Tumble dryer operating gadgets
Some adaptations to allow a tumble dryer sat on top of a kitchen worktop to be loaded and controlled by a client who is a wheelchair user.
The Challenge
Our client has a small kitchen, and a tumble dryer located on top of a worktop above his washing machine in one corner. This meant the dryer controls were at a height of over 5ft from the floor. Our client had to rely on his carers to operate the dryer for him and he had no means of turning it off if he then left the house once his carers had gone. Furthermore, if the carers set off a wash, our client was unable to transfer the clothing from washer to dryer when the wash had completed – until the next carer visit.
The control panel incorporating the on/off switch was a flush surface so there was nothing to get a grabber stick onto. Both appliances were in serviceable condition so switching to a combined washer/dryer was considered a wasteful option until such time as normal replacement became necessary.
The solution
1. REMAP made an on/off switch actuator to allow our client to turn the dryer on/off with a grabber stick. This simple hinged device was attached to the top of the machine using industrial strength stick-on Velcro. A domed stick-on rubber “foot” was positioned in the correct place on the underside of the actuator to press the start/stop button like a finger without damaging it. Other controls and indicators on the panel are still visible and accessible, though not particularly necessary.
CAD – Cardboard Aided Design!
The actuator in place and being tested by our client.
2. We added large rubber O rings onto the rotary control and secured them with handlebar grip adhesive which can be removed relatively easily if needed. The soft O rings gave extra grip to allow the control to be turned using a grabber stick from wheelchair level too. The indicator line on the rotary control was also painted black to make it more visible from wheelchair level.
3. This model of dryer does not have a reversible door. A neighbour had previously drilled the dryer door and inserted a small screw-in metal loop of the type used to hang net curtains to allow our client to pull the door open with the aid of a black cable tie and our client’s grabber stick. This worked OK but was likely to pull out or snap in due course as the door requires a firm pull to open – and that is often from an angle due to the dryer being in the corner. A secondhand door was spotted cheap on ebay and bearing in mind the existing door had already been drilled, we elected to make a stronger permanent modification to it, to take a webbing strap – and the tail end of that sat on a removable 3M Command hook so it was in easy reach. The secondhand door was provided to the client as a spare in case the machine is ever sold on, so it can be returned to a completely unmodified state, the same as the other two REMAP modifications.
Photo showing the original black cable strap.
The new webbing strap and hook.
The benefit
As a result, by carefully positioning his powered chair, our client was able to open the washer door, remove items with a grabber stick, open the dryer door and transfer items in, and then set the dryer going (and if necessary stop it) completely independently.
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