How to convince husband to put tumble dryer upstairs

[Hart92]

Incredibly boring topic but me and DH keep falling out over this.

We hair moved, traditional 30's semi with small kitchen. We want to knock through eventually but just isn't in the budget.

We have one DD nearly 2, 3 bedrooms and a large loft conversion.

Bedrooms are currently ours, Dd's, husbands office will be in the loft. We aren't having any other children.

We don't have a use for box room so far, was thinking about putting a futon bed in there for guests but can't remember the last time we had any (maybe at Xmas?)

Anyway... There is no room for a tumble dryer. It's summer so drying on the line at the moment but this just won't be practical in winter. We both work full time and are crap at remembering the laundry at the best of times, but it's mostly me who does it with DH occasionally emptying the dryer and folding if I ask. He does out it away though.

I want to put the dryer in the box room, he wants to keep it in the shed at the bottom of the garden (we have a very long lawn). I just don't think its practical to have in the shed in winter. Proved today when I had to leg it down the garden in the pissing rain to retrieve the washing so it didn't crease and it just got wet again?

He reckons it's a waste of a room (we don't have a use for it anyway?) And that it would cause condensation (we have a condenser, air vents and would open the window?

How do I convince him?

I'd want it near the washer- I wouldn't want to carry loads of wet washing anywhere- upstairs or to the shed. Why don't you turn the box room into a laundry/drying room. Washer, drier, big sink, kitchen maid thing from the ceiling, nice storage, rail with coathangers on, iron and ironing board. We have a laundry room downstairs like this and I love it. I'd like it even more upstairs.

Out of interest, how do you achieve this when it's not legal to install a regular socket in a bathroom in the UK? Or are you possibly elsewhere?

I've got a washer dryer combined but have only used the dryer about five times in the five years I've had it, although it does dry very well. I bought a big electric drying rack from John Lewis which is wonderful and which I use all the time when it's too wet or cold to dry outside. I can fit two full loads on it, and everything dries overnight. It then folds up and takes up very little space.

Or, is your kitchen at the back of your garage? If so you could turn the back half of the garage into a proper utility/laundry. We did that in our last house. The door already existed. It wasn't a lot of money and it was done really nicely within a week and a downstairs loo put in there. Properly sealed room, insulated, plumbing, lighting, drainage, storeage, flooring. It was so handy.

I use our box room as the laundry room. Don't have the tumble dryer up there but only as I have space downstairs. If not, it would go in there. But I have the clothes horse in there, it's where I sort everything into piles etc, or hang things in the door way. Totally agree with you about the rain!! But as another poster said, it's it it in the shed and tell him it's 100% his job now

If I had a bigger bedroom I would do this even if I had a big kitchen.

The only downside is the noise if you are the kind of person who puts the washer to work before going to bed.

You can if they are far enough from the bath- there is a set distance. I think it's about 9 ft.

That would be ace. We don't have a garage though unfortuantley. It was separate to the house but the previous owners got rid of it.

You could point out that the clean and dry clothes will be closer to where they need to be put away. Only problem is that you are going to have to carry wet washing up the stairs. Don’t let him use the shed. Imagine all the extra walking you will do to check it’s finished. Another thought is noise. You might find it noisy next to bedrooms.
good luck

We stopped bothering with a tumble dryer a few years ago, and I don't miss it. Just hang things to dry in the spare room, and send bedding to the laundry, so it comes back nice and crisp.

Thanks everyone.

Not just me who thinks it will be more practical then.

I suggested that we do it as a trial and if we come across any problems we can always move it again. I've asked for help to move it, so he doesn't have to.

His response "do what you want." I think this move has turned him into a stroppy teenager... Anyway I'll be doing what I want 🤣

I nannied for a family in Fulham who creates more space in their kitchen by adding a laundry wall into their first floor bathroom. It was awesome. Both machines, plus space for dirty baskets and then clothes clean to be folded and hung immediately to be ironed, because of course the iron and board had their own built in space too... 'twas a thing of beauty.

Apologies if you've implicitly answered this already. Can you not put it on top of the washing machine? That's how we have it and it's a great use of space.

Definitely have it upstairs. Also, I've got a heat pump tumbledrier which uses very little electric & also has no issues with condensation. If you can stretch to one of these, it's definitely worth it.

Tumble dryers are not very heavy so it won’t be difficult to lift upstairs. Just try it for winter by then he’ll be used to it.
I couldn’t be running down the garden to an old shed. My tumble dryer is in my bedroom as there’s nowhere else for it.

We have ours in our bedroom and I prefer to use it just before bedtime to give an extra source of heat. We have no condensation in the room from it - it's a condenser dryer & has a water tray that you empty. Takes up very little room.

How can you have a washing machine in a utility or loft can you just get pipes added to your property?

It's not like it is a big job to move it, doesn't need to be permanent. Just get it moved and agree to a trial. No way will he be arsed to move it again.

Do watch carefully for condensation, opening window when it's on and keeping door to that room propped open all the time will do it.

Yes, water is straight forward but drainage is more difficult.

This

I expect the droning sound will fill the house downstairs when it's on - I definitely wouldn't want that either at night or when trying to watch the TV and how would your neighbours be affected by it?

We haven't had a TD since the last one broke in 2007 - we just died an overhead 4-bar aerial one and everything dries naturally in that - why can't you do that somewhere? Saves money not having to run one of the highest electricity consuming machines in most people's households.

I'm in the US so having a dryer means it is vented via a connecting tube to the outside. Fairly easy to do you can use a window for the vent.

Ok thank you

Unfortunately not! There's literally one row of cabinets with sink, washer, dishwasher, oven and then 3 drawers built in. Then overhead storage, all of which we use.

You can get them plumbed in, but we would just be doing the dryer so wouldn't need to.