t’s time to get down and dirty. That’s right, I’m talking about laundry. What is it about doing laundry that makes one feel so productive? Maybe because it’s the one mess we all know we can clean up, but maybe we’re taking too long to clean up after ourselves. Along with the dirty clothes, the detergent and the dryer sheets, laundry comes with certain rules and manners that should be followed.

Although you may not realize it, there are certain formalities that come with doing laundry in a public place. Doing a wash takes roughly 27 to 28 minutes, so look at your watch or phone right after you throw your clothes in so you have a general idea when they will be done. Remember you only have about a half an hour; do not go to the movies or your three-hour class and let your wet clothes sit there. First of all, that isn’t good for your clothes. Secondly, that’s just rude to anyone else that wants to do their wash.

Speaking of washing laundry, ladies and gentlemen, you need to realize that there are other people living in your building who have clothes that need to be washed. If you have one piece of clothing, just one, do not take up an entire washer, especially if you see other people are waiting and every other washer is full. Now, personally, every time I do my laundry I use two washing machines, but that’s because I separate my clothes into whites and colors. However, I tend to do my laundry in the early hours of the day when no one else is doing his or hers.

So now it comes to the drying stage of the laundry cycle. Every time you swipe your ID card and press the dryer number that annoying message comes up saying that the dryer will run for 60 minutes. Again, I am telling you to check your watch and/or phone to look at the time. While I will admit that I think it’s better for your clothes to sit in the dryer than the washer, it is still annoying and rude to let it sit there.

Now here’s a scenario that has probably happened to you at some point, and if it hasn’t, just wait — your time is coming. I’m talking about that dreadful time when you walk down to your laundry room and see that all of the washers are full, but, alas, one of them is at the one-minute mark, so you patiently wait out that longest minute of your life. You check the time and 10 minutes have passed and that person still hasn’t come to claim their clothes, so what do you do? Do you move it? Where do you move it? I think that after 10 minutes if someone hasn’t come to claim their wet clothes, emphasis on “wet,” then it is perfectly acceptable to place them in the dryer so you can start your own wash. Eventually that person will come down to search for their clothes and will see that someone moved them. Now while this may seem unsanitary, just keep in mind that these clothes are now clean. This same rule applies for the dryer, but don’t be inconsiderate and just throw that person’s clothes anywhere. Be nice and place them nicely on a table or something.

I will admit that I have had someone move my clothes on me once, but it wasn’t because I waited forever to move them. I was about one minute past my washing time, and I came down and my clothes were gone. The first time this happened to me I worried and was freaked out because I thought I lost all of my clothes, but, lo and behold, they were just sitting in the dryer. I mean, thank you to the person that moved them into the dryer and didn’t leave my sopping wet clothes on a table, but at the same time some people need to learn to have a little bit of patience.

The next time you decide to do your laundry, keep in mind that other people need to do theirs as well. You aren’t at home where you can come and go with your laundry as you please; you need to be considerate of the people you live with. The next time you get down and dirty, make sure you clean it up.