You may be surprised to find many are clueless that a dryer has a lint trap that needs cleaning. Would adding a spay bottle with distilled water with a few drops of dawn along with the paper towels encourage clean up?

Yes a sign could definitely work. People don't always get subtle hints

I did put a spray bottle with mild dish detergent, water, and a tad of vinegar on the table with the paper towels as well. But I think the people think one of the building cleaning/maintenance guys who are rarely at the building put it there after they painted and cleaned the laundry area. Also there is a garbage can down there as well to put the lint.

Hah! There are only 3 apts in my bldg, 4 of us in the whole building. We have one laaaazy tenant, who expects everyone to clean up after him. He won't even squash his plastic water bottles and his 2-litre milk cartons to make room in the recycling bin. I stomp on them.

He washed kleenex in his laundry and I did a load of darks the following day. Having white lint all over my laundry was not fun. I asked him if he'd clean out his pockets, or at least wipe out the laundry drum. He of course denied it, saying he always takes his kleenexes out of his pockets. A couple weeks later the other tenant did a load of laundry and ended up with white shreds over her clothes.

The list of things that really tick me off about this entitled jerk is endless, not to mention he's a perpetual liar. The landlord even asked him if he was smoking (we could clearly smell it in the hallway), and he said he had company over. (not true). Last year, he was smoking, and I asked him if he was (according to him, he spends his days at the gym, hiking or the Y). He said he doesn't smoke but that people come in off the streets and sit on our stairs and smoke. LOL. If looks could kill....

Years ago, a young bachelor lived in the house next door to mine. While speaking to him one day, he asked if it was normal for a dryer to take 4 hours to dry a load of towels. I chuckled and asked him if he cleans the filter after each load. His response: "What filter???" I couldn't help but laugh when I saw how much lint there was--it's a miracle that his house didn't burn to the ground.

Another funny story: A coworker was talking to some of the women in her apartment building one day, and they were complaining about the cost of doing laundry in the coin-operated machines. One of the women spoke up and said they should do what she did--she used the combination machine. She had been putting her laundry detergent and bleach in the dryer, thinking that she was washing and drying the clothes in one machine!

Sign: Your Mama doesn't live here; please clean up after yourself!

I would laminate the picture of the dryer/lint trap and the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning same and nail it to the wall.

Watching "The Big Bang Theory" and in their laundry room there is a white sign with the words " Please Keep Your Clothes On While Doing Laundry". LOL

If the lint traps aren't being maintained, imagine how much lint build-up there is in the venting duct. You should probably ask the landlord if the venting ducts are cleaned on a regular schedule. Fire hazard.

Actually when they were down there painting I saw them cleaning the ducts. When I owned a washer dryer combo every year one of my friends and I would clean that duct. It was tricky because It was in a pantry in a fourth floor apartment and the end of the duct was at the top of a tall window. But we did it. Basic safety! I will ask the landlord. I don't think they had been cleaned in a while.

A hidden security camera in the laundry room could prove useful. It would tell the landlord who or what was messing up the facilities. But then, I suppose there are legal restrictions about a camera in this location. If a hidden camera is illegal, then don't hide it. Its presence might change behavior (or bring complaints.) Keep a record of who complained the most

Don't you think a camera is overkill to detect sloppiness or inconsiderate behavior of adult tenants in a laundry facility, jemdandy?

You could point out that cleaning the lint trap makes your clothes dry faster, which it does. We stayed in an apartment in Hong Kong with shared laundry facilities. Luckily the dryer was right outside our room because three hours later our clothes were still nowhere near dry. I inspected the lint trap and found a solid disc of lint, which I removed. Twenty minutes later, dry clothes!

Similarly, we just stayed in a holiday apartment in Melbourne which had its own washer and dryer. Out of curiosity I checked the lint trap before I put our stuff in the dryer. Nearly an inch thick disc of lint. I left a note for the owner, I don’t think she knew about lint traps. She was very appreciative in her reply.

colleen,

We arrived at a Hilton Head condo a few years ago and the washer was full of moldy clothes. The washer/dryer was wearing a paper band with a smile, "Cleaned by Sparkle".

Sparkle was embarrassed that day.

I always watch that show too, Marylmi, but failed to see the sign last time. Funny!

You can put one of these up. I got one for my cousin and she loves it. I'll add a link too. Lint Bin

Actually just noticed that precise thing last night on Big Bang. Glad I'm not alone. I thought my eyes deceived me ;)

Isn't there any type of house keeping and maintenance that cleans the public parts of the building occasionally? They should be doing routine maintenance/cleanup. It comes with ownership of a place. Unfortunately, some people are slobs. The rest of the world gets to deal with that.

I would put up a sign asking them to clean the dryer lint every time and explain how to do it and that your clothes will dry better and be less likely to catch the place on fire if there isn't a big buildup.

As far as the rules for the room, you can do that, but it really needs to come as an announcement from the landlord and then be posted. I don't know about limiting people to one washer and dryer. I've never seen that rule and would not like it. It's always been first come, first serve when I lived in apartments. The landlord can make a rule about about length of time clothes can sit or something because courteous people don't leave their stuff in there, but after a while the rules get nit picky.

I have a lint lizard. It attaches to the vacuum and you use it to really get in the lint trap. I use it a few times a year. I pulled our dryer out and cleaned in the wall a few years ago. It wasn't that bad thank goodness. It's about time I do that again :)

Maybe going off topic, but in the springtime I throw my dryer lint outside for the birds to use in their nests.

Lint is also a good fire starter for camping.

seeing that lint bucket pic made me think of having something similar for wipe downs, cleaners, clothes whatever you think they will use to clean up your laundry area. Maybe you could write "Clean ups" on the container

I wouldn't ask people to do it because it's the right thing or the neighborly thing -- some people will never respond to that line of reasoning.

Instead, put up signs about it being a fire safety issue.

It's pretty sad that we have to play games with adults to get them to act responsibly.

Google "dryer lint and birds nests" and you'll get lots of advice to not offer them your lint -- it does not dry well after it gets wet which causes problems for baby birds.

I like the idea of printing out the manufacturer's page of how to clean the dryer vent. Educate people who don't know better, yet.

Shared laundry rooms are most likely like the office break room coffee pot. There are those who will never ever take their turn at cleaning out the lint, just like those who will never make coffee. And forget about them cleaning up their mess around the pot or the pot itself. It drove me to start bringing my own large cup of coffee to work.

Scott, I think you have tried hard to do right. I like the suggestions to post a photo of how to clean the lint filter and/or sign describing how, along with a reminder points of how it will improve drying time and is a fire hazard to let it build up. Bravo on trying to work it out reasonably. Good luck!

People who don't care won't pay attention to reminders, cautions about fire risks or efforts to educate them.

If they paid attention or cared, there wouldn't be these problems. Which, of course, are typical in shared laundry facilities.

"If the lint traps aren't being maintained, imagine how much lint build-up there is in the venting duct. You should probably ask the landlord if the venting ducts are cleaned on a regular schedule. Fire hazard."

Ask the LL about fire insurance...enuf said

Vicsgirl, during warm months i used to toss out dryer lint for the birds, too, but then I saw a warning in Birds and Blooms that it is bad for birds to use. Supposedly lint holds water and can drown baby birds and lint also has chemicals from different products. Just wanted to share.

I, too, know that lint is not good for nesting birds. I put out cat hair that my friend saves for me when she brushes her cats. The birds LOVE it - I put it in an empty wire suet feeder and hang it near my kitchen window. There is just about nothing cuter than a little chickadee with her bill stuffed with cat fur - they kind of card it as they pull it out - flying off to line her nest. Kinda makes me want to go pthooie, tho' thinking about fur on my tongue.

That surprises me Chi. I thought for sure the smell of the cat would deter them!

My dryer vents through the roof and I see birds gathering lint for nesting. Birds know what's best for a nest. I'll leave it up to them.

Birds know what's best for a nest.

Exactly. Just like people with small children would never move into a house with leaded paint. Somehow, they just know.

Thanks for letting me know dryer lint can be dangerous for birds. i'll throw mine in my trash from now on! Is it safe to give them clumps of human hair from your hairbrush?

Here is a link Hair

Please do not try to provide human hair for birds!
Human hair is so thin that it can easily wrap around birds legs and
necks, cutting off their circulation and causing serious injury or
death.

So, how to I tell the birds to stop gathering lint from the rooftops? It's like telling my daughter's cat to stay off the sofa.

Cranmer Earth Design recommends human hair and horse hair for nesting supplies.

I hope this landlord has fire insurance on his building and that the tenants have their own Insurance for their belongings. I once lived in an apartment building and cleaned the laundry room myself at least once a week. Out of disgust.

It might be interesting to read responses to this query at GW's laundry room

I have taught my children and husband that they must check the dryer lint filter before they turn on the dryer.

I was down there. Saw splashed detergent. Lint in traps. I am going to make a sign next week.

Be careful. They might give you a sign too!

Signs are so rare they probably have never seen one before.

A sign should really give them pause.

Scott, I have to chime in here and say that this is "not your job". It is the responsibility of your landlord. For you to take this on is not likely to have good results. If your landlord is so weak that he can't state and enforce rules, he's not a good landlord. My advice to you is to stay out of it directly but to respectfully request that your landlord do HIS job.

Everyone keeps talking about the lint traps. Those are the easiest to clean.....the ones in the door or on the top of the dryer.

But fires start from the buildup of lint in the exhaust pipe. So unless that's vacuumed out, there is a chance of fire.

Maybe the sign could start with "At Management's request..." or "Per Management's direction....".

I might post a sign requesting that it be kept clean ( in a polite manner ) but I would hesitate to claim that I was acting under the direction of the management.

I will let everyone know what I do. I am really irritated about the situation. And I pay way too much rent around here to have to deal with it.

I still say complain to your landlord. If you take matters into your own hands you are just asking for trouble. But you know the situation and your co-tenants and will likely make the right decision.

I put lint into toilet paper tubes and use them as fire starters.

I think birds don’t have a sense of smell. That’s why you can mix that hot pepper stuff into seed, it deters the squirrels but the birds eat it right up. And that’s why they’ll accept baby birds back into the nest.