Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Washday Blues

Good News for all those who use Door #4 as their main entrance. Yesterday I received a message from our Building Manager that the intercom system which has been out of whack for some time is on the list for repair. I will let you know when it is up and working again. In the meantime, it seems that the Intercoms at Doors #1 and #2 do work. You might send visitors and deliveries who do not have cell phones to one of them until then.

If you are new to 2100 or if you just never knew because no one ever told you, there is a big bin in each of the laundry rooms. It is intended to put clothes and linens that you no longer want but that are not ready for the garbage yet. People in need can then take what they want. Recycling at it's best! Sad to say, there have been a few people who are short on consideration and/or brains who put dirty clothes and/or garbage in the bins. So just to make it clear to anyone not in the know, here are a few rules regarding those two bins.
  • Put clean clothes and linens only.
  • Put in things that are in good repair. Torn or badly stained items should be put in the garbage.
  • Do not put loose shoes in the bins. Like clothes, shoes should be reusable and clean and put in a grocery bag to prevent them messing up the clothes and linens or becoming separated.
On the subject of the laundry rooms - There are signs up but some people do not read them so I will put it here too. Clean out the lint trap in the dryer after every use. Lint burns better than any kindling wood you ever saw, so letting it build up can be dangerous. Also it is just common courtesy for the next person to use the machines.

For the drug addicts in the building, here is a novel idea - When you need money for drugs, try working for it! Stop breaking our machines and stealing the money from them.

There is no law that says landlords must supply laundry facilities. It is a privilege to have them, not a right. The alternative is a walk to the shopping center and the laundromat there which I am grateful I do not have to do in the winter months. A private landlord, faced with the deliberate destruction of the machines that has gone on here would remove them. Ottawa Housing has not chosen that path but it would not totally surprise me if they faced one more deliberately broken machine and pulled the plug on our having our own laundry facility.

Ever filled a machine, put your money in and found out after that it was broken? No fun! So why not take a moment and put a note on the machine that it is Out of Order? And then call the company and tell them so they send someone to fix it. They do return your money, by the way. And you save the next guy from having a similar experience. Maybe someday the favour will be returned. :o)

If you own a Queen or King sized comforter, our machines are too small to wash them. The laundromat at Elmvale, however, does have machines that can accommodate them.

Many of the problems I hear about that originate in the laundry room are avoidable. But it does take a little common courtesy and thought. Most people in this building are pretty decent and do the logical thing. It only takes one jerk to mess things up. In the words from an old TV show, "Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to teach the jerk!" :o)

One last thought. How hard is it to bend over and pick up the softener sheet when it falls on the floor and put it in the garbage? Gotta ask those who leave them lying around - What happened to your last maid? And if you can afford a maid, where is she when you do the laundry and what are you doing living here in subsidized housing?

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