Washer/Dryer Covers & Moisture Control

[scoots]

I never intended it to turn out this way, but I now seem to have a harem of older washers and dryers in my cellar. It's a Victorian house (1910) with porous brick walls, a very damp concrete floor, and weather concerns (Tennessee, humid and wet)

My first concern is preventing rust. As a stop gap I wanted to put the equipment of 1" CDX plywood painted with a moisture barrier. I am also considering placing 25 watt bulbs under the units to keep the interior dry and warm. Thoughts or practical experience here would be welcome.

My second concern is keeping the cabinets and tops scratch/ding free. Not everybody that uses the garage appreciates the value of these appliances, and I am considering "drop cloths" like were offered back in the day. My problem is that I haven't seen them since the 70s, so I may have to make my own, so I will need a breathable fabric. Any suggestions here?

Thanks

 

[launderess]

If you want to merely cover, then cotton canvas or heavy muslin will do. OTOH should you wish some sort of scratch or mild dent protection you are going to need something quilted and or padded.

Should this be a DIY project I'd look into using a good serge/overlock machine rather than sewing. Will make things much faster IMHO.

 

[rp2813]

In desert areas, it's common to have the washer and dryer located outdoors.  Many residents use contoured oilcloth type covers, so they are probably available at stores there.

 

I'm sure some type of universal covers could be ordered and that you wouldn't have to make them yourself.

 

[dustin92]

Maybe a dehumidifier and a fan to keep air circulating around and under the machines?

 

[scoots]

A thread that's back from the dead.

I decided to make my own drop cloths and purchased several yards of duck cloth. How many times and at what temperature should I pre-wash the material to be sure it's shrunk and stable before cutting and sewing?

 

[whirlcool]

When I made slip covers for our den furniture I washed the cotton duck canvas in hot water before I even made the first cut in the fabric for construction. After assembly you shouldn't have to worry about shrinkage. When you wash that material a few times it gets nice and soft too.

 

[stan]

De humidifier

And a fan.. Sounds right to me..Can a ceiling fan be used?

 

[delaneymeegan]

Get plastic sheeting and hang it around the perimeter of the basement walls, thus sealing out the inflow of moisture from the walls.

The dehumidifier is a good idea, for sure, as well.

Do we have pictures of this collection...?

 

[stan]

Your good Delany

Ya where are the pics LOL
You have to show us before you cover them !

 

[scoots]

Check List:

Dehumidifier? Check. Purchased and running.

Platforms? Check. All the "important" units are up on 1" CDX plywood platforms on 2x4 sleepers to get the steel off the damp concrete floors.

Plastic sheeting? Partial Check. I am subdividing the space with stud walls into a 16x16 laundry room so that the area can have more complete moisture control. Walls installed with visqueen plastic moisture barrier.

Photos? Check, although oddly, they don't show up on the main "Collection" page. I think I will go ahead and re-photograph the whole thing since so much has been done since I first started about 4 years ago.

Thanks for everybody's input, I will probably post a new thread next week when everything's been photographed.

 

[scoots]

Wait! There's more

Here's a floor plan of what I have in mind. It's about at the 40% completion mark. The large wall has bee put up (at the bottom) the two smaller wing walls at the top are next. Then plumbing, lighting, and electrical.

I do most of my laundry in two N Maytag wringers in the center of the room with drying in the Kenmore Keyboard dryer, but it's slow going since the capacity of pounds per hour on the washers is much faster than the capacity of my single dryer. The two other Kenmores (1959-60) have BTU output like blast furnaces, so I hope to be able to get the drying time way down when they are operational.