What to Do With Old Washing Machine

What to Do With Old Washing Machine?

Long before civilization, human beings had unique approaches to different things life threw at them. This way, we could tackle things even without machines and this pushed us to be more creative as we continued to find new ways to solve problems and make life easier and more convenient. The birth of technology ushered in a new era that has extended to the 21st century which we’ve found ourselves now.

Out of the creative minds of some set of people and the hard work they’ve invested in seeing those creative ideas come to life, we’ve been blessed with some of the best machines and appliances of our era. All the appliances we enjoy today were ideas that were developed and duly worked on to make them what we all see today, so it’s safe to say we’re enjoying the innovations of the heroes in the appliance industry. The washing machine is one of those ground-breaking inventions that have changed the world over the past decades, and the fact that over 85% of the households in the United States own a washer only shows how much the machine is appreciated in the country and the rest of the world.

Every appliance has a life cycle and usually towards the end of that cycle, you’ll begin to get some signs that indicate the end of the appliance is drawing near and plans need to be put in place to replace it. This way, you have all the time in the world to do your homework of choosing the perfect replacement for the appliance, although it may be hard because we all share some bond with anything we’ve been using for a long time, it doesn’t matter if it’s lifeless. Some of us, instead of trashing these machines, always have new things to do with them because we never want to let them out of our sight due to the bond we’ve formed with them over the years.

Even logically, there are always new things you can do with whatever you’re about to trash as long as you awaken the creativity and genius in you. Out of the fear of spending a lot of money to haul large appliances (washing machines especially) away, some people are forced to think of things to recycle washing machines. Getting creative and putting these old washers, irons, ironing boards, and other machines to good use and giving them a second chance will be the best decision you’ll ever make as far as recycling old machines is concerned.

Recycling washer and dryer is not something you just wake up and decide to do because that’s how you feel then. You’ll need to consider the outcome properly before you take the step because, most of the time, people end up wasting both resources and money trying to get rid of these machines only to later see how they could have done things differently and how these machines could have been put to good use. If you’re going to take the bold step by holding on to the machine and getting the best out of it, you need to know how to dispose of old washing machines to give you the most creative ideas you can work with.

The weird thing about washing machines is that you never realize how much convenience and comfort you’ve been enjoying until you begin to see the signs that they’re approaching the end of their life cycle. “You never know how valuable what you have is until you lose it”, this is a common saying, and it works just like that in the washing machine world, only that you don’t have to entirely lose the washer before you start missing its efficiency. According to Treehugger, washing machines are popular for being powerful workhorses that rarely get the credit for the good job they do until they begin to falter and eventually die.

When a washer begins to approach the end of its life cycle, you will begin to spend a lot of money on repairs and maintenance routines. Once you begin to do this, you should be ready to cut your losses (if there’s even anything like that because you must have gotten the value for every penny spent on it) and begin to put new plans in place to replace the washer. At this stage, it will be unfit for repair, making it almost impossible to resell at a reasonable price.

You don’t have to be stubborn to let go, although it can be very hard to be losing something you dearly cherish and have cared for. You’ll only realize that even the best maintenance practices won’t help you keep the washer in shape, so knowing what to do with a broken washing machine will come in handy a lot. If you don’t do some quick thinking at this point, you’ll not only be wasting your money on maintenance and repairs but also electricity because the washing will be struggling to be efficient, which will make it consume a lot of power in the process.

According to The Spruce, having an old washer is “a treasure trove of parts”, so you might want to think twice before tossing it away or giving it up. If you’re an art person, you’ll always see the good in every part of the washer after disassembling it, which is what we’ll be discussing in this article. All it needs is for you to look at these parts with your creative eye and you can get the best out of your old washing machine.

If you’ve always wanted to know what to do with old washer and dryer, then this is the right piece to go through. Below are some of the best creative ideas on what to do with old washing machines.

Old Washing Machine Recycle

Old is gold, but the same thing can’t be said of home appliances, especially when they are almost at the end of their life cycles when they consume a lot of power and money due to people having to do constant repairs and maintenance. Once you realize the washer is taking a lot from you more than it’s giving, you should know it is time to get a replacement, which has to be properly selected because you’re looking at another long-term operation – at least that’s what you should expect. Letting go of your old washer can be hard, but rather than putting it up for disposal, you can turn the situation around and turn the machine into something you can still find helpful around the house by utilizing its parts.

Is your old washing machine nearing the end of its life cycle and do you need the best options to choose the perfect replacement from? Check here to explore the best LG and Samsung washing machines.

Rather than letting the manufacturer pick your washer up when they’re bringing a new one, there’s a lot you can do with the old washing machine parts, especially the washer drum, which can be turned into a lot of things. Having these parts repurposed into everyday household items is a great way to put your old washer to good use. Some of the things you can turn the drum into planters, stools, fire pits, pendant lamps, and many more, but let’s explore some of them below.

Planters

If you have different garden or patio ideas you want to bring to life but are limited on resources, you can put that old washer drum to good use by turning it into a planter. It may seem like an odd choice, but as soon as you paint it to your favorite paint color and you imagine how great your plants will look in it, it’s only a matter of time before you realize how good of a choice you’re making. The good thing about turning your washing machine drum into a planter is that it’s probably going to be larger than every other planter you have in the garden, which means it can accommodate as many plants as possible to add more beauty to your already beautiful garden.

Cycle length of washing machines in 2014, by region

Washing machine usage has grown worldwide because people are beginning to realize just how important these efficient machines are and how much convenient they can bring to their homes. Top countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the United States have all produced the best washing machine brands in the world today. The chart above shows the cycle length of washing machines in 2014 by region which includes Europe, North America, and Japan.

The chart was made using the information provided by the Statista Research Department. In 2014, the cycle length in Europe stood at 90 minutes while the main wash cycle was recorded at 40 minutes. Things were not like that in the United States as the country recorded an average of 35 minutes cycle length and 12 minutes for the main wash cycle. For Japan, the cycle length stood at 60 minutes while the main wash cycle stood at 11 minutes. From this information, we can see that the United States recorded the shortest cycle length in 2014, coming second on the chart for the main wash cycle, just behind Japan.

It’ll be your choice to paint it, but most people do and they always love what they get at the end of the process. Always ensure you set the drum on a brick base to have enough strength for your soil and compost to rest on. You can also add packing peanuts or vermiculite to the bottom of the washing machine drum to help make it light enough to live. Since the drum has holes all around it, it means you already have draining holes, so all you need to do is add some plants to complete your mission.

Planters

Fire Pit

If anyone had predicted a washing machine drum could be turned into an effective and beautiful fire pit years ago, we would have doubted the prediction because most people believe technology has nothing to do with nature, but here we are. The metal drum in your washing machine can be used to bring many creative ideas to life, and one of the best ways to put it to good use is by turning it into a fire pit. Thanks to how the metal drum is structured, the fire can stay be perfectly contained in the drum, and if you have a large one, you can get it to hold as many woods as possible to keep creating that warming fire during that cold winter season.

This is one of the brightest ideas as far as repurposing your washer into everyday items around the house. A washing machine drum is perfect for a fire pit because it has built-in holes that will help create great airflow, so whenever you put a fire up, it’ll burn very brightly and quickly. When it’s time to also empty the ashes, the fact that the drum is lightweight will give you the chance to move it around easily, especially when you’re traveling or you’re around a camping site.

Fire Pit

Plywood Chair

Another thing you can turn your old washing machine drum into is a beautiful piece of furniture. The best thing about having old washing machine parts available to you is that you can be as expressive as you want because you get to decide what to do with them and how you want them in your space. You can add plywood to the bottom and top of the drum to create a sturdy chair for your living room or bedroom. You can choose whatever pattern you want and stick with it as long as it resonates with what you have in mind for your living space.

You can even make the chair something you’ll have on your patio or in your treehouse, depending on the pattern you’ve created for your house or the kind of setting you’ve adopted. At the end of the day, the idea is to resourcefully salvage your washing machine parts into something new and fresh. The thought of creating something out of nothing should also inspire you to be very creative, which can be making it as simple as it can possibly be.

Plywood Chair

Use the other parts for other projects

If you’re ambitious or you have kids that are heads-over-heels about engineering-related projects, you can inspire them to fuel their passion by giving them free access to the old washing machine parts for them to use. You can turn the transparent glass door of the old washer into a porthole window or a multifunctional cool bowl that can be used for many things. The motor can be used to power something else as long as it’s still functional. If it’s not, you can just add more magnets and make it a generator for a wind power project.

If you want to try something more different from the norm, use the water pump with the simple monopole motors in it, add more magnets, and turn them into a generator, although they can cog a bit – the long is to experiment and get results. The metal case can also be a great source of sheet metal for whatever project you might want to bring to life. All the nuts, pipe clips, bolts, screws, and brackets can be stored in a box; you might just need any of them when you want to make a repair in your new washer.

Chicken Plucker

If you own a farm and you dream of raising chickens for personal consumption or commercial reasons, one of the best ways to save yourself a lot of money is making homemade chicken pluckers rather than investing a lot of money in the automatic ones. Most folks who own a farm often opt for homemade chicken pluckers because they’re cost-effective, and although they can be very tedious to make, knowing how much they can save always gets people through the process. Old washing machines come in handy when you’re in the large-scale chicken dressing business because they have large capacities.

Although the process is always very daunting, most people don’t mind going through it because they know just how much they’ll be saving to get what they would have only been able to get with a lot of money. Washing machine-inspired pluckers are always perfect for geese, chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Opting for a washing machine-made chicken plucker will not only save you a lot of money but also time and give you more capacity to go bigger with your chicken dressing business.

Chicken Plucker Old washing machine

Drum Light

In the world that we live in now, it’s hard to find new inventions, but people have still been able to make new things out of the existing innovations that have been around for many years. When Helsinki-based, Dutch designer, Willem Heefer invented these washing machine drum lights, people didn’t realize how much work he put into bringing these wonderful ideas to life. Today, these washing machine drum lights are sold for hundreds of dollars, but why should you invest in it when you can make one out of your old washing machine drum

There’s this special feeling you get from creating something unique from old materials that have been discarded or thought couldn’t be used for something worthwhile any longer. If you have a large-capacity drum, you can work your way around it, cut it into smaller pieces, and make several washing machine drum lights out of them rather than having a big drum light hanging over your room. You can even start your own business out of this by making commercial washing machine drum lights that would be perfect for commercial spaces like hair studios and restaurants.

making Drum Light with old washing machine

Washing machine drum storage

Organizing your kitchen or any part of your house can be very hard, especially when you’re low on space but you still need to create enough space for your things to be fitted. You can make storage space from your washing machine drum, especially when it’s a large one and you have the option to break it down into several storage options so there can be enough space to put your things. The good thing about converting your washing machine drum into a storage option is that you get to decide where it’s placed in the house and you can move it whenever you want.

Check out this article for the best kitchen organization ideas you can find on the internet today!

If you’ve ever regretted not having enough space for your household items in the house, you’ll know the importance of having some extra space, even if it means getting creative to make some space. Instead of putting that old washing machine away, or even paying some extra haul fee to have it thrown away (this depends on your location), you can turn it into something that will be very helpful around the house, such as making some extra storage space out of it. Making some extra space from your large washing machine drum is a great way to put that old washer to good use.

making Washing machine drum storage with old washing machine

Log store

You can also redesign your washing machine drum such that it can serve as a log store where you can keep logs for fire during that cold winter season. The log store is usually perfect when the metal drum is large as you can include short but fat bath taps to add to make the log store multifunctional. Rather than not being able to collect logs for fire due to lack of a proper storage option, you can remodel that old washing machine drum to serve as an ideal storage option for your logs so you can have a proper place to keep them.

making Log store with old washing machine

Nightstand

Knowing that you can make helpful household items from old appliances, especially the washing machine, is always fantastic. You can make a nightstand from your washing machine drum where you can place your table lamp and other materials very close to your bed. You don’t have to worry about ventilation for the stand because the built-in holes in the washing machine will take in enough fresh air, so even if you put air freshener in the room, it’ll spread thoroughly throughout the room.

To make the stand mobile, you can add four wheels to each side of the drum, depending on the shape you decide to adopt for it. The whole nightstand idea is fantastic if you can get it right because a single move can destroy the whole concept and the material won’t be perfect for remodeling again, so you have to be very careful when you’re working on bringing this idea to life. It’s one of the most amazing washing machine repurposing ideas, but you can have to take some extra cautions to ensure that everything stays in shape at the end of the process.

make Nightstand by using old washing machine

Pet House

Having pets in the house is one of the best things humans can do to give themselves perfect companionship because pets make great companions, especially cats and dogs, two of the most popular pets in the world today. One of the best ways to care for your pets is to ensure that they get a good place to sleep and rest, and that will also ensure that you mostly won’t get your space messed up because the pets already have where to stay. Getting a perfect pet house for your pet house should not be far-fetched as you can make one out of your old washing machine drum.

The freedom to always choose the design you want and customize the washing machine drum to what you think will be perfect for your house and also your pets is one of the best reasons this is an ideal choice compared to purchasing a ready-made pet house. The best part of trying this method is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money trying to put these things together.

make Pet House by using old washing machine

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who takes old washer and dryer?

Once you realize your washing machine is nearing the end of its lifecycle, depending on the deal you had with your dealer when you purchased the washer when it was new, you may have the old washer picked up by the dealer so you won’t have to pay the full amount for the new one you’re looking to get.

2. How do you recycle washer and dryer for money?

There are different ways to recycle your washer and dryer for money. The most proven way is to disassemble the washing machine and dryer parts and sell them to washing machine technicians that will need them to repair other washing machines. If you don’t want to do this, you can start using the washer and dryer parts for some creative designs that you can sell for a lot of money.

Conclusion

As much as the washing machine is one of the key appliances in the house, the machine, like other household appliances, has a life cycle that must come to an end, which means that there’s a time the washing machine will stop functioning. It may be hard to take in because people bond with appliances over time and get used to how they function, just like pets and humans. The best way to prepare for this period is to make sure you have an ideal replacement in place as well as some creative ideas to still keep your washing machine around, albeit, it may not be how you’ve always wanted it. In this article, we’ve discussed the 10 best ideas you can adopt to put your washing machine to good use rather than having it thrown away.

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