I did a quick search for this in the various "wash room rules" threads, but I didn't find anything.
We have neighbours (not the Swiss ones I think) that open the wash machine drains after using. This results in water collecting in puddles on the concrete floor of the laundry room that takes days to dry, and leaves the laundry room damp and smelly, not to mention sometimes my kids accompany me to wash clothes, and of course they cannot keep from jumping around in the puddles as kids do.
My question: Is there some logical reason for doing this, is it some sort of OCD behaviour, or one of those unwritten "this is how we do things here" rules?
I don't understand. By "wash machine drains", do you mean the grates over the drain in the floor? If so, how does.the water beneath them defy gravity to rise and puddle on the floor?
If you mean that your neighbours leave the washing machine doors open, this is normal and sound practice, to air the drum and dispel (or prevent) odours, as well as keeping the rubber seals dry. This definitely does not result in puddles of water on the floor.
Is there not a proper water drain on the floor of your laundry?
I would refer the issue to the house maintenance/real estate agent and ask them to clarify the requirements.
I know it is possible to empty out the retained water in the machine after use, but as you say, it makes no sense to do this regularly if there is not a proper floor drain in the room...
There is a tiny door on the front of most washing machines. Behind that door is a drain stopper type thing that can be removed by unscrewing. After every wash, there is apparently a small amount of water left in the machine. After using the machine, they unscrew this drain stop, allowing this water to leak onto the floor. They must be doing this after each wash, because the amount of water on the floor is not small.
We had some previous neighbours also doing this, but they moved out. In fact, they would actually leave the drain stop on top of the washing machine after they were finished. These are now new neighbours I believe.
I reckon the op means the washing machine drain - usually at the bottom left or right of the machine, which allows you drain the water when the machine is blocked. behind the little panel bottom left on this diagram.
Is there some chance of the remaining water there somehow mixing with the fresh water in use in the machine? (Regurgitated back into the drum?)
I ask because the only reason I can think of doing this, is to avoid contaminating a new load with detergent or softener containing soaps / dyes / perfumes from previous load, so maybe some kind of precaution if one allergic person's load being washed separately from everyone else's.
Otherwise seems an overly cautious attempt to minimize risk of stale stinky water collecting in the machine.
The rules in the laundry room usually state that the filter needs to be cleaned after using the machine. In older houses, the machines were often placed on a raised platform so you could put a small bucket under the filter door. This made sense. This seems not to be done anymore. Water comes pouring out when you remove the filter. This is unavoidable.
When the machine sits directly in the floor, it is more of a challenge to find something which will fit under the door since it is low to the ground so you can clean the filter. What can work is a large shallow pan or a plastic basin which you wedge under the door.
I think your neighbours cannot be bothered to catch the water and pour it in the laundry tub (Assuming there is one in the room). If there was a mop in the room that could be used on the floor.
I have a drain in my laundry room and the floor is sloped towards the drain but it is not built with the intention that I deliberately dump water on the floor.
I would definitely bring this to the attention of the property manager. Take photos.
we have to drain the water out of our washing machines also but there is like a little drawer/door there catch the water, should there be one of these on your machine? I know it ́s not your responsibility but maybe you could get a small Tupperware and place it under the drain part to catch the water and hopefully everybody else will catch on and do the same? That ́s what i ́d do if it was causing a damp smell in the room!
Tell them to stop doing it. It's stupid. Leave a note if you don't want to speak with them directly, showing a stick picture of someone with obvious brain damage opening the filter, grinning and watching the water pour over the floor.
The OP started this thread to seek assistance for a problem. Your post, above, does not assist at all. If you want to post here, please be helpful. At the very least, you should have drawn the stick picture for the OP and posted it here.
Yes, I always remove and rinse the filter when I've finished my laundry, however the filter door on our machines folds down to create a receptacle for the excess water, which you can then unhook and tip out into the basin. Letting the water drain out onto the floor is really not on - apart from the mess, it will also encourage mould. Definitely speak to your building manager about the problem.
Ours is taped over with the contact info of the maintenance company for the machines. So, while it may be "normal" for some to clean it with some considerable frequency, it is fairly obvious that it is not something that's necessary with each use.
We've got the same setup - machine on the floor and no floor drain. At least our door to the drain thingy pops off, which makes it easier to get a small catch pan under the drain tube. In addition to the possible reasons mentioned above, your neighbors are probably double-checking to make sure no coins were lost in there. Last time we cleaned out we got enough change for a cuppa.
Everywhere I have lived since being here, 5 locations, everyone in the building, or atleast each person before me, does this. In the first building I lived in, owned by an American-Swiss couple, the American gave me a 15 minute introduction on how to live up to the Swiss standard of laundry room maintenance. With constant refereces to "this isn't America you know...". Normally there is a mop in the same room if puddling can be a problem.
And every time I live anywhere, if someone does not clean up after themselves properly, leaves water on the floor, doesn't lock the door, does their laundry too early or too late, leaves the light on, washes a cinderblock inside...the whole building gives me the talk or the look. Even though I didn't do it.
Point is, yes you are supposed to empty it out when done. Of all the places I ever lived really almost no water comes out of there, or has a drain near by. It sounds like more then one person is just dumping it on the floor and walking away if it is pooling.
You're lucky. Where I live, people practically dismantle the machines. The dryer's filter is removed and left out, the try where the washing powder goes is removed and left out. I'm sure one day I will go down and find screws and motors all over the floor.