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Turned an old shower room into a utility. Vacuum cleaner, clothes airer and washing machine all along one wall. Except there is not quite enough room for all 3. So I elevated the washing machine. Vacuum and legs of airer slot under washing machine. As I was busy with other stuff I outsourced the building of the washing machine cabinet and as you can see it's a bit tight. As the cabinet is fastened to the wall we now obviously we have issues with resonance.
Now the me being dim part is, what to do? I would not have made the cabinet that tight so the machine wouldn't be vibrating against the sides. Make cabinet a tad wider on each side? Rubber strip between wall and cabinet? Or just tale down and leave machine sat on elevated platform? My preference is to make a tad wider and to fit
rubber strip but will this make any real difference?
Correct answer is to make the cabinet sider to remove the problem.
Temporary* answer is to stick some kind of damping material to the cabinet, this might be as simple as a sock between the machine and cabinet each side.
*Beware, temporary fixes sometimes last an awful long time.
I think jamming something in to stop the resonance will eventually lead to the cabinet disintegrating when the washer is on a spin cycle.
unless you build the cabinet extremely sturdily I suspect that'll shake itself to bits after a while, or rotten through when the machine unexpectedly springs a small leak. I'd put it back on the floor and figure out some other way of storing something else.
otherwise, why does it need sides and a top? you can probably just rest the machine on a plinth
Imeo dump the silly cabinet.
Build a shelf 6" in off the floor.
Fix shelf to supporting walls on 3 sides if they are structural.
Employ sound deadening material above and below said shelf . rubber on top , insulation underneath.
You may need a bracket or stay to stabilise the machine on one side and a packing wedge on the other.
This will quiet down the machine a wee bit .
If you want to you could then lower the shelf but I appreciate the socket will need lowering as well . And that's probably more work than you want.
Store your vacuum cleaner upside down.
Does the brush mechanism on the vacuum cleaner hinge enough so that it would take up less floorspace if hung by the handle?
Correct answer scrap the washing machine enclosure move the machine to the right and turn the airer upside down.
My thought is to ditch the sides and just have it on the base of the cabinet. That's the easy way. My wish is to make the cabinet wider which actually would take minimal work work given the extra height of it. Doing this from scratch I just wanted to make it look good hence the cabinet. It's sturdy, well screwed together using thick ply but to keep the cabinet rigid it had to fasten to the wall. The reason I went to all this trouble is just because of space limitations and wanting to get all the utility stuff in one place. And also because I wanted a dishwasher so the washing machine had to go somewhere for that to happen. So far the dishwasher been a game changer!
Correct answer scrap the washing machine enclosure move the machine to the right and turn the airer upside down.
^^^ That
What is the cabinet bringing to the party!?
Put washing machine on the floor, put some kitchen worktop over it as wide as you want it.
@scotroutes good call but no way of securing it as it has a funky handle.
@Bruce I was telling the Mrs the representative from this thread and she just said what you said. I think you've nailed it. 👍 sometimes it's the simplest of things....
@the-muffin-man not a lot, just me overthinking and overcomplicating stuff as usual.... 😬
What is the cabinet bringing to the party!?
Put washing machine on the floor, put some kitchen worktop over it as wide as you want it.
+1. Can't see any benefit from it - the plinth will be causing a lot of the resonance. you want the machine on as solid as surface as possible. preferably a concrete floor. if it's a wooden/suspended floor then adding another board on top might improve stability.
Worktop running above (as wide as you can to still use the vacuum. Fixed at back and one side. Leg like this on front corner. Will give you a usable worktop (stuff on top of a washing machine will vibrate off.
You're tight for space so you've made the washer two inches wider because... 🤷♂️
Get rid of the stupid cabinet, and the plinth for that matter, shove the washer in the corner and stand the airer on the head of the vacuum. Or shove the ironing board in there and put the airer where the board is now.
Also, those shelf brackets are shit. The first sign of any real load and it'll be on the floor. If nothing else, stick two more at the sides to support the front edge.
Looks pretty well loaded to me. And it's still up there. Any shelf is only as good as the supporting walls. Nowt wrong with London brackets, unless you intend storing concrete blocks above your washing machine but for a few kgs of washing powder, some conditioner etc , they'll be fine
A potential problem with the cabinet is that you may get low frequency reverberation through the bottom of it, which will add a good deep bass note to the tonal quality of your noise. Dump the enclosure and get it on the floor, as what you have effectively done is make a nice little chamber for reflective and reverberant noise.
If you want to make it quiet, have a look at the acoustic and vibration damping rubber pads that are commercially available.
Imeo dump the silly cabinet.
+1 What is the point of it?
@tazzymtb, I think you're right. Will dump the cabinet on Wednesday. For all those wondering why the cabinet is there here is a picture with the airer in place. Gives a little more of an idea of the lack of room I had and why I decided to get creative with storage. Also I'd like to point out that whilst the noise/resonance is livable for us, the machine is now against the party wall, in the loft so I don't think it's fair on the neighbour to have that level of noise foist upon them, especially if there's an option to at least reduce it. This is why I asked the question. That abutment where the towel os hanging is the chimney breast so a nice void for transmitting noise. If I can reduce it best I can then I should at least try.
Oh, and @cougar, you leave my shelves alone. They're as solid as anything. Even did the scientific "yank and see if they move test" 👍
You’re tight for space so you’ve made the washer two inches wider
Sums up the issue you've created for yourself. You've made the thing wider and taller
I was tight for FLOOR space. Lift up washer. Everything slides underneath. Stated this in my first post. Or I thought I did. Just said I was tight for space. 🙄
Well sure, but I'm not the guy who made the thing that was taking up all the FLOOR space bigger and louder. There are other ways to store all the things you want to store just as conveniently around the washing machine, at least you know that your solution doesn't really work, eh?
@nickc 2nd photo provides more context. That wall is rhe only place for those 3 items. I know this because this is my house. That's not meant to be as snarky as it sounds, sink etc on wall inside door so that's out. Full length unit along wall where roof joins. Ironing board along wall just inside folding door. Leaves me with the space I've used for those 3 items. Not enough floor space for all 3. Had the bright idea. Turns out it wasn't such a bright idea after all. But everything fitted as I thought it would so really don't get why the issue of cabinet space is getting people all het up. The issue here is my stupid bloody ideas making noise for my neighbour worse than it needs to be.
I imagine that having a washing machine in the attic will never be quiet, TBH. You may wish to invest in some sound-deadening feet/matting while you're moving it.
Doing so @PhilO. Arriving tomorrow. I know it'll never be perfect as not on concrete floor etc. but if the cabinet is making things worse then it goes.
I'd also think about acoustic foam on the wall behind, to the side and potentially under it.
Mum and Dad had issues with their LG dancing about the floor of their utility room on a wooden floor. LG had their own wooden floor kit to shut the thing up, but it never really remained stationary.
This is an LG as well. Its only when on full 1400 spin that there's any issue. Cabinet goes first, Machine going on shock absorbing feet then if I need to put any acoustic foam up then I will. I was actually going to do that when redoing the room but was talked out of it.
Old school dynamat style sheet and then the heavy rubber foam stuff stuck over the top of it. Most of the noise though is going to come through the floor and its intersection with the wall.
Can you hang the ironing board or aierer on the back of the door to the utility? Our board is hung on the inside of the airing cupboard door and it works really well
If your washing machine is half as heavy and cumbersome as mine , how the hell did you get it in there . And if it 'walks' like mine does ever so slightly even with the feet correctly adjusted , what happens when it comes out on its own ? Handling pipes and cables under a worktop takes a bit of pre management at our place , using strategically placed sellotape and string like Kylie, and we are nowhere near as tight as that. I dread to think of the consequences if it was to fall off its plinth.
Only ever seen an airer folded up once and that was when we bought ours. Shirley it's always up in the room doing its job no?
Only ever seen an airer folded up once and that was when we bought ours. Shirley it’s always up in the room doing its job no?
Ours is folded up for most of the summer unless it's a long, wet period. From now until the spring it's mostly up. I have optimistic moments where I fold it away again but, with three children in the house, it's only a matter of hours before it's needed again.
Typical STW pile-on. 🙄
Or, alternatively, helping to prevent someone getting brained by a collapsing shelf.
One comment is a very weird definition of a "pile on," I've seen larger worm casts. But hey, if you want to talk about typical responses...
Oh, and @cougar, you leave my shelves alone.
You could screw in a block at each front corner and they'd be a lot sturdier.
Looking at the second picture, I'd be tempted to lop a couple of inches out of the bottom shelf to accommodate the ironing board.
I'd be looking to turn all that into one big cupboard, washing machine on floor to right, 2 vertical compartments to left to fit hoover and airer respectively, small length of worktop above washer (for laundry basket), then shelves above, as you've done. Not sure you can build out forwards though because of sink to left? Ironing board on hooks to back of bathroom door, or even back of cupboard door if you've the space.
Washing machine in the loft just above your (and your neighbours) bedrooms?
Those shelf brackets are fine - I have hung large loads off them
I have been told that the carpet underlay made from rubber crumb is a really good sound insulator / absorber.
How the **** did you get a washing machine in the loft 😲
Up the stairs?
That is not a good solution. Glad the STW hivemind was able to move things along.
Acoustic matting? Before we got a new wooden floor put in we had our washing machine on top of a paving slab on top of floor boards in the corner of the upstairs ‘laundry’ room.
Wooden floor? Waiting for the backlash on that.
The paving slab raised the machine of course, and it added little to the machine’s mass. But it did steady the machine on the Victorian floorboards.
With the new floor and no paving slab the machine is steady and quiet.
Right, well I think we can close this thread now. Just popped to the old fella next door to check for noise as had two duvets on a spin cycle. No noise or resonance to speak of on his side (stood at the top of his stairs so effectively the closest point and could hear it at full chat but it sounded so distant I had to really listen for it. I'm both surprised and at the same time massively relieved. The silly cabinet stays.
Edit Never mind 😆
Could you not get a clothes airer that folds up more slimline? it seems quite wide. Is it an electric one hence the bulk?
Then you could lose the cabinate, maybe even use the wood to make another bit of shelving just above the height of the washer.
Equally, does the business end of the hoover fold flat like this:
Could you hang it from the wall where it currently is to free up a few inches of floor space?
The silly cabinet stays.
Why? What purpose does it serve other than taking up space?
The purpose it serves is to free up FLOOR space. It's serving that purpose perfectly and the noise issue does not affect the neighbour in any way shape and form so all is good.
Why? What purpose does it serve other than taking up space?
I'd think the box it is sat upon would also serve as a resonator box, for extra vibration noise!... at least until the vibrations from the washer cause it to collapse.
I just think you are looking at the problem backwards by fixing symptoms rather than causes.
surely the correct solution to remove vibrations and free up floor space is to suspend the machine from the ceiling.
https://www.matousch.com/the-source-periphery
How the **** did you get a washing machine in the loft 😲
How the **** did you get a washing machine in the loft
A more pertinent question would be "why would you want to?"