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Washing machine and dryer in loft conversion?

18 replies

sellotape12 · 24/05/2025 17:35

Classic Victorian terrace here. We’re thinking of doing the loft and wondered about moving our washer and the tumble dryer up there. Has anyone done this? I don’t like washing hang up in the kitchen area. Plus our current washer is an integrated 6kg one. And friends tell us if we have kid no.2 it’ll be on all the time and so an 8kg one might be best. I also figure it’s a bit easier to put the dry washing away from upstairs rather than carrying it upstairs from kitchen.

For the opposing argument, our builder quite rightly said “what about when you want to hang it outside though ? You’d be taking wet washing down all those stairs.” Which is true.
There again, how many sunny washing line days do we have vs needing to dry it indoors?

If we moved it out of the kitchen we’d use the space left for more food storage.

but I’m happy to hear all views. We want this loft to be future proof for all stages of family life as we get older. Have one toddler right now

OP posts:
Diversion · 24/05/2025 17:40

I would just worry that if it leaked it would come through the ceilings and make a real mess plus decorating costs etc. You would also need to factor in the costs of changing the plumbing so it could be plumbed in and drained off.

Tooteefrootee · 24/05/2025 17:43

I would worry about pissing of the neighbours if you have a noisy machine....

Roselilly36 · 24/05/2025 17:47

I don’t think it’s a great idea tbh, I like my washing to be hung out in good weather, and also the risk of leaks and noise, what if you need to put a wash on at night, Childs been sick etc.

DiscoPolly · 24/05/2025 17:56

While I also hate them in a kitchen I wouldn’t want them upstairs for the following reasons,
I hang washing outside a lot, it doesn’t need to be sunny just dry,
I have kids who like to get very muddy from football etc they currently strip off and put their clothes straight in the machine I wouldn’t want them trekking mud upstairs,
washers and dryers are pretty bulky and heavy to get up and down stairs when they need repairing replacing ours was tricky enough to get the few metres from the utility room to the hall,
they’re quite noisy so wouldn’t want them near a bedroom,
potential leaks would be more annoying upstairs not just leaks when our old one was on its way out it kept stopping and had to be drained manually which lead to a fair amount of spilled water.

mumda · 24/05/2025 18:10

Washer is best on a solid floor.
Loft conversion location for it is a mad idea.

Needtosoundoffandbreathe · 24/05/2025 18:12

Put them in a shed outside if there's nowhere inside you want them to go. If there's a cellar you can have a pump fitted to take the waste water out.

Mynewnameis · 24/05/2025 18:13

I kept my washer in the kitchen on solid floor. I've had one leak before!

But I have a huge drying area under loft velux windows. Life saver. Lofts are boiling so it dries fast. Run a dehumidifier in winter. Yes I go up and down stairs with washing a lot, but I need exercise

Whaleadthesnail · 24/05/2025 19:27

Just to chime in for the other side of the argument.

In my last house I had the machines installed in the upstairs bathroom. In my new house I'm doing the same. I can't stand having piles of laundry in the kitchen. I have two kids and yes it's never ending.

But what about hanging it outside? - then I shall carry it down and then up. It's not different to carrying the dirty laundry down to the kitchen and the clean laundry back up year round. At least this way you only have to carry up and down in warm weather

But what if it leaks? - no more likely to leak than an upstairs shower, bath or sink.

What about the noise? - as long as the feet are levelled properly it's not noisier than downstairs. Plus you don't have to listen to it when you're downstairs in the evening.

In the US it's perfectly normal to have them upstairs. It's so much more convenient!

LoveWine123 · 24/05/2025 19:44

I don’t know about the loft but I think having your washing machine in your kitchen is ridiculous. Lugging your dirty clothes from upstairs, hanging things in your kitchen (where you cook and eat!) and sometimes in your living room and then lugging them all upstairs to put back in your cupboards. It’s not logical at all. Washer and dryer in your upstairs bathroom or a room next door makes much more sense. And yes I’m not from the UK 😅

Rellotello · 25/05/2025 07:37

We have ours upstairs, enclosed behind cupboards in the hall/landing. There are no piles of clothes downstairs at all over winter. Summer just bring it down to go outside as and when although I have considered a pulley system out the back window! We put a noise dampener underneath the machines and made sure all was level. 10/10 would recommend.

Soontobe60 · 25/05/2025 07:52

Keep the washing machine in the kitchen and have a cupboard above it, and put a dryer in the loft. So on days when you can peg it out, you’re not carrying it up 2 flights of stairs, and on rainy days, you carry it wet up 2 then down 1 once dried. (getting a very heavy washing machine up 2 flights of stairs will be tricky, and the person who’s bedroom is under the loft will not thank you!)

MerrionMiriam · 25/05/2025 08:00

We moved ours into an upstairs bathroom when we renovated our house recently. It’s very common in other countries to do this. It works really well for us, and has the bonus that the kids tend to throw muddy kit, school uniform etc. straight in the machine and get the wash on (early teens).

If we want to use the washing line we carry it downstairs (I’m not sure what the difference is between this and carrying it down dirty tbh!?) and it means no laundry in the kitchen.

NewUserIDRequired · 25/05/2025 08:06

We have a loft conversion and I think it will be very noisy to have the machines up there. We have good insulation and its still noisier than I thought it would be with just normal life noises. But we do dry all our clothes upstairs in the loft as its so warm and with the juliet balcony / velux windows open, you get a great cross breeze to air things as well.

Gettingbysomehow · 25/05/2025 08:10

I don't carry anything non breakable down the stairs I put it in a zip up sports bag and throw it down the stairs. Much easier. I have a bad back.
Leakage would worry me. I've had washing machine floods twice so my .machine is always in the kitchen.

Sherararara · 25/05/2025 08:11

We have a Victorian detached property and converted the small bedroom next to the bathroom into the laundry room. It works great. However there is some noise and vibration. I wouldn’t have done it if were weren’t detached - the noise and vibration will definitely transmit through to the neighbours. I definetly wouldn’t put it in a loft conversion in any house - it would be felt all over the house.

Mindymomo · 25/05/2025 08:15

I would say I put washing out most days throughout the year, even in winter I put washing outside for a couple of hours, then finish off drying indoors. I would worry about water pressure as most w/m are cold water fed from ground level.

Slowgrowingelm · 25/05/2025 08:19

I use my garden for drying washing a LOT. I was surprised by how many months of the year I’ve been able to use it. A windy, overcast day is perfect for drying and we get a lot of those. My neighbours have a special sheet over their line so they can keep using it in cooler weather, as long as it’s windy, even with possible rain showers. I plan on getting one.

I have a 9kg machine (3 teens) and would hate it upstairs. When they’re playing sports etc I much prefer the muddy and wet clothing in the kitchen and no mistakes when they leave their boots on to throw their gear in the basket. I’ve also had to drain the machine a few times over the years (tiny toys, rubber bands, hair bands etc would somehow make their way in to the machine when they were young, now it’s washers and screws and things 🙄) and I wouldn’t want to do that upstairs and have a possible water leak.

Mumlaplomb · 25/05/2025 14:48

I wouldn’t like it personally. I prefer a washing machine in a kitchen or utility and the dryer in a shed outside if it won’t fit in those spaces.

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