Living in an apartment building that has communal rooms such as a laundry room, a fitness center, or a roof also comes with a sometimes lengthy list of rules in order to use them.
To stay in the good graces of the landlord or management, most people follow those rules, whether or not they agree with them.
Sometimes, other residents feel the need to lay down rules of their own, sometimes for the sake of productivity and safety, but more often for their own convenience.
Other residents usually feel much less inclined to follow them.
Redditor heuglywitch lived in an apartment building with a shared laundry room.
During a recent round of laundry, the original poster (OP) was surprised to discover a note from another resident asking them to make a change to their laundry routine.
A change the OP wasn't the least bit interested in obliging.
Wondering if they were wrong for feeling this way, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**hole Here?" (AITAH).
Unlike the similar 'Am I The A**Hole' (AITA) subReddit, AITAH allows Redditors to ask for advice on issues that are not permitted on AITA, such as asking for advice or posting about ending relationships. Voting acronyms aren't required, and no final judgment is declared.
The OP asked fellow Redditors:
"Neighbor left a note about Laundry Detergent, AITAH for not wanting to switch detergents?"
The OP explained why a neighbor's note left a bad smell in their nose:
"Sorry this is kind of uninteresting but I just bought more laundry detergent, I need to use more natural stuff and I like my laundry to smell good so I use the brand zum in an amber scent."
"I accidentally left the rest of my almost empty detergent in my shared apartment laundry room (there’s just 1 washer for context) and someone left a note on it saying:"
"'Hi, just so you know, your laundry detergent leaves a scent on other people's clothes who use the machine after you. My skin is super sensitive and has a reaction to this'."
"I just bought a new one (the same exact kind) it’s something I splurge on because I have sensitive skin as well and it’s the only kind I’ve tried that works good for me."
"I also don’t have a lot of money to go out and buy a new one and risk it irritating my own skin."
"Am I the a**hole for continuing to use the same laundry detergent?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in, with some using the voting acronyms:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- NAH - No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community was somewhat divided.
The Reddit community largely saw both sides of this conflict, with many agreeing that people shouldn't be able to dictate what their neighbors can and cannot do, but that skin sensitivities are real and the OP might want to take that into consideration to come up with a compromise or an alternative solution:
"I don’t know what my judgment is, but I will say that Zum is known for having strong, unconventional scents (for laundry detergents) that linger."
"Just make sure the cap is closed and take the bottle to your apartment."
"If it’s possible, run your clothes through an extra rinse cycle, for your benefit, as well."- PrpleSparklyUnicrn13
"I have bad skin sensitivities to fragrances and have had to ban my husband from using the smelly laundry detergent he loves even if he just uses it on his own loads of laundry because yes, the smell does permeate the machine and gives me a skin reaction later."
"Don’t know how to deal with this in a shared space, truly, but it is absolutely a thing and I sympathize with her."- winter_bluebird
"NTA, but in the interest of being neighborly, if there's an 'extra rinse' option on the machine you could use that to try to mitigate it."-WheresMyMule
"NAH but Zum is a terribly ineffective detergent that actually makes it harder to get your clothing clean and causes buildup in the washer."
"The only thing it is effective at is making everything smell like the fragrance."
"You should switch to something that will actually clean your clothes, come by r/laundry to find something that will be more effective for you."- crankylex
"NTA."
"Consider if you are using too much possibly?"
"Most people are overdoing the soap."
"Also is no one else using this machine?!"- Certain_Tangelo2329
"Use half of what they recommend per load."- Both-Statistician179
"Using Zum in a shared machine is AH territory."- notacoolkid
"NAH but maybe you could try using less, the note is just a polite request to be mindful imo- not a demand that you use another detergent."
"Maybe a rinse cycle in the empty washer after you’re done to get rid of residue?"- HabitualEnthusiast
"NAH."
"Zum is basically all scent and no soap, you should consider switching to something that works better."
"Anything you wash in it will smell funky once the laundry scent wears off because it doesn't actually clean."- zerbyd
"There’s a good case for not using any scented laundry products at all these days."
"There is absolutely no safety testing for any fragrance ingredient and it’s disturbing how many people report harm from fragrance."
"1 out of 3 people reports being harmed by other people’s fragrance in the latest surveys - and it’s almost certainly higher than that now since the last survey on it was a few years ago."
"Companies lie to people and make them believe that their scented products are enjoyable and safe for everyone."
"They are not."- Anxious_Section_2359
"Would an extra rinse cycle help OPs situation?"- Low-Cod-4712
"I'm going to go against the grain and say NAH."
"If her skin is irritated, that sucks."
"Also her laundry shouldn't smell like yours."
"She's not an AH for asking.But you're right, its a shared room."
"You're not an AH for using what you need."
"Personally, I would way downsize the amount I use."
"A lot of companies are selling concentrates, and people are measuring incorrectly."
"My husband did this, and the whole house smelled like one of my favorite scents so bad I got a migraine, and now it's not my favorite scent anymore."
"I also would check my favorite brand and see if maybe there's a more neutral scent, like fresh rain or a baked snickerdoodle or something."
"I despise the 'amber' scents."
"Just an idea."- Armadillo_of_doom
"Idk."
"I’m kind of on the neighbors' side; if it’s sticking in the machine, maybe try using less?"
"Or if you know who it is, try and speak to them about it and come to some kind of agreement or something, cos it’s fair enough if you’re leaving enough to give them a rash, which is out of their control but in yours (as much as it sucks)."
"Like yes you technically have the right to use what you want, but just personally I wouldn’t want to cause someone else skin irritation if I could help it- unless this is the only detergent you specifically can use yourself?"
"Tallow and Ash does a pretty gentle sensitive but nice-smelling laundry detergent!"- First-Strawberry-398
"Kind of ta.. it's a shared washing machine."
"If you use products so strong that even people washing after you have it on their clothes, that's a problem and you need to change it or get your own machine."- Freestila
"Since it sounds like you haven’t opened it yet you might try returning it for one of their lighter scents or another natural brand."
"Even though you only received this note from one person it’s likely you are leaving residue on everyone’s laundry."- DConstructed
"NAH, I see both sides."
"I get eczema so, so bad from scented detergent and it can quickly spiral out of control and make my life hell."
"On the other hand, I hate being controlled and you have every right to use your detergent."
"However, it does seem like you’re using way too much."- lightningbu_g
"NTA."
"However, you could also run the washer thru a rinse cycle after you wash to rinse out the residue you left."- Shot-Manager-5506
"Kinda a**holish."
"Depends on how you move forward here for a true asshole verdict."
"I had to look up 'Zum' and some of those scents would trigger my asthma or send me into a sneezing fit."
"So I understand if your neighbor having a worse reaction."
"Is this a free machine or is it a pay machine?"
"If free -Try using less detergent til you use what you have up (most of us add too much to begin with, this may lessen the residual smell)."
"Run the machine empty after you do your load, add vinegar."
"I looked at the website, they make dryer balls with your amber scent, this may be the answer to keeping your scent without the detergent."
"If a pay machine -Head to the laundromat til you use up the detergent."
"You'll most likely be able to do larger loads at a better price."
"The machines will spin better, dry faster because they are maintained better."- HCIBSW
Everyone has their personal preferences when it comes to household brands and appliances.
One of the main shortcomings of sharing a laundry room.
If you can't help but wonder whether the OP would have gotten a note if they hadn't left their detergent out that one time, now that they have, maybe they can find a compromise.
That shouldn't mean switching detergents.
