Washing machines, vacuum cleaners and other domestic appliances can be very noisy, and their use causes a number of complaints.
As many people have a full time job to go to, domestic tasks such as washing and hoovering tend to be undertaken early in the morning, in the evenings or throughout the day at a weekend.
This may not be compatible with your neighbour's routine. We all have to be reasonable to live together.
Noise disturbance from such activities can be minimised by taking some simple precautions, and keeping these activities to reasonable hours.
Recommendations
Using the vacuum cleaner
- Complaints are received by the council in relation to people doing their hoovering early in the morning or late at night. Try to reduce its use at the weekends and especially in the evenings. Before 8am and past 9pm is not ideal. To start before 10am on a Sunday would probably coincide with your neighbour's Sunday 'lay in'.
Use of the washing machine
- Maintaining your machine will reduce the risk of it becoming a noisy machine if not looked after.
- Uneven loading of a washing machine or tumble dryer will cause the drum to vibrate making an awful amount of noise.
Location of appliances
- The best location is as far from the neighbours as possible.
- Locate the machine on the ground floor of your building, preferably on a solid floor. This will reduce the noise and vibration.
- Do not put a machine next to a party wall - place next to an internal wall within your own property.
- Try to isolate the machine. Placing it on a rubber mat or additional layers of carpet will reduce the vibration and absorb some of the sound.