Washing machine in a small bathroom - design features

Unfortunately, many apartments in our country are equipped with small bathrooms. Not all owners want to combine a bathroom with a toilet, so in order to somehow turn around in their bathroom, they resort to a trick - they throw out the steel bathtub and install a shower stall, thereby freeing up space. What can this place be used for? Well, of course, to install a washing machine and some furniture. How to decorate a small bathroom, what type of machine to choose and how to install it? Read about all this in the article.

Washing machine placement options

In a small bathroom with a cast iron or steel bathtub, you can’t really do much. There is only enough space for this bathroom and a sink with a sink. If you try to squeeze a washing machine in there, then the room will definitely be unbearably cramped. If you get rid of the bathroom and install a shower stall, you can partially free up space, but this will not radically solve the problem.

The fact is that in this case you will have to measure the size of the washing machine and shower stall. Choose models of appliances of moderate size so that they fit comfortably into a small bathroom and can be used. In addition, you need to think carefully about how best to install the washing machine so that the small bathroom does not become even cramped. Experts give some recommendations on this matter.

1. Do not try to place the washing machine as close to the shower stall as possible. Firstly, this will make it difficult to open the hatch of the washing machine, and secondly, it will create obstacles at the entrance to the shower stall.
2. It is best to place the washing machine in the corner of the bathroom, sideways to the wall at the entrance to the room. In this case, you will have a shower cubicle measuring 80x198x80 and washing machine 60 cm wide. The advantage of this placement is that you can get into the shower stall without problems and the washing machine hatch will open wide. In the picture below you see an example of such placement of a washing machine with a shower.
   
3. Do not place the washing machine with the hatch next to the shower cabin body. In this situation, there will not be enough space to open the washing machine hatch, or it will open, but not all the way, which will create inconvenience when putting dirty things into the drum.
4. Be sure to leave a gap between all the walls of the washing machine and surrounding objects that are also in the bathroom. Don't forget about vibration during the spin cycle.

To dampen the vibration of the washing machine, use anti-vibration mats.

Which model should you choose?

If the washing machine does not “want to coexist” with the shower stall in a small bathroom, no matter how you place it, you can solve the problem by radically choosing a washing machine of smaller dimensions. Well, if you don’t yet have a shower cabin or a washing machine, and you are just planning a bathroom renovation, then you can look at shower cabins and washing machines of slightly smaller sizes. For example, there are shower cabins 70x198x70 cm; if you install one, you can save as much as 10 cm of space.

If you do not need a washing machine with a large load of laundry, then you can install a compact automatic washing machine with dimensions of approximately 70x51x44 cm. With such a washing machine, you can afford a larger shower stall, since these two items will fit next to each other without problems.Let's present a short overview of compact models of washing machines.

• CANDY Aqua 1D1035-07. A machine with modest dimensions (70x51x44 cm) and a modest design. The laundry load is only 3.5 kg, and the spin speed is 1000 rpm, but there are 16 washing programs, as they say, for every taste.
• CANDY Aqua 2D1140-07. This model differs from the previous one only in the drum loading, it has 4 kg, instead of 3.5, and the spin speed, which in this case is 1100 revolutions, but everything is the same.
  
• ZANUSSI FCS825C. This little machine has appealed to many Eastern Europeans and may appeal to you considering your small bathroom situation. Washing machine dimensions 67x50x55 cm, load 3 kg, drum rotation speed 800 rpm.
• ELECTROLUX EWC 1350. A very suitable washing machine for a small bathroom. You can place it almost anywhere. There are also disadvantages: the drum loads only 3 kg and the simple design, which may not be suitable for a chicly decorated bathroom. As advantages, we can highlight the drum rotation speed - 1300 revolutions and size 67x49x51 cm.
  

Important! If you don’t have enough space for the washing machine, just a couple of centimeters, you can buy a narrow model with a depth of only 45 cm, not 60. This way you will save 15 cm.

Connection to communications

A problem can be created not only by placing a washing machine in a bathroom with a shower, but also by connecting it to communications, namely water, sewerage and electricity. There are several difficulties at once:

• you need to organize separate water supply and sewerage connections for the shower cabin and washing machine;
• you need to make sure that pipes and hoses are not visible;
• you need to make sure that the drain and inlet hoses of the washing machine are not too long, otherwise there will be problems with its operation. And too short, otherwise they simply won’t be long enough. Some washing machine models have standard hoses that are only 1.5 meters long.

When making renovations in a small bathroom with a shower stall, it is necessary, even before the stage of laying out the tiles, to think about the placement of communications that will be required to connect both the washing machine and the cabin itself. To do this, you need to draw a sketch that shows the bathroom with the appliances and furniture placed in it, and next to it is a plan for the placement of communications. You will need two separate sewer pipe outlets: one short for the shower stall, and the other long for the washing machine.

You can extend a long branch of the sewer pipe directly under the tiles, bringing the pipe out near the body of the automatic washing machine. You can do the same with the outlet of the water pipe, so that you can then connect the washing machine inlet hose to it. Also, the washing machine needs a separate outlet. To do this, you need to make a channel for the wire in the wall, lay a silicone cable channel, stretch the wire, install a moisture-resistant outlet in a convenient place and connect this wire to it.

When everything is ready, all we have to do is throw the drain hose of the washing machine onto the sewer pipe and tighten it with a clamp. Next, screw the inlet hose to the outlet of the cold water pipe and connect the power cord to the outlet. That's all the wisdom.

Note! At the stage of planning the placement of communications, you need to be very careful because redoing all this later will be problematic.

Interior decoration

What will a bathroom with a shower and a washing machine look like? Yes, in general, whatever you like, because the issue of design is purely subjective. Some people like green tiles, others red. Some people love mirrors, while others want to make inserts with images of flowers. But now we will not argue about tastes, but will talk about general subtleties that must be taken into account when creating the design of a bathroom with a shower and washing machine.

1. When creating a design for a small bathroom that houses two bulky pieces of furniture: a shower stall and a washing machine, you should get rid of the feeling of cramping as much as possible. You need to use the lightest possible, even pale, colors and glossy surfaces; they will visually expand the room.
2. When creating the design of such a bathroom, try to hide all communication elements as well as possible: pipes, hoses, couplings and the like.
3. Do not overload the design of the room with additional large interior items; there will already be a washing machine with a shower stall there. The most you can afford is a small bedside table or sink under the sink.
4. Install more light sources. The more intense the artificial lighting, the larger the bathroom with a washing machine and shower will appear, and the more advantageous the design will look. If you accept mirrors, then hang them more, they will also visually expand the space.

So, where to put a washing machine in a bathroom with a shower, and at the same time create an acceptable design for the room? This is, in some cases, a truly puzzling question. However, it can be resolved if you think it through well.But if you feel that you can’t do it, use the services of a professional designer. Happy renovation!

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