Tenant locks and unplugs neighbor's laundry machine after he kept taking other people's clothes out before the cycle was finished: 'Learn to pay for your [own] laundry!'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Feb 14, 2026 8:00 AM EST

A lack of laundry room decorum can truly ruin someone's day.

As a tenant in an apartment building with a frequently busy shared laundry room, I empathize with the author of this story, whose frustration echoes my own sentiments about unspoken rules in these spaces. 

Recently, I went downstairs to pick up my laundry just one minute after the cycle had finished. I specifically had chosen to do my laundry during an "off hour" so that I wouldn't be scrambling to claim a machine. I was even able to dry clothes in one of the new speedy dryers, which tend to be in use whenever I would like to try them. 

I always make a point not to let my clean clothes sit in the machine for too long. I know that doing so could wildly inconvenience other people. This time, I came down right after my cycle was finished, only to find all my clothes strewn about the table (some on the floor), still wet. Clearly, some neighbor of mine thought they could get away with removing my clothes early on in the cycle to get the speedy dryer when there were so many regular dryers available for them to use. My revenge? I stopped their cycle while their clothes were still wet. An eye for an eye!

Advertisement

  • This tenant was even more diabolical, but I have to admire their commitment. They noticed that a neighbor was frequently removing their clothes and putting theirs in during the same cycle so that they wouldn't have to pay. Not only was this tenant returning to the laundry room to find that their clothes were still wet, but they were also dealing with a neighbor who was technically stealing their cycle. 

    Because it was difficult to stop the laundry cycle entirely due to Bluetooth issues, the author decided to crawl behind the machines and unplug them completely. Seems like this person got exactly what they deserved and then some!

  • 01
    A person removes wet clothes from the washing machine.
    via Unsplash+ (A. C.)

    A person removes wet clothes from the washing machine.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    Neighbor keeps stealing my laundry cycles and dumping my clothes!

    they did it again today, emptied my barely-wet clothes out of the washer and into the dryer, then put their load of clothes in to run on the detergent and cycle i paid for.
    via __mafia
  • 03
    with all. 3. loads. of my laundry. imagine my surprise when i show back up to the laundry room 5min early to find my clothes soapy in the dryer and somebody else's laundry halfway through the wash cycle.
    via __mafia
  • 04
    mine were dragged through the uncleaned lint traps on the dryer door too. i had 25 minutes to act so i had to improvise.
    via __mafia
  • 05
    they were on wash cycle still, but would switch to rise in a few. they're old machines, still some proper analog hardware interface to them and the bluetooth was installed after the fact, connected to the machine power supply and controlled the door.
    via __mafia
  • 06
    i paid for the cycle, so i used the app to pause my own laundry, grabbed some lint from the lint trap they dragged my clothes through, and tossed a little into each stolen load.
    via __mafia
  • 07
    then closed the door to restart the rinse cycle, and then unplugged all three washers once they'd locked again, disabling the bluetooth based mid load unlocking.
    via __mafia
  • 08
    i'm sure somebody will figure out the machine's unplugged, but i had to crawl back there pretty far and if they're doing this to everyone else too, i'm sure it'll take awhile for someone to decide to tell them.
    via __mafia
  • 09
    so uh, hey a hole, your clothes are staying in the machine until you learn to pay for your own d n laundry.
    via __mafia
  • 10
    have fun getting them back, i'll be paying a new cycle for mine on a different floor edit, update: its been a few hours, my clothes are finally done.
    via __mafia
  • 11
    stopped by the second floor laundry room and was terribly dismayed to see there seems to be an issue with 3 the washers.
    via __mafia
  • 12
    "wouldn't let someone's clothes out", how unfortunate! edit 2: tired of answering y'alls questions about the time discrepancy so i'm gonna answer this once more: when you force the washer door while it's latched on rinse cycle, the machine stops the load but the app doesn't update without the direct bluetooth connection.
    via __mafia
  • 13
    the machines were older than the app, so the sync is all janky. it only locks during the spin cycle, and another tenant showed me how to get it to reset a load by doing that, it's useful if your clothes need a second spin cycle before rinsing.
    via __mafia
  • 14
    unfortunately somebody decided to use it to be a d
    via __mafia
  • 15
    A woman puts clothes in a dryer.
    via Unsplash+ (Kateryna Hliznitsova)

    A woman puts clothes in a dryer.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 16
    Necessary_Baker_7458 1. Set up a mock load so they steal it. Knowing they will steal it. 2. That mock load is a load for bleached whites. 3. They won't steal from yo uagain.
    via __mafia
  • 17
    _ mafia Original Poster's Reply if it doesn't stop i'm 100% doing this next time i wash all my linens
    via __mafia
  • 18
    Help_meToo I would have just added bleach to the washer. They stole your washer, how would they prove that you weren't trying to do that
    via __mafia
  • 19
    Coder Joe1 I learned when I was in the Army that guarding my laundry was the only guard duty worthy of my full attention.
    via __mafia
  • 20
    ¡AmRiight Somebody willing to steal my laundry load and move my clothes... their entire load is getting ruined. It's either getting tossed in the dumpster, bleached or otherwise stained.
    via __mafia
  • 21
    _ mafia Original Poster's Reply without bleach on hand i figured marinating with the pet friendly community's lint trap detritus for 10-12 hr was a decent first warning. next time there's gonna be vinegar from the fly trap.
    via __mafia
  • 22
    A laundry machine spins under blue and pink lighting.
    via Engin Akyurt

    A laundry machine spins under blue and pink lighting.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 23
    kubrador okay that's actually diabolical
    via __mafia
  • 24
    _ mafia Original Poster's Reply i figured 10-12 hr marinating with the lint trap detritus would make a good first warning. next time it's the same thing, but i'm adding bleach.
    via __mafia
  • 25
    Kittencrumpet Oh my gosh. Do u have a decent resident manager? Maybe they can add a camera or something to deter people. Nice revenge tho lol
    via __mafia

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

laundry neighbors tenant petty revenge entitled people karma apartment
Scroll Down For The Next Article