I would definitely keep it down stairs.

i would keep it downstairs. If it does leak, better to leak through one floor, than down through `the second on to the first and then through the first floor too. Mine is on first floor. I wish I had a basement, because, it is the best place for a washer. My last two houses have not had basements and the one in the last house had a valve go in back of the washer and the water wouldnt shut off, and before I realised it, I had a flooded laundry room, and a flooded hallway, and a flooded bathroom.

I had my washer and dryer upstairs for the 8 years I owned my home.! Never a problem!! Our Knees were calling for a solution and this was perfect!

I have a first floor laundry off the kitchen but my sister had her laundry in a closet in the hallway to her bedrooms. To me that would be ideal. Have had laundry in the basement and hope to never have it there again.....too much going up and down steps with laundry baskets.

A friend has a house with laundry room on the 2nd floor. I was there once when she was running a load. The noise coming through to the 1st floor when the washer runs was much more than I expected.

I think before you consider a second floor laundry room figure out your budget. To do it right is not inexpensive.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Front or top loader?
• Does the floor need reinforcement?
• How much space do you want for a second floor laundry-closet vs. room?
• Proper plumbing and waterproofing?
• Drain in the floor?
• Noise?

I live in a condo apartment building on the 4th floor and have a tiny laundry closet with no drain in the floor and no water proofing or sound proofing. I added electronic water valves and water alarm with auto shut off. I never leave the washer running or the valve open if I am not home. My machine is in the living space and I do just fine with noise etc. I fold clothes as I remove from the dryer (never use a table to fold) and put away immediately. It makes for a neat home and no lugging large baskets around. I love my laundry set up.

I love my main floor laundry I can do laundry while doing something else and not have to run upstairs or down to load dryer

In two of my previous houses I've had it upstairs without a problem and loved it. In this house, I have a closet which works but I'd prefer a room - it isn't possible, so I make do - but it's one level so no running up and down stairs.

We installed an upstairs laundry in our condo and loved it,

I have first floor laundry and prefer it. I like being able to switch loads easily while going about my regular housework, most of which is done on the first floor. And I hang laundry whenever the weather cooperates so access to outdoors is a must. Plus, with kids in the house extremely dirty laundry is generated *everywhere* so it's easier to strip off a disgusting shirt or muddy socks and pop them in the wash as soon as the mess hits the mudroom floor. And my master bedroom is on the first floor, though Husband and I only create about 1/10 the laundry in our house!

BUT if those issues weren't factors and if I could properly sound and vibration and leak proof the second floor, I would prefer the laundry near my bedroom/bath. It's one of those things that are just highly subjective I think.

If you can afford it, put the laundry where you undress! What the point in lugging baskets of clothing up and down stairs?

Leaks? Properly installed, the washer will sit in a drain pan and be no more likely to cause problems than a second floor bathroom.

Anyone think it is excessive to have both? We have a first floor laundry room now and space/hook ups for a small stacked pair on the second floor.

If you do put it up stairs make it a wet room. Which means treat the laundry room as you would a shower. Put a drain in the floor and water proof the walls. If a hose breaks it can spray water all over the room just not into a pan.

"Marion Harris: There is a pan under the washing machine."

Pans tend to be false security unless they're plumbed to a drain. Every leak situation may not be a simple drip. How many gallons of water does the pan hold? An old-style toploader takes 20+ gallons for a full fill. New-style HE toploaders and frontloaders can be 5+ gals for a large load of absorbent items such as towels.

I'm all one floor. My laundry room is off the kitchen and I love it, its small but works. My kitchen floor often becomes my sorting ground. Lol. I did have a basement laundry in a past home..hated it. I was lugging baby on one hip basket on the other. Even if I had a second floor I'd want my laundry on the first.

dadoes: "Pans tend to be false security unless they're plumbed to a drain."

Pans plumbed to a drain are required by code.

Just moved from a house with 2nd floor laundry to one with main floor, both has pros and cons but upstairs laundry rooms almost always share a wall with a bedroom and with young kids with nap times and early bed times, it really became a pain limiting wash time.

Moved ours upstairs and love the convenience. That's where the dirty clothes are!

Put the laundry where you spend most of your time.

I spend the majority of my time on the main level. I also add Downy during the rinse cycle!! I know....I'm a dinosaur!!

I like having the flexibility of doing my laundry the way I like it done...adding Downy, extra rinse cycle etc. So it makes sense for me to have my laundry on the main floor.

I have laundry on main floor and in basement. I like both. Concrete floor is best install. My machine called for a load bearing wall to be used for the machine setup. I know many have heard me toot my horn about this. The vibrations of a joist/floor system that isn't at a load bearing wall would be like putting the machine on a trampoline. That might be why Dados' friend's machine was so loud. I have my main floor set up along a load bearing wall, at the end of the joist. Otherwise I think it is advised to block the joist as @hcbm points to in the second bullet point they posted.

Can you keep both laundry setups, one at the kitchen area and a new setup up stairs.

Make sure you have shut off valves and keep them shut off if not using the machines. there are automatic shut off valves if there is water sensed under the washer, I believe, but I've not researched them.

If the master bedroom is upstairs, then OK, I would prefer it (and the master bedroom) on the main floor for convenience during the day and to allow aging in place.

We did have a leak upstairs, but your washer could have a what's it called: drain pan... but covers only some leaking ?

I have a real life horror story. (Ok, maybe HORROR is a strong word. No one died. Ha ha. But it was a huge PITA....)

I have my washer/dryer in the cellar. Cement floor with good floor drains, thank goodness.

I was upstairs in my house, while doing a load of laundry. I was busy doing other things and didn't go down to transfer the load into the dryer for maybe an hour or so. It was no more than 90 minutes anyway.

Imagine my horror when I walked down my cellar stairs and saw a massive pool of water. It covered the entire basement floor and was about an inch deep. There were things FLOATING in my basement. All of a sudden I had an in-door swimming pool!

One of the hoses to the washing machine broke. It had been spewing a lot of water that whole time There is no way a drain pan would have been of any use given how much water was involved.

Fortunately it was "just" a concrete basement floor. We pushed a lot of water down the floor drains, set up fans, and ended up running a dehumidifier for days.

I have another friend who had a washer leak on her first floor and the amount of damage was unbelievable to me. They had to replace floors and subfloors, and were on an crawl space so also had to replace a lot of insulation underneath their floors.

Lesson learned.

I built a new house and put the washer/dryer in the cellar again. I have dedicated space on my first floor so that if I ever become unable to carry laundry down the stairs, and/or sell my home to someone else, we do have space on the first floor for laundry. But unless I'm forced to move that washing machine it's staying in the cellar where any future water issues won't wreck my nice hardwood floors.

We all make cost/benefit analyses differently and we all find carrying laundry up or down stairs different levels of annoying (or impossible, depending upon one's health). But for me, I'm calling it good exercise and keeping potential water issues to a minimum.