Yishun resident claims neighbour’s laundry in common corridor reeks of detergent, blasts TV in retaliation
A Yishun resident has accused his neighbour of hanging wet laundry with a strong detergent smell in the common corridor, claiming it has become so overwhelming that he retaliates by blasting his television.
The complaint first surfaced in a Facebook post on June 25, in which the resident alleged that his neighbour had been hanging laundry and storing items in the common corridor for years.
He claimed the smell from the laundry had become “unbearable” and suspected it had exacerbated his father’s respiratory issues. He also claimed the town council had been unable to resolve the issue.
The post has since garnered more than 660 likes and 290 comments.
Netizens were divided. Some sided with the resident, saying laundry should not be hung in the common corridor and that it could pose a fire hazard. Others urged him to be more understanding.
“Its rainy season nowadays and not all households have the luxury to own a dryer. To dry inside the home, when cooking all the laundry will absorb the smell... A good neighbour would give and take,” one commenter said.
Wet laundry smell ‘very pungent’
When Stomp visited the block, the resident who made the Facebook post, who only wished to be known as Mr C, said his next-door neighbour’s wet laundry emitted what he described as a “very pungent” smell.
The two units are located opposite the lift lobby. During Stomp’s visit, a laundry rack was seen outside the neighbour’s unit, though the common corridor was unobstructed and there was no noticeable smell.
While the corridor appeared well ventilated and received ample sunlight, the 40-year-old technical analyst claimed the wet clothes gave off a chemical-like odour due to what he believed was an excessive amount of detergent. He added that the scent had “marinated” into the fabric.
He also suspected prolonged exposure to the smell contributed to his father’s respiratory symptoms, including persistent coughing and sneezing. He added that inhaling such strong smells daily could be “very harmful”.
Besides the laundry, Mr C claimed his neighbour would sometimes talk loudly and play with her cat in the common corridor.
“It can be day and night, or wee hours of the night, she can shout and scream and play with the cat,” he lamented.
Frustrated, he felt he had no choice but to turn up the volume of his television “in retaliation”.
‘I never hang anymore, but he still make noise’: Neighbour
Speaking to Stomp, the neighbour, who declined to be named, said she was aware of the Facebook post.
She said she used to hang her laundry outside only two or three mornings a week before bringing it back indoors by noon.
“I don’t hang until 24 hours, just a while only,” she said.
Responding to the allegations, she denied that her laundry gave off a strong detergent smell, adding that any chemical scent would disappear after about 30 minutes.
She said representatives from the town council had approached her twice about the matter. After the first visit, she took its advice and began drying her laundry indoors.
“I never hang anymore, but he still make noise,” she alleged, claiming that her neighbour would blast his television during the day.
“Is that fair to me?” she asked. “If you don’t believe, you can ask all the neighbours in this block.”
She also disputed claims that she regularly played with her cat in the corridor, saying it had happened only once and that she usually played with it inside her home.
She added that in the 12 years she had lived in the unit, no one had complained until Mr C moved in about four to five years ago.
Despite their differences, both neighbours told Stomp they did not wish to escalate the situation and hoped to maintain a cordial relationship.
Mr C said all he wanted was for the town council to remove his neighbour’s laundry from the common corridor.
Stomp has reached out to Nee Soon Town Council for comment.
The Government recently introduced a Community Relations Unit (CRU) to tackle severe neighbour disputes involving issues such as noise and hoarding.
Comprising officers with investigatory and enforcement powers, the unit steps in when disputes remain unresolved despite mediation efforts by HDB or other frontline agencies. The Government said the CRU complements existing measures aimed at fostering harmonious living among neighbours.
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