Avoiding washer/dryer down stairs

[phil_513]

Serious questions: Can you take out a dishwasher from a kitchen and replace with a small (stackable?) clothes washer (and dryer)? Could a plumber easily do that? Even sillier question: Clothes can't be effectively washed in a dishwasher, can they? I am older and want to stay in my home, but the washer/dryer is in the basement. My doctor said to avoid steps. Helpful answer would be deep appreciated. (I am considering a chair lift, but would rather not depend on that.) Anyway thanks so much.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Tue 04 Aug 2009 05:12:40p, told us...

Ideally, instead of getting rid of the dishwasher, if you have a spare closet or other space (maybe in a bathroom) where a compact stackable washer/dryer would fit, it might be worth the expense of having both the electric and plumbing run to that location.

As to the diswasher location, the existing plumbing is not ideally suited for a clothes washer and the electric power would be inadequate for a dryer. Obviously, if that's you're only location, both the plumbing and electric could be upgraded.

I know I would miss my dishwasher, even if I lived alone.

[Lisa BB.]

phil [e-mail] wrote in news:22864-4A78CE78-3766@storefull-

3112.bay.webtv.net:

I was researching clothes washers/dryers a while back. I found one that washes and also dries the clothes. I never got any further than doing the research, tho.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Tue 04 Aug 2009 09:22:12p, Lisa BB. told us...

All-in-one washer/dryer units have been around for years. Performance varies, but the biggest downside is that you have to wait for an entire wash cycle and entire dry cycle to complete before beginning another load. This may not be an issue if you have very little to wash. IIRC, one of the first units like this was made back in the 1950s by Bendix.

[Colbyt]

The height of the unit might require the wall cabinets as well as the base cabinets to be removed. Most likely there would be drainage issues as well.

The good news is that most of the smaller stackables have smaller needs in terms of electricity and plumbing. I suspect you can find a qualified handy-person to add the power and drain cheaper than you can buy a lift. There are many options for venting the drain and the dryer that would not require major modifications to your home.

You indicate a basement so pulling power and a drain line to some location in your kitchen might be minimal problems. Do you have a 30x30 inch square place along a wall in your kitchen where the unit could be placed? I image the actual space needed is a little smaller.

Colbyt

[Phisherman]

Sure. It will not be good when you want to sell the house. There are rollaround clothes washers (with butcher block tops) you can temporarily hookup to the kitchen sink.

Could a

Sure. Plumbers at least $50 an hour. You should get 2 or 3 free estimates then make a decision from there.

Even sillier question: Clothes can't be

I wash baseball caps in a dishwasher. Small items may be okay. Do not use laundry detergent in a dishwasher, it will suds up and spill onto the floor. Only use soap formulated for automatic dishwashers and make sure it says so on the product container.

I am older and want to

If he says avoid steps then absolutely do so. You may be better off at a laundry mat or paying someone to wash your clothes for you. If there is no hope using the stairs after treatment, consider another home without stairs.

[trader4]

Available width may also be a problem, as dishwashers are narrower than the washer/dryers I have seen Besides plumbing and electrical issues, the other obvious problem is a stacking washer/dryer is going to be a lot taller than a dishwasher, which fits under the countertop. So, where is the extra height coming from and what will it do to the look/functionality of the kitchen?

[Thomas]

How about an old time wringer washer and a clothes line? No plumbing or electrical work.

[Stormin Mormon]

One friend of mine got foreclosed out of her house, and moved to a trailer. She likes that a lot better. However, it's a lot of work to be moving house. With the messed up economy, you may well be better off where you are.

Anyhow, yes, it should be possible to put a stackable in place of a dish washer. You'd have to cut the exterior wall for the dryer vent. As someone else wrote, the dryer may need more power. Or may not. Stackable apartment size dryer will likely run fine off your dishwasher's existing power.

I had a 110 volt small clothes dryer, years ago. The timer was bad. Finally, I ran a couple indoor clotheslines, and I don't even own or use a clothes dryer. I indoor line dry my clothes. Have done so, for the last 10 plus years. My washing machine, was here when I moved in, in 1994.

To summarize, you have an excellent idea. Please get at least two or three estimates.

[Joe]

Adding to the caveats, is the floor robust enough to handle the weight?

Joe

[Percival P. Cassidy]

I am assuming that you do not have a convenient garage in which the washer and dryer can be located. We would put ours in the garage, which is a mere two steps down from the kitchen.

I don't suppose there are super-compact washers and dryers intended for motor-homes, are there? There are small washers and dryers on the market in Europe, and probably also in Asia, but North American kitchens are typically larger. My late parents had a very skinny Philips washer (about half the width of our dishwasher) in the UK, but it could not have a dryer mounted above it: it was a top-loader with a horizontal drum whose axis was parallel to the wall. So even to use that would necessitate cutting the counter-top at that point.

Perce

[SMS]

Get a front-loading, combo washer-dryer such as the LG WM3431HS. It should fit fine as it's designed to fit into a standard 24" width space. It doesn't need 220V, and it doesn't need a dryer vent. I expect that drying is pretty slow at 115V, and slightly more costly in terms of energy usage versus 220V, but that's not a big deal. The plumbing is all there for the dishwasher already so it shouldn't be a problem (you'll need a cold water line to the washer as the dishwasher has only a hot water line, but it should be available from the sink).

"

" Pretty expensive, but cheaper than a chair lift.

And no, I wouldn't try washing clothes in your dishwasher, but if you bought plastic dishes you might be able to wash them in the clothes washer, but don't let them go in the spin cycle.

[Frank]

I'd consider the chair lift. Medicare will not pay for installation but may pay for the chair itself. Or maybe hire a housekeeper a few hours a week.

[JIMMIE]

My neighbor had basically the same problem. She replaced her her refrigerator with a stacked washer/dryer unit and put a small refridgerator where the dishwasher was. Her son and daughter in-law did most of the work.

Jimmie

[phil_513]

Thanks. I am checking further and someone suggested, like you, using a closet-- over basement plumbing.

[BetaB4]

That's an interesting idea!

[jamesgangnc]

Since you have a basement it may be a simple matter to place a stackable in a bedroom closet. Maybe even advantageous if you can put it in the bedroom closet of the room you sleep in. Then the dirty clothes andthe clean clothes don't have to be carried around either. I'm guessing that if stairs are out then hauling laundry baskets full of clothes around is not a great idea either.

[BetaB4]

It can be an existig closet. Or, if there is enough space in a bedroom or other room, you could put it in a corner and just frame a new closet around it if you wanted to hide it. Maybe put a louvered door on the closet.

I am hav> Thanks. I am checking further and someone suggested, like you, using

[P C]

Thanks to everyone for their information, ideas, links, help, encouragement.

[cshenk]

Consider also a 'movable' washing machine. Portables. They don't do larger loads, but your needs are minimal. They roll on the floor on wheels and hook to the sink with a pipe that drains to the sink. For drying, with your smaller needs, an indoor wooden rack might work most of the time.