Installing a washing machine in balcony can be a great idea, it can solve space issues and can also provide an attractive look to your balcony.
Wondering how?
Keep reading this article to the end, you will learn the pros and cons of outdoor washing machine installation, things to keep in mind if planning any type of washing machine installation in your balcony, and our tips on how to maintain your washing machine and make it look like a home decor.
But before all this, let’s look at a straight answer?
Can Washing Machine be Kept in Balcony?
Of course Yes, washing machines can be kept in the balcony provided some measures are taken that protect the washing machine from bad-weather impact and other related demerits of keeping a washing machine outdoors.
Advantages of Placing Washing Machine in Balcony (Pros)
Following are some benefits of outdoor washing machines placement.
- Convenience:
Installing the washing machine in balcony can offer real convenience to the users, as the user can stack all clothes and other related stuffs at one place eliminating any need of movement. This can be helpful especially for senior citizens. In few words: using the washing machine becomes easy if you install your washing machine in balcony.
- Pre and Post wash stacking:
Used clothes can be segregated over time in a laundry basket near the washing machine, preventing the indoor space from any such accumulation. Similarly dried clothes can be stacked in the balcony and shifted to the wardrobe in one go.
- Easy line drying:
Balconies are the most suitable place for line drying the clothes, especially to the users who house in apartments. With Washing machine so near, the line drying job is not more than a step away. In other words-handling the clothes becomes very easy.
- Easy Drainage:
The user may permanently position the drain pipe, restricting the need to fold and unfold with every use as when using it at another place.
- Quite Indoor environment:
Bedrooms and other living space remains quiet as it receives little noise from the your washing machine in balcony. This doesn’t disturb the sleep of kids, or other family members, especially in the morning hours.
- Easy maintenance:
With a washing machine placed in balcony, maintaining it, or dealing with issues like error codes, becomes easy and cost effective in the long run.
- Space-Saving:
This point, by far, is the main reason why families look towards placing the washing machine outdoors: Space Saving. Placing the washing machine in balcony is really helpful in saving Indoor space, especially to families living in small apartments or houses with space issues.
Modern apartments come with balconies designed for appliance storage. If yours is not one, you can convert your balcony suitable for your washing machine with minimal effort and resources.
- Improved Ventilation:
Since balconies receive unrestricted and large volumes of air flow, they provide great ventilation and prevent moulds and mildew growth in the washing machine.
- Cooler indoor temperature and reduced moisture:
Home appliances produce heat when in operation, keeping the washing machine outdoors protects the inner environment from heat and moisture.
Disadvantages of Placing Washing Machine in Balcony (Cons)
There are four major disadvantages that your washing machine may face if kept in the balcony: These include: Damage to look and aesthetic, Effect on parts and longevity, Inconvenience, and Security.
- Look and Aesthetic Damage:
Continuous exposure to direct sunlight can cause fading of colours of your washing machine. Further, a mix of moisture can rust your washing machine much faster, especially in humid weather conditions.
- Effect on longevity:
Washing machines produce heat when in motion. Operating a washing machine in hot outdoor conditions may cause an unexpected error, like overheating of the motor, and may damage your machine seriously.
Control panels are meant to be safeguarded from heat and moisture, exposing them to direct sunlight or rainy weather can create a short circuit issue, damaging your washing machine Seriously
- Washing machine safety:
Washing machines kept in balconies of ground floors or lower floors of an apartment may be more
vulnerable to damages by unexpected reasons like a possible ball hit, or vandalism/ theft.
- Inconvenience:
Accessing the washing machine on rainy days or extremely hot days may be inconvenient. Also, balconies usually have limited space, placing a washing machine may create movement or other related inconvenience.
Please be informed that there can be more drawbacks associated with placing a washing machine in balcony. These may depend on conditions/ status/ environment under which the washing machine is operating.
Things to Consider if Installing Washing Machine in Balcony (Tips & Measures)
Since we have gone through the merits and demerits of installing a washing machine in balcony, we can now deduce a condition that may get us close to overcoming the demerits. People with the ultimate goal of saving the indoor space, may bring in the following recommended changes to their balconies.
1. plan the layout for washing machine installation in Balcony
Plan layout for washing machine Installation: Preplanning the layout may eliminate the inconvenience factor that we saw in the demerits list above.
Consider the following points when planning layout for washing machine installation in balcony.
Installation in balcony related Tips:
- Try placing the washing machine in a way that it receives minimum sunrays or rain in the rainy season.
- Plan a water tap point, and an electrical source point accordingly.
- Plan drain pipe laying in a way that the water flow doesn’t get restricted. Check if you can permanently fix the drain pipe to facilitate easy drainage, and also restricting accidently water spread on the balcony floor. Please mind to keep drain-pipe decoupling provisions, if needed.
- Make sure your washing machine does not vibrate, Use vibration pads if required.
- Make sure you have installed your washing machine at a distance, sufficient to extract heat, from the balcony walls.
2. Preserve the look and aesthetic of your washing machine.
Consider the following steps to protect the look and aesthetic of your washing machine, installed outdoors.
- Ensure covering the washing machine with a good quality washing machine cover. Ensuring a superior quality is must as your washing machine is placed outdoors. The washing machine cover should be large enough to cover the entire washer. Prefer buying a waterproof washing cover for your washing machine on the balcony.
- Plan layout for washing machine Installation: Preplanning the layout may eliminate the inconvenience factor that we saw in the demerits list above.
3. Ensure security of your outdoor washing machine
- Take measures to protect your balcony washing machine from possible threat of theft and vandalism, especially if you house on the ground floor, or a lower floor of an apartment.
- You may install grills on your balcony. Installing grills provides additional safety to your house beside keeping your washing machine safe. You may provision removable fine mesh to fight any intentional damage to your washing machine.
4. Take steps to boost longevity of your washing machine
Mind the conditions that may affect longevity of your washing machine. Analyze the different situations and make provisions accordingly. A few tips include;
- Ensuring proper ventilation, especially if you are covering a portion of your balcony to protect it from risk and vandalism threat.
- Keeping the washing machine at a safe distance from the walls.
Covert your washing zone into a Professional laundry station
This section will guide you with home improvement ideas that you can induce in your laundry washing zone. These tips and recommendations will convert your balcony into a beautiful Laundry station.
- Make provisions for cloth stacking racks on the walls of the balcony
- Use Wall decors that enrich the aesthetic of your new laundry station 🙂
- You may use hanging planters and plotters on the free surfaces, in a way that doesn’t affect the outside view.
- You may use modern line drying stands that accommodate more clothes in less space.
Now let’s wrap it.
Wrapping up:
With our innovative tips and well researched information, stated in this article, we are sure you can create a beautiful laundry station with your washing machine in balcony. Incorporating these balcony space management tips will enhance the look of your balcony and make it look even more beautiful.
Hope you like this article, if so, please share it with your loved ones.
Happy laundering!
Can washing machines be kept behind window AC, in the balcony?
No, washing machines should not be kept behind a window AC in the balcony. It will dissipate heat to the washing machine which is not good for your washing machine. If you face a similar situation, we recommend shifting one of the two appliances in a way that the washing machine does not receive heat from AC.
How can I protect my washing machine from pests or insects on the balcony?
Use pest control to protect your washing machine on the balcony.
Make sure to install the rat mesh in the washing machine, and check it at regular intervals.
Do not keep a loose wire cord hanging on the floor.
Make sure that all sides of washing machines are clearly visible to you so that any damage could be easily noticed.
Ensure the drain pipe does not lay on the floor loosely. You may fix the drain pipe through the adjacent wall.
Please analyse the position and situation carefully before implementing any suggestion given above.
