loads and then the massive 7-8 load washers. Still shocked people think 6 loads is a lot

Grunch

The obvious play is to stagger each load by 45/6= 7.5 minutes, thus reducing the amount of time that all machines are used.

Make sure that you know how long it takes to walk from your apartment to the laundry room so can get the timing right.

Also, if someone ends up taking up one of the machines before you are fully loaded, skip one of the loads and come back 7 minutes 30 seconds later. Your first load will be ready right on time for load #6 if you have to skip once.

I loved this analogy at first, but then I tweaked it a bit and found out it may argue the other way.

It's a sandwich shop. You are not in isolation in your car. You have an order of 6 sandwiches for your coworkers. Lunchtime. Line out the door. You feel the burning eyes of hate directed at your neck as you place your order knowing that you are basically ruining the lunch of the people behind you who want to just order their own effing sandwich and eat it in the half hour they are allotted.

In this case I might feel inclined to let someone with an obvious single order go before me if there was just them behind me.

I always call the order in this case. Not to avoid inconveniencing those same worker bees, to avoid having to feel like a god damned heel. As someone said this is the crux of the motivation for the behavior--the interaction.

you're way overthinking it imo

if the place is that busy you obv should order pick-up on a single order as well