How to Select the Right Washer & Dryer for Your Laundry Room

November 16, 2023

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We know laundry isn’t the dream chore, but you have to admit it can be kind of therapeutic when you finish several loads of laundry and can check it off your list. No? Just us? Weird! All jokes aside, what we have learned after designing countless laundry rooms over the years (and let’s be honest, doing countless loads of laundry), is that good laundry room design and the right washer and dryer can make this household chore a little less painful.

But where do you even begin? When it comes time to select the right washer and dryer for your laundry room, there are four main types to consider.

  1. Front Loaders: These washers and dryers open from the front and have a lot of great features. Many of them can be stackable, or you can add on features such as pedestals. If you want to have counter space above your washer and dryer, this is a great option for you.
  2. Stackable Units: A stackable unit features a dryer on top of a washer, and these are a great space saving option.
  3. Top Loaders: Top loading washers are accessed from the top of the machine, while their matching dryer counterparts still normally load from the front. Generally, the controls are also on the top of the machine, which prohibits you from putting a countertop over the washer and dryer. Even so, many people prefer top loaders.
  4. All-In-One Units: While not as common, all-in-one units combine both the washer and dryer into one small, compact unit. This is great for small apartments where space is of the essence.

While each have their pros and cons, it’s important to consider what works best not only in your space, but with the way you live. We often find it helpful to be able to see, touch and feel when selecting appliances, so if you’re feeling stuck, we recommend heading over to your local Ferguson Showroom to see what options they have on display. Ferguson has a wonderful selection of home-improvement products, including: trending and traditional styles, unique finishes, and new technologies at competitive prices all in one place. When it came time to select appliances for the #BloomingtonBuild, we ended up selecting both front loaders and a stackable unit from Ferguson, and you can keep reading to find out why!

Front Loading Washer & Dryer in the Main Laundry Room

The main laundry room will be the workhorse of the home, so we knew we wanted a washer and dryer with a large capacity. We ended up selecting LG units, as they are packed full of features and their large capacity meant we could fit more in each load (aka spend less time doing laundry!). Another important factor was to be able to have folding space on top of the washer and dryer, which is why we opted for a front loader without pedestals (had we put pedestals underneath them, the counter would have been too high for us to reach). Pro tip: if you have plenty of counter space, pedestals can be a great option to raise the washer and dryer up higher so you aren’t bending over as far. Plus, you get a little extra storage space.

A lot of front loading washers and dryers come with stacking kits, so keep that in mind as well if you want the option in the future.

Stackable Washer & Dryer in the Pool House

We didn’t have a lot of extra space in the pool house at the #BloomingtonBuild, but including a washer and dryer was a must for all of those beach towels. Because of this, we opted to go with the Single Unit Front Load WashTower from LG for its space saving properties. Unlike a lot of stackable units that are just two large front loaders stacked on top of each other, this is an all-in-one unit. This means it is still able to give you a good capacity, but it does so in a smaller footprint, which is crucial for small spaces.

On top of that, this particular unit has an app that lets you check on your load of laundry and the maintenance of the machine. Plus, there are built-in sensors that use AI technology to customize the wash and dry cycle according to fabric textures and load size. And while some people may be hesitant of the world of AI, we are all for it if it means taking over the job of laundry!

In all seriousness though, we love these washers and dryers because they make doing laundry so much easier and maintaining them worry-free. All of the smart features have us swooning (if that’s even possible over a machine). Working with Ferguson Showrooms throughout the selection process helped us feel confident in the decisions we were making, as we had the opportunity to look at different models in their showroom, and their consultants helped us talk through the pros and cons of each option we were considering.  

Since Ferguson carries such a wide range of products in their showrooms, while we were there shopping for our appliances, we were also able to look at plumbing fixtures and lights, making sure everything we selected for each space would feel cohesive.  If you’re in the midst of building or remodeling, you can book an appointment at your local Ferguson Showroom by clicking here


*This post is sponsored by Ferguson Showrooms, but all opinions are our own*

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