Domestic Appliances

Washing machines, vacuum cleaners and other domestic appliances can be very noisy, and their use causes a surprising number of complaints. This leaflet gives some simple precautions you can take in your home to avoid causing nuisance.

We all use various domestic electrical appliances in our homes. Washing machines, tumble dryers, vacuum cleaners etc etc, save us an enormous amount of effort in our housework, and we wouldn’t want to be without them. Unfortunately, they can be rather noisy and can lead to complaints.

Many people have jobs during the day and therefore have to do their housework in the early morning, in the evenings or at weekends. However, this does not give them the right to annoy their neighbours at any hour of the day and night. We all have to be reasonable to live together.

Thankfully, noise disturbance can be minimised by taking some simple precautions by keeping these noisy activities to reasonable hours. The advice given below includes some tips on how to avoid causing problems.

Using the Vacuum Cleaner – The Council receives a surprisingly large number of complaints about people doing their vacuuming very late at night, or early in the morning. Please don’t do it at 2.00am – it really causes problems for other people! Stick to the hours below.

Reasonable hours for using Noisy Domestic Appliances – We suggest that people need rest from noise at the weekend and in the evenings. It is especially important if young children are involved; we seek to provide peace and quiet in the evenings. Therefore, please try to limit the hours of use of noisy domestic appliances. Try to reduce their use at the weekends and especially in the evenings. Please don’t use them before 8.00am in the morning or past 9.00pm in the evening. On Sundays, many people like a ‘lay in’, so be reasonable and don’t start before 10.00am.

How to avoid Problems with Noisy Domestic Appliances

• Location of Appliances – The best location is as far from neighbours as is possible. Ideally, locate the machine on the ground floor of your building, preferably on a solid floor. This reduces the vibration and noise. Don’t put the machine next to the party wall – too much noise will reach next door. Put it next to an internal wall of your property.

• Try to minimise Vibration – Try to isolate the machine. Place it on a rubber mat or additional layers of carpet. Again, this reduces vibration.

• Maintenance – Make sure you have the machine well maintained. It will make more noise if it is not looked after and be more expensive in the long run!

• Loading – This is important with washing machines and tumble dryers. Try to get the weight of the load correct as recommended by the manufacturer. Too little, or too much washing, causes the drum to vibrate and makes an awful amount of noise! It also wears out your machine.