Washing machine....kitchen or bathroom?

[Rooners]

Just that really. Would you cram it into a small kitchen, or put it in the bathroom (next to the kitchen) where there is plenty of space?

I think it's a no brainer but our plumber thinks I'm a bit mad.

I just hate having dirty clothes in the kitchen and tripping over the laundry basket all the time when I want to cook etc.

We have it in our kitchen now but have to decide where it'll go in the new house.

arghhhh

oh, I should have mentioned that the wall plates are fused & switched. They're on the standard upstairs ring main though (with a RCD downstairs)

You could get a separate circuit or have \link{http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/KBRCD6000.html?source=adwords&kw=&gclid=Cj0KEQjw4aqgBRCvwLDi_8Tc54YBEiQAs6DLvPFTHZ5L-hf2v32lDQ8ZFKD_ZqDROdLNfVzaQWeGETIaAnQK8P8HAQ\one of these} for each thing

OOI (I could not find consolidated statistics using the same criteria) Wikipedia pages suggest that USA has about 1,000 deaths from accidental electrocution per year, and UK had 19 in 2007 (which I calculate to be about 0.3 per million).

Another page says that "In Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway the number of electric deaths per million inhabitants was 0.6, 0.3, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively, in years 2007-2011"

When we lived in the US our landlord used to muck about with fusebox wires with his bare hands. He would occasionally jump & go 'ow'.

He always had shoes on though. if he'd done it standing in a wet patch in bare feet it might have been different...

(It was old wiring in an old house. If we wanted to run eg an A/C unit we couldn't run anything else with a motor - in fact it struggled with the washer + vacuum cleaner at the same time iirc)

TheOne - thanks so much. Yes, I was planning to put it where our old tank still is was, when we get the new combi. I could probably put a cabinet around it there but it is right by the bath.

I wondered about flooding/splashing from the children using it, and how much I want to be worrying about that every time they have a bath. But if I put it in a cupboard it will lessen the vulnerability.

You have to stand it on a min 30mm piece of marine ply as well apparently. It says so in the installation manual. And use little foot holders as it's a joist floor. Sweet!

Is Siemens the same as Bosch then? Well who knew.

Fwiw we are in an upstairs flat anyway, with steps down to the garden so I'll have to lug the washing wherever we put the machine, however knowing my propensity for indoor drying where possible (ie I am very lazy) I think having an airer over the bath will be perfect.

Yes, I always think the kitchen is a weird place for laundry! We are thinking about putting the washing machine and tumble drier in the spare bedroom upstairs. Loads of room for storage, airer and ironing board and no mounds of dirty clothes to trip over downstairs!

We have plugs & light switches in our bathrooms in Australia. We have a separate laundry room next to the bathroom & it has a separate toilet in there too. We found it weird when we came here that you could use electrical appliances in the bathroom.

mine is on a 20mm piece of marine ply, Rooners - it seems to be sturdy enough but I can see 30mm would be better.

I didn't know it was compulsory, but it would travel across the bathroom with every spin if it didn't because the floor underneath is so wonky (also it spreads the load across the joists)

new machines are much bigger & heavier than they used to be & manoeuvring one on to a small piece of wood inside a cupboard is very tricky indeed. Get a strong man in!

an airer over the bath is quite a good method (better than over the radiators) but you really do need to keep an effective extractor fan running, to get rid of the water vapour and create suction so that it does not diffuse through the house.

Like the sound of a proper laundry room Kim.

I remember us having plugs and sockets in our old cloakroom when I was growing up but it didn't have a bath in it I suppose.

TheOne - I shall put the machine on the board, fix it down and then build around it I think...though yes they weigh an absolute ton don't they. It is the concrete inside. At least it isn't a miele with a cast iron frame. Though I wish it was, too, iykwim...!

Piglet, would an open window in the room suffice? We have a large sash window then a little 2' x 18" window above the loo. I guess it might be draughty in the winter though.

Spark is intending to fit a fan in any case but if he tries to wire it to the light switch I shall have his guts for garters. young upstart

extractor fan is much better than a window. It sucks the moist air out, which creates suction and prevents it drifting into the house. You are not dependent on wind direction, which sometimes will blow the water back into the house.

Some people have an aversion to ventilation and will not open windows or switch on fans. Connecting the extractor to the light switch makes it more difficult for these people to have wet mouldy bathrooms. A fan should not be fitted directly above a bath or shower as it is considered more likely to get wet and the safety regulations are much more stringent and expensive.

If it is not fitted yet, look for a ducted/inline fan that can be mounted above the ceiling and will be significantly more powerful as well as quieter.

Thanks so much Piglet. We currently have our fan over the bath which is a bit stupid but it was put in in 1984 and can't really be put anywhere else, so when the guy changed it about 6 years ago he left it there.

Will consider a fan for the new one, then - thank you - sounds like I might regret not having one if I don't have one. But I shan't have it wired into the light as I like to have a bath in peace!

Garage! (If you have one)

Just to add, I've lived in Germany for over 20 years and have never heard of anyone having a washing machine in their kitchen. Kitchens are seen as for food, not for laundry. The standard choice for people with flats is in the bathroom, and bathrooms usually have a specific space where one could stand with a suitable electric socket nearby. More modern blocks of flats often have a communal laundry room in the basement, where everyone's machine stands in a room together and clothes can be hung up to dry there too - obviously has the advantage that you're not wasting room in your flat, but at the same time it's a hassle getting down to the laundry room and theoretically someone else could use your machine. Many houses will have a basement level of their own and the washer/dryer will be kept down there - that's the way we've done it for the past 12 years (just to point out that if there is a better option than the bathroom available, Germans will use that instead).

In Spain they appear to have normal looking plug sockets in bathrooms as well.

I've also noticed washing machines, maybe with tumble dryers on top, in bathrooms in the Ikea catalogue, which suggests this is common in Sweden - seems sensible for a cold wet country - if you can't hang it outside for most of the year, your washing doesn't need to move away from the bedrooms/bathroom.

Probably another example of over cautioness in Britain TBH.

Definitely go for the bathroom if you can. We have ours in there and it keep the kitchen free of laundry. We have boxed ours in, with a cupboard above it so it keeps this tidy whilst also providing some extra storage - perfect!

www.blommabloglondon.blogspot.co.uk/

My mum has hers in the conservatory; people who she bought it off had it all set up to put washer in etc. I don't see why we can't have small utility rooms as standard like they do in US. . .