In Germany, many people have them in their kitchens too (mostly when the bathrooms are too small). I do, for example, and some of my friends.

Nope, very normal in kitchens in Denmark, if you live in an older appartment

Nope, not exclusively British. Really depends on the layout of your home. I've got it in the kitchen as well, as most of my friends have too. (Netherlands)

Washing machines in kitchens are also common in Croatia.

When I was staying in an apartment in Switzerland, the washing machine(s) were in a shared laundry room that you only had access to a once a week.

In Sweden a lot of homes have a washing room in the basement (well.. here in the country side. Haven't lived in a city)

depends of the size of your renting. my washing machine is in the garage, since i had to make room for the plates cleaner (western Europe)

Or Spanish. When I came back from Italy after living there ten years I moved mine to the bathroom.

Very typical in small apartments throughout Europe, such as Germany and Denmark. Often the washer is also a washer/dryer combo like the one I have in my apartment in Copenhagen.

Both for the same reason : water.... Easier to just add a water outlet to an existing circuit than to plan out a new one. Most of our house are made of brick or concrete so drilling through it to pass a tube is a nightmare...

When my family moved in the apartment I currently live in, the washing machine was in the kitchen. And I don't live in the UK.

That makes so much more sense! As a British person who loves time saving I'm totally going to move mine. Doing the plumbing and electric work would save all the moving clothes around time long term. Thanks for the tip!

Where I am, the washer/dryer will end up anywhere it can be hooked up, kitchen, bathroom, middle of the living room.....

In Portugal most people have theirs in the kitchen too

I've had a washing machine in my kitchen in two appartements I used to live in. So a Dutch thing too! (Although, mainly for older and smaller appartements. We have to cram that baby in somewhere)

No clue why @Mis Stake and @lenka have so many down votes for just posting a comment reflecting their personal experience. Everyone else gets to say what they want so I'm very curious about the down vote dog pile. Its very rude and unnecessary, unless I missed something??

I was lucky, in my old house there was a little storage room kinda thing they fit in. now I've moved it has to go in the kitchen though. e_e and its so damn loud when it's in there because my kitchen has wooden flooring... wish I still had that little storage room xD

yeah only seen this in my British family's homes

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Yep. Distinctly british thing. Everyone I know (europe) has a laundry.

Oh, I accidentally deleted this. This is not true in Finland.

South Africa too. It's the standard place for it.

Not really, a few countries have similar set ups. Might be more common to be elsewhere but it does also make sense - washing goes outside to dry so it's quite handy. Though I do have a utility room.. I'm looking to downsize and most of the smaller houses I'm looking at have utility rooms as well so it's not unusual these days in the UK. It's a common renovation feature too.

Why 'ew'? The washing only goes from a laundry basket straight into the washing machine and then back out and off to different location to dry - a clothes horse or often the garden - and most people aren't down in coal mines and coming home filthy. What on earth do you think people are doing that warrants 'ew'? You do realise that the kitchen is also one of the easiest places to clean? That there is no one getting sick from having a washing machine in a kitchen. It makes a lot of sense to have a washing machine a) near a water source and b) near a door to the garden so you can dry your washing naturally.