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The most common and practical addition to any laundry room is a freezer or refrigerator. This article pertains to laundry rooms that are not on the second floor of a house. This could mean a laundry room/pantry combo on the first floor or in the basement.
I know several family and friends that have chest-type freezers and upright freezers in their laundry room space. Maybe it’s a midwest thing, or part of the culture where I live, but it is perfectly acceptable.
Come explore with me the food storage opportunities in your laundry room!
Can you put a freezer in a laundry room?
A freezer can share laundry room space. Ample air circulation should be provided around the equipment and proper electrical outlets provided to bear the extra electric load in the room.
Do not use an extension cord. Replace the outlet with a duplex GFCI, and plug them both into it. If you worry about the GFCI tripping, and not noticing that, get one with an alarm.
- do not use extension cords with freezer or refrigerators
- consider a refrigerator or freezer alarm to alert if there is a power failure
- a laundry room should have multiple electric outlets
- single outlets can be replaced with a duplex GFCI, but make sure electric supply can handle the load (GFCIs can come with alarms if worried of GFCI tripping)
- freezers and refrigerators need adequate air flow space – do not put inside closets or tight enclosed spaces – vents need to have airflow to prevent overheating and premature failure of compressor
Read the manufacturer’s manual for the freezer, refrigerator, washer, and dryer. There will be strong language indicating that proper use of the appliance will require ample space for heat release, and to not closet or put in tight space.
Can I put a freezer next to a washing machine or dryer?
As long as both the freezer and washing machine or dryer have enough air circulation, they can be placed side by side if there is adequate access to electricity for each appliance.
Refer to a professional electrician to understand the requirements for certain appliances and if they can share the same circuit. Understanding this will affect appliance placement in the home. Electric dryers typically require their own dedicated circuitry.
According to Clove Electric, “any equipment that runs on 220-volt power must have its own circuit. While washer power consumption varies by model, most dryers use about the same amount of energy.”
Where should you put a deep freezer in your house?
Ideally, a deep freezer would be located near or in the kitchen for convenience. Due to space restrictions, freezers can be found in these common locations:
- basement
- garage
- porche
- spare bedroom
- office
- laundry room
- living room
- pantry
If a deep chest freezer is kept in sub-zero temperatures, such as a garage or porch, the chest freezer must meet certain requirements by the freezer manufacturer to perform better under those conditions. Most manufacturers do not cover chest freezer failure when operating under those conditions.
Freezer aesthetics in a laundry room
Some people may not be thrilled to put a freezer in a laundry room because they don’t want a room filled with appliances. Some people may prefer to attempt to hide the freezer.
Laundry rooms tend to be budget rooms where the least amount of money is spent in making it look good. There are not many choices in hiding a freezer that wouldn’t cost money. The only one that comes to mind is when appliances are covered with panels to conceal them, such as the refrigerator and dishwasher. It’s hard to justify that cost in a laundry room, but it is possible.
Attractive upright freezers can be a bit more pleasing to the eye than traditional chest-style freezers. The benefit of having a freezer in the laundry room is that it doesn’t have the pressure of having to match anything like the kitchen appliances do.
Low-cost freezers
Not having to match other appliances is a real plus for the budget conscious shopper. Second-hand freezers, freezers from scratch-and-dent stores, or re-locating an older freezer because a new one is purchased, are opportunities for continued service in laundry rooms, pantries, and other nontraditional freezer locations in your home.
Can you stack a freezer on top of a dryer?
A freezer should not be placed on top of a dryer, as the heat from the dryer can damage the freezer.
AO, a European appliance site, also cautions against stacking a freezer on a dryer, due to heat damage, but seems to be OK with stacking a freezer on top of a washing machine. The European site Electrical Safety First advises against stacking freezer on top of a dryer due to the safety concerns of the vibrations of the washer causing the freezer to fall (or loosen any attachment to walls). Laundry stacking kits and means are certainly available, but the hardware seems to be reserved to stacking washers and dryers.
I have never heard of stacking a freezer on top of a dryer or washer. This seems be a European practice. Logistics to come to mind. The washer or dryer would have to be front loading, otherwise access would be restricted if stacked (really, it would be impossible to access).
The freezer in question could be a special apartment-size or dorm-size freezer or fridge. The discussion becomes more clear when one understands the context of the question.
I am anti-stacking any appliance on top of a washing machine. I have a front loading washing machine that was elevated on a homemade base. Either the base needed additional stability, or the washing machine was not properly level, but over time the violent spinning of the washer caused the electric panel to fail. Those things are not cheap!
Small stackable washer/dryer units are built to perform well in a stacked arrangement. Think twice about putting anything on top of a washer or dryer.
In conclusion
Freezers help homeowners stretch their food budget by buying meat and other foods on sale. Make it part of your food stocking strategy and don’t hesitate to get creative when adding it to your home.
