Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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The Pros & Cons Of Front Loading Washers And Top Loading Washing Machines

Well, our new washer and dryer have arrived! And we promised to share how the installation went, what we did with the floors under them, and how we like them so far (that’s where things really get interesting). We realized a few days ago that we’ve had a whole bunch of different laundry situations. In our first house we had front loaders with a counter…

Final Laundry Nook After

In our second house we had stacked front loaders with cubbies next to them…

Laundry Progress

… and in this house we’ve had top loaders with cabinetry above them. Here are the new guys sitting pretty (although not quite as pretty as the others since we haven’t tackled the rest of this nook yet).

Laundry After

Honestly, each of these setups have had pros and cons:

  • We loved having a counter over our first house’s front loaders, but it usually ended up cluttered with stuff (it became sort of a dump-this-here-until-we-deal-with-it-later zone). And this setup required the most bending, which wasn’t that bad at the time, but now that we’ve had top loaders a while, we definitely can appreciate less of that.
  • Our stacked loaders were nice because we had cubbies for storing everything we needed, which didn’t tend to get cluttered like the counter (there just wasn’t space to drop grocery bags, returns, and other random items there). There was still a fair amount of bending and lifting when it came to doing laundry, but again – at the time it was just fine, and we really only realized how nice top loaders were once we moved here.
  • The obvious con to top loaders is that there’s no place for a counter, which we did really like having, but we still have the top of the dryer to work with (we can put the laundry basket there for example – or lay things out to air dry). The cabinets might be our favorite storage solution (as compared to open cubbies or pull-up blinds) just because everything is tucked out of view but still really easy-access.

*Note: We got some questions on Friday’s post about why we don’t bring our appliances with us when we move. It seems to be one of those regional things. Here people tend to leave them, but it’s not like you leave nice ones without getting anything in return for them – it’s just factored into the listing price here (a seller can command a higher asking price by saying “there are new top of the line appliances” which obviously add a lot of appeal/value).

But now onto our new washer and dryer! When it came to delivery, the guys were really nice, although I did realize about half-way through it that I needed to lay down a dropcloth to protect the runner, even though they wore those nice little shoe-booties (the runner was getting dripped on by the old appliances as they came down – but it was thankfully nothing I couldn’t just wipe down to remove). With the booties/dropcloth combo it looks like a slip-n-slide situation (I begged them to take off their booties because I was afraid they’d fall) but thankfully they went slow and steady and all was fine. Turns out I’m just a worry wart.

Laundry Men Moving Up Stairs

You might remember that we couldn’t wait to get the old appliances up and out of there so we could finally replace the old pan under the washer and remove the remaining carpet scraps that were sitting under the dryer.

Laundry Clara Before

We decided that laying down some thick 3/4″ plywood (which is the same depth as our hardwoods) would be a nice way to give that particle-board subflooring a more finished look – especially since we could stain it to match the floors so well (we used one coat of Dark Walnut followed by three coats of SafeCoat Acrylacq to seal them). We actually added plywood under our last washer and dryer (more on that here) since we heard it was easier on them to have reinforced flooring (something about them lasting longer) so we’re hoping it gives these a leg-up.

As soon as the guys carried our old appliances downstairs we ran up into the laundry nook for a quick floor presto-change-o, which we did in a blind panic because we knew it would only take them a few minutes to get the old ones downstairs and the new ones upstairs. First we had to remove the old carpeting, which was more secure than we expected (John actually had to scrape up the staples in a mad-dash after we yanked up the carpet and underlayment). Look at him go:

Laundry John Scraping

Then we had to get the boards down. Here’s the first one going in. We had pre-measured them and stained/sealed them beforehand so they were all ready to slide into place when the appliances came up.

Laundry One Plywood Down

The second one went right in after the first, but there’s still a small gap that we have to fill where the molding jutted out too far for us to get a flush result. We hope it’ll look nice and complete once we slide that missing piece in (we’re just going to cut one more slice of plywood and stain it to match). Wish we had time to prime and paint that blue trim hiding in the nook while the old washers were out, but it might have to wait for a rainy day…

Laundry Floor Close UP

When you step a little further back, you can hardly tell it’s not the same hardwood flooring running under those appliances (we didn’t photoshop the crack out of this pic, it’s just barely noticeable from this distance). And we’re really happy with how well the color matches. We also plan to add some nice white folding doors (there were some blue ones hanging there originally) so that’s another reason we thought the subtle flooring change should work really well.

Laundry After

As for leak protection, since these guys are on the second floor (and we REALLY REALLY don’t want them to cause damage to anything below them, we were sure to place the washer in a plastic water-catching basin and also upgraded to those nicer reinforced steel water lines instead of the plastic ones.

The crazy thing is that during installation there was actually a small leak where it was attached to our water line, but we caught it while the installer was still here, and he ducked back there and fixed it by tightening things a little. The lesson? Check those lines!

Laundry After Ironing Board

So now onto the fun stuff: how we like our new washer and dryer! Well, we LOVE the dryer so far. It has been quieter, has a much larger capacity, doesn’t shrink things nearly as much as our older one did (that one practically “burned” things and this one has a heat sensor so it doesn’t over-dry). I also love the charming little chime sound it makes when it’s done (which can still be silenced, but it’s so much better than the loud buzz that our old one made).

We also really like the digital setup of the washer and the dryer. It’s easy to see things, like how long each cycle still has left.

Laundry Dial Detail

The washer’s capacity is also really awesome. It fits a lot more than any of our previous models (especially the old one we were replacing).

Laundry No Middle Agitator

And now for the womp-womp. Remember how I worried that bad things happen in threes? Well, our new washer is broken. I’ll pause for effect, as I quietly weep into my dirty laundry pile. The installation just included starting it to make sure there were no leaks when it filled up, but they didn’t stay to watch it run a full cycle (which is completely understandable… that would be close to an hour of washer-watching time).

So imagine our surprise when we ran our first real load of laundry well after they had pulled out of our driveway and heard a crazy-loud grinding sound during the wash cycle (whenever the agitator is moving, there’s this jarring metal-against-metal sound). You can hear it all the way from downstairs with the TV or radio blaring.

I woefully called Home Depot to tell them we already had a problem and they told us to call Maytag, who told us they could get a tech out in seven days. Ack! A full week without a working washer after buying a new one and expecting it to run without issue? I sweetly asked if they could get that service call moved up a bit since we were expecting a working machine upon delivery (our laundry had built-up a bunch already, so the prospect of another seven days of waiting stunk) and they said we could call Home Depot and see if they could do anything. I explained that I called them first, but would try one more time.

Well, when HD heard it was going to be a week until Maytag could make a service call (which might not even fix things, it might just diagnose that I needed a new machine, which then had to be ordered) – I could feel them trying to work something out for me, which I really appreciated. They had mercy on my sweet laundry-missing soul and agreed to take back the first one and deliver a new one on Thursday.

I’m really happy with Home Depot’s customer service (I’m sure it’s a lot easier for them to just say “call Maytag, it’s a mechanical issue that they’re supposed to handle) and I have to be honest that I wish Maytag had been able to come out for a service call within 48 hours or so, which is what I expected when my brain reached that “oh snap, our brand new washer is broken” moment.

So that’s where we are. Still sleepless in Seattle washerless in Richmond, but we love our dryer and the new flooring under it. And here’s hoping that by Thursday I’ll be whistling while I work that new washer. I’ve never looked forward to doing laundry this much in my life! Have you guys had any unexpected delivery or new-appliance issues? We’re happier than ever that ours have a one-year warranty given this little curve-ball, but we hope this third house snafu means we have all of our bad luck out of the way for a while…

*************************************

Sidenote: We’d love to see you guys this weekend at the Richmond Home & Garden Show! We’re speaking at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday (with a book signing following Saturday’s talk). You can get half-price tickets online right here. Oh and they gave us the shock of our life when we were driving down the highway and saw our giant faces on a billboard.

Billboard Ahhhhh

Seriously, we screamed so loud it probably scared other drivers. It’s exciting, unbelievable, and terrifying to see your own mug that big.

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    Totally off the subject, but do you not have your blog roll any longer? I loved clicking on your links to check out your favorite blogs. I’m also not able to get your family blog any longer. is that just a hiccup?
    thanks,
    Kathy

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Weird about our family blog! Anyone else having that issue? There’s a link to that right under the header on the right (it says “Family Blog”) so maybe that helps? We used to have a link on the sidebar too, but we thought two links was a little repetitive. As for the blogroll, so sorry! We clicked a button to turn it off last week (we’ve received a few complaints about it not being updated, linking to blogs that were inactive or that people didn’t like, etc). It has always been a challenge to keep that current, so we just disabled it for the time being. We noticed a lot of other blogs seem to have been phasing them out as well, so we’ll have to see where we end up :)

      xo
      s

  2. Jen says

    Just Curious – what are you hiding behind those cabinets in the laundry closet that need both a cabinet door and a closet door to hide behind? Just seemed funny to me that team ‘open shelving’ for the kitchen noted how ‘easy access’ the cabinetry was in the laundry closet. Made it seem like a little vault with double protection for a room on a floor that is presumably only frequented by the immediate family. I’m all for working with what you got, (goodness knows I’d kill for some functional storage near my washer and dryer) but the wording struck me as curious.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So funny! I just think our kitchen stuff is 100% prettier than our laundry stuff! So hiding Seventh Generation laundry detergent bottles in baskets and bins that were out in the cubbies of our old house felt a little more complicated than flipping open a door and tossing them in (which we get to do here). Meanwhile in the kitchen on our open shelves we have pretty white plates, blue and green glass cups, etc – so it’s a lot nicer looking out-in-the-open stuff than laundry detergent, a big ol’ plastic bottle of vinegar, and a carton of oxyclean along with an iron with a never-stays-wrapped cord! Haha!

      xo
      s

  3. Ashley says

    We had that happen! We bought Speed Queen brand! Makers of laundry mat washers/dryers and absolutely LOVE them!! But upon delivery, ours made that same horrid noise and thankfully it was just a shipping bolt they forgot to take out from with in the machine! Shew! So happy ours was an easy fix!!

    Reply

  4. Amy @ a new old house says

    Our washer broke last week- stopped spinning, so had a ton of heavy wet clothes to ring out by hand!

    We tried to DIY it, but the part was too costly to be worth it. The new one arrived today- my first front-loader!
    Now I’m super anxious to get home and run it through a cycle to make sure it’s working!

    Reply

  5. Kininya Girl says

    One thing to think about with the washer being on the 2nd floor is that even though you have the pan under it, you can still have a major flood. You should check out the Intelliflow or a similar brand. It is a monitor that has a sensor that lays on the floor and if it senses water it will shut off the water. The device attaches to the water pipes, not hoses. So it can prevent a flood should your hoses also burst. I am in no way affiliated with the company- just a property owner who has a washer/dryer on the 3rd floor of my home.

    Reply

  6. Rachel K says

    Oh my goodness, you poor things!! I completely sympathize because during Christmas we stayed with my In-laws for a week and they lost power the day we got there! We had to do laundry 1/2 hour away at a relatives house, all while traveling with a new baby. I hope everything works out with your new washer and I love the flooring you put down underneath, very clever and it looks great.

    Reply

  7. Robin says

    Funny how our lives keep being parallel. We had an issue with our very old dryer that came with our house that we bought about the same time as you did yours. Since we were expecting to buy new machines anyway (just not quite that soon), we went ahead and got the whole set rather than replacing just one piece. And lo and behold, we narrowed it down to the exact same ones you just got! Sorry you had issues with the first washer. But once you get your new washer and assuming it works this time, you’ll LOVE it!!! So happy with ours!

    Reply

  8. Amy says

    Here’s hoping your washer is in top working order on Thursay! When I got home from hospital in late 2012 after having a baby, I came home to my stove not working. Went shopping, ordered new one, waited a few days, and when it was delivered they tested, and didn’t work! So they took it away right then and there and we thought we’d have to order another one, and wait, again. But they were smart and tested it back at the store, and said everything worked there. So brought it back a day or two later and tried again – turns out it was our electrical, had to have electrician out, but luckily it was fast and pretty simple. Anyway, at least I had a good couple weeks of not having to cook after having baby! Lots of take-out, worked for me! Store was great to work with- small local chain in Michigan called Sargent Appliance.

    Reply

  9. Taylor C. says

    I’m glad they are making it right! My husband and I had to purchase all new appliances for our new home when we moved in November. Like you all, we figured it was better to spend the money on what we wanted for the long term, rather than getting “quick fix” appliances. Side note: our home only came with an old oven and dishwasher, so we went ahead and got all of them. So, we shopped around and did a LOT of research. We got everything we wanted, including the red LG washer & dryer with the pedestals that we just refused to compromise on. We ran into a few issues with all of our appliances, but most of it was due to the age of our home. The biggest issue: the poor customer service we received from HH Gregg. They made it right when they told us they couldn’t deliver our fridge in time for Thanksgiving, even though I said it was a deal breaker when I was in the store. They upgraded our fridge and got it here in time for Thanksgiving, which is awesome, but they seriously damaged our brand-spakin-newly refinished pine floors in the process. And by severely, I mean over $400 in damage. After over a month, they made it right. But then there’s the oven. They had to come out THREE separate times to get it right! Ridiculous and a waste of their time and ours. So, even though they ultimately made things “right”, they never returned phone calls, customer surveys, or anything else. I’ll never use them again, but I do love our appliances. We went while the Whirlpool profile for all kitchen appliances & LG for washer/dryer. Sorry to vent on the page, just thought it was the perfect time to share our crazy story ;)

    Reply

  10. Tamara says

    We moved into our first house when I was five months pregnant, and if you are like me, you have no patience for things falling apart when you are nesting, so I feel for you! Our basement flooded with a foot of raw sewage when I was eight months pregnant and we lost all of our baby gear 2 days before we were about to bring it all upstairs, we had to get everything pumped out, sanitized, stay at a hotel until the heater was replaced, washer/dryer replaced all weeks before the baby was due, so it could always be worse! :)

    Reply

  11. Amanda says

    Stinks it was the washer that had to break. If anything, if it had been the dryer, you could still wash and hang up your clothes to dry. Good to hear that the issue is going to be resolved soon though!

    Reply

  12. Susan in Colorado says

    I am just gonna say a prayer for you guys and Maytags… I just don’t like them at all and their customer service. We had horrible problems with them. I have to say my heart sunk when ya’ll choose the Maytag brand. I pray pray that you have better luck than we did. The stuff they came up with was unbelievable, basically told us our floor was so crooked that no washer could work. Yeah right. Husband is a fix it dude and reinforced the floor, leveled it and everything (and my house wasn’t old to begin with)… Finally after the run around for over a year we finally just got a new Whirlpool… runs like a dream now for 2 years and guess what? No floor problems!! LOL GOOD LUCK!!!

    Reply

  13. Kelly says

    We just got a new washer and dryer a few months ago when we bought our first house (Hooray!!). Install went great . . . until the Home Depot guy realized that, with the new washer in place and the distance it had to be from the wall due to all the cords and lines, we now would not be able to close the door to the laundry room since it was now pinned against the wall. Sigh. Now we just need to decide whether we want to install a folding door or a pocket door. Decisions, decisions. At least the washer and dryer work! Hope Thursday is your lucky day! Love your blog AND book by the way. So many amazing ideas!! I feel like a kid in a candy shop just reading about all your fun projects! :)

    Reply

  14. Leigh says

    That really stinks that your new washer arrived broken but yay to HOme Depot for making it right! We went from older machines with a washer that leaked and a dryer that burned our clothes (seriously they even smelled burned and everything shrank) to new ones and it’s been awesome!!! I really do love a top loading washer. I am probably in the minority on that one but now that you guys have a top loader too I somehow feel justified. Is that weird? Don’t answer because I know it is!

    Reply

  15. Megan says

    When we ordered our new King size bed the box springs (since it comes with two singles that are pushed together) came dented not once but twice! It looked like it was done by a forklift. The company gave us a 50.00 gift card as an apology. Normally this would excite me but there’s nothing you can buy at a bed store for 50 bucks!

    Reply

  17. Nicole E. says

    Oh, that’s terrible! How frustrating. :(

    I just had a package delivered last Thursday from 1-800-PetSupplies, and I had ordered dog food and three different aquarium products. The dog food came through just fine, but instead of gravel they sent me sand, the aquarium accessory came in the wrong color, and they didn’t even ship the beach glass I ordered! I live in the middle of nowhere, so I can’t go to a store for what I need. I was waiting on the gravel at least so I could move my poor fish out of his little bowl and into his new aquarium. Now he has to wait another week or two before I have the supplies to set it up. :(

    Reply

  18. mp says

    Hubby bought a TV, we took it home and set it up … and it didn’t work. I called the manufacturer and they said to take it back to the store, which exchanged it without a peep. I’m surprised HD didn’t offer that as the first option, but from the way they handled your second call, it seems their customer service has improved since the aughts, when I had a bad experience with one particular store (I’ve read that each HD handles CS issues differently and can even override a customer-favoring decision from GA HQ).

    Reply

  19. Julie R says

    Not at all laundry room related, but has your doctor ever talked to you about Zofran for morning/all day/night sickness? I had an extremely tough first pregnancy, and living in the tropics, the constant dehydration was downright dangerous. I know it’s late in the game, but worth trying!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Julie! My doc actually doesn’t recommend it for me due to allergies/reactions I have to certain medications, but I hear it’s awesome for some people!

      xo
      s

  20. Bob says

    I work in delivery, and if homeowners requested I move heavy appliances up a flight of stairs with plastic draped over them, I would have refused due to safety concerns. That is a very slippery and dangerous situation you put those delivery guys in. I also wouldn’t have delayed their job by cleaning and installing a floor in the room. That should have been done BEFORE delivery. (If my wife can wiggle our washer out to clean behind it, I’m sure John could move those.) I’m sorry but this is just plain rude and wreaks of entitlement. People don’t seem to understand that delivery guys have schedules to abide by and many customers per day. On the flip side I also don’t believe HD should have told you to call Maytag the first time you called. They should have handled it with a replacement right away.

    Reply

  21. Anne says

    Yes, we had a repairman out to fix a new washer about 1 week after we bought it. The repair which he was able to do, was fully covered under the warranty. The cost of the repair and the service call was more than what we paid for the new washer in the first place. We had purchased a close out model that did not have all the bells and whistles that your new washer does, so it was not an expensive model, but it was fully covered by the warrantee. No problems since then.
    My sister in law also had a problem with a brand new washer on the first load, but found out the the installer did not remove some packaging materials inside the machine that should have been removed. Once she pulled out the instructions, she fixed the problem and the machine worked fine!

    Reply

  23. Elisha says

    When I moved into my home I didn’t have a functioning oven… so three years later my Aunt buys me one as a gift for Christmas and two months later its still in the box. I hope it doesn’t malfunction appliances can be way to temperamental

    Reply

  24. Katy says

    Aw man. I know that sound all too well!! We just went through that with our 1.5 year old Maytag HE top loader (different model). Right after the warranty expired this fall we starting hearing that noise. It was light at first but soon got louder and louder to the point we couldn’t hear the tv over it. We have a service here called home service plus that we pay monthly to cover repairs on our major appliances. The serviceman came out and said it was a loose bolt where the belt was that was grinding. He said it was probably loose from the factory and gradually got worse with each wash. He tightened it and it the noise instantly went away. Cut to the next day I was happily doing laundry again and on the 3rd load it starts making the noise again!! I about had a heart attack!! Luckily my husband had watched the repairman on how to tighten the bolt again. He also read reviews that said putting loctite on it would keep it from loosening again. Which worked like a charm! We haven’t had any issues since. I hope your next one doesn’t have the same issue but I would run the spin cycle while they are there to be sure. Good luck!!!

    Reply

  25. Carrie says

    Yikes! That’s not nice of Maytag to send out a dud and not offer a prompt repair! I think I will pass on Maytag appliances in the future knowing their customer service is so lacking.

    BUT I’m glad you had a good experience with Home Depot, personally I had a horrible experience with Lowe’s and will not buy another appliance from them again.

    Also I was happy to hear your opinions on front load vs top load washers. I’ve had a top load for decades now and I always wondered if I was missing out on something with the front loaders. They are just so expensive. The more research I did on them, it seemed like more people were complaining about them breaking all the time and the repairs were far more costly than top loaders. I think I’ll stick to my oldie but good top loader!

    Reply

  26. Stephanie says

    You’ll probably never get to this comment, but this happened to us!!!! There were bolts that were supposed to come off, they hold the washing basin in place for shipping and our installers neglected to take them off.

    As soon as the wash cycle started, it started grinding and chugging and scraping. They brought us a new washer too, only to find out it was the bolts not the washer!!

    Just a thought, you can check the back of it to see if they are still on, I think.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Stephanie! We checked for bolts and rods and stuff and everything in the installation manual has been removed so we’re thinking it’s the agitator or the motor or something.

      xo
      s

  27. Anna says

    So I just have to tell you (maybe you won’t feel so bad, lol) Last year (january-ish) we had the majority of the appliances in our house break in the same week!!!! Our oven broke first, then the microwave inexplicably quit working, next went the refrigerator and then finally the dryer. No…wait, the garbage disposal was first (we still haven’t fixed that one). It was like we had been cursed or something. And then the following week, a tree fell on our house! We managed to get a new dryer and a new microwave. We fixed the dishwasher (fixed that myself) and the oven, and a repairman came for the fridge. This past Jan (last month) the sliding door randomly fell off of our minivan (a nice minivan, not a piece of junk)in the pick up line at my daughters preschool, our water heater burst and flooded the downstairs under it, the faucet in the kitchen broke and the pipes burst under it at the same time…oh and the doorbell went on the fritz making a constant buzzing sound and a burnt metal smell, and TWO upper cabinet doors fell off and went crash in the kitchen. wow, it sounds like I made that up….I’ve never written it all in one place before. Sorry for the long comment! Keep your chin up!

    Reply

  28. Logan says

    Saw the billboard the other day and my boyfriend thought I was crazy when I squealed “I read their blog!” with no context for him. Just bought my tickets! So excited.

    Reply

  29. Sarah says

    This broken-washer story is eerily similar to mine… Except that it took over a month to get everything straightened away, and ended in us simply returning both washer and dryer and buying elsewhere. I hope your’s ends more simply and happily!

    Reply

  30. Candice Janco says

    Ours made the same metallic screachy noise when we got them, we were so bummed. BUT! It turned out to just be a big Styrofoam piece that had gotten wedged between the tub and the wall, so when the agitator ran it rubbed. Easy fix and no problem since!

    Reply

  31. Kim says

    Olof. Sorry you are having so much trouble. A few years ago, we had to replace our stove. I found one at Home Depot. They installed it and just after they left we tried it out. It wouldn’t heat up past 100 degrees. HD told us to call GE and we ran into the same problem. We called Home Depot again, they picked up the stove, brought us a floor model to use over the holiday (did I mention it was Thanksgiving?) and installed the new one when it arrived. We were so happy with them, we started there when we replaced our next big appliance.

    Reply

  32. Kristen O. says

    Just a quick preventative measure before they put in the new one. They sell little screens that can be put into the washer hoses. They are similar to the screens that are on a regular faucet. It will keep any debris out of your water line in case the city decides to flush the lines in your area. It only takes a minute to pop them in and can help make your machine last longer.

    Reply

  33. Christine says

    I’m really glad you addresses this! We have the same washer and I didn’t want to be a negative nelly, but it has been nothing but frustrating, aggravating, etc. I have seriously pulled out clothes that have gone though a 1:39 min cycle and they still have the CRUMBS on the clothes!!! My washer also started smelling really bad if I used anything but unscebted HE. It was asking for the afresh tablets every 3rd wash. Those puppies aren’t cheap! I’ve now realized you have to do teeny tiny loads (which makes me sick, Bc I bought that huge washer for a reason) add the extra rinse cycle and heat booster and put oxy clean in every wash or else our clothes won’t come clean. My 5 year old threw up on his sheets and the throw up was still on them!!!! My advice, go to Facebook and go to maytag’s FB page and tell then what happened. I promise they will help you fast Bc they don’t want to look bad. I hope I’m not disappointing you and maybe it’s Bc I have 3 little boys that get very dirty but I would give anything for my old faithful reliable washer that didn’t take FOREVER for a
    Cycle. Rapid wash is a joke of you want clean clothes. This is just my experience so I hope y’all’s is better! But do the FB thing!! It works!! :-)

    Reply

  34. Christine says

    Sorry for all of the typos. How embarrassing. I’m on my phone and I get worked up when I talk about my washing machine. Goes to show them they should give everyone good customer service. Never know when you have a customer who has millions of readers to influence. Serves them right.

    Reply

  35. Patty says

    We have a 2nd floor laundry closet :) too. I would LOVE to get rid of the metal pan, but it has a drain. I wondered if your floor had a drain? I know you upgraded your piping, but wondered if you had any other safeguards in place. Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have the plastic pan for under it along with reinforced steel hoses, which hopefully will hold up better than the plastic ones. You’re lucky to have a drain though! I’d try to keep that and maybe just get a new metal pan? You could spray it white to blend in I would think!

      xo
      s

  36. Olivia Mark says

    So funny guys, we are getting ready to do the same thing! Our laundry closet currently has linoleum flooring straight out of the Brady Bunch set (think 70’s orange), luckily you only see a small part of it. I was actually at Lowe’s today and picked out some linoleum tiles and brought them home to see how they would work. I came home, looked on face book and there you were with your brilliant idea! Going to steal it, heading back to Lowe’s this week to make a few returns! Perfect timing, thanks!

    Reply

  37. focipresley says

    oooh, I wonder if your washing machine’s drum has screws in place meant to protect movement of the drum while in transit. that’s what turned out to be the “issue” when I turned on my new washer for the first time and felt the whole house shake!

    Reply

  39. Michaela says

    I’m glad to hear HD has provided such good service, sadly ours was horrendous.

    We had to buy all new appliances when moving into our home and ended up getting them all on Black Friday/weekend deals (last time I enter a store on that weekend!) at Sears, Lowe’s and Home Depot. Home Depot was a horrendous customer experience. In short they tried to switcheroo our fridge, kept changing the delivery (took over 6 weeks), delivery company was awful, I could go on and on. Never once were they sympathetic or apologize, not even the store manager. I managed to stay professional (except for some frustrated tears) and we have since boycotted the store….only recently have we stepped foot in. Such is life I suppose.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Someone else recommended that so we’ll have to check it out! Assuming it doesn’t rise too high (that would interfere with our laundry doors) it could be a great solution!

      xo
      s

  41. Megan says

    Good luck with the washer. We have a 23 year old Maytag that we’re getting ready to replace. They just don’t make them like they used to!

    Reply

  43. Ashley says

    We have had our Maytag Bravo washer and dryer for a little over 2 years and I LOVE THEM!!! Our clothes look like new with very little wear caused by washing/drying. So funny because you guys actually inspired me 2 years ago to do my homework and actually research good options and we came up with the same set : )

    Reply

  44. Kandy says

    Love your blog! Hope that your delivery goes smoothly this time, Sherry!
    I bought all new kitchen appliances this summer and had several issues with 3 of the 4. The worst one was the refrigerator, which I purchased at Home Depot (the others were from Lowes.)There was a huge amount of frost in the freezer. I got the same run around as you: Home Depot said to call LG who couldn’t come out for 2 weeks! Home Depot wasn’t able to help out with that when I called them back but they did try!Turns out it was simply a matter of the installers neglecting to install the seal properly. The repair guy that they sent was really nice and very helpful. I almost bought the extended warranty but couldn’t swallow the extra $100+! Now that everything is working, love my appliances. Now if only my 16 year old washer and dryer will hold out for a few more years! Hope yours is taken care of soon. I hate to do laundry but know I would be eager to do it if my washer was broken.

    Reply

  45. Vicki says

    I’m finding it really strange having a laundry upstairs, is this the same for all homes in the US or just this particular house. In Australia, laundry’s are located downstairs and dryers are used rarely. Clothes lines certainly get a workout, especially with kids! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think a lot of homes have them on the first level and others have them on the second floor by the bedrooms (it’s convenient to put laundry away and not haul it up and downstairs). I love that you guys line dry so much! We air dry things like cloth diapers in sunny windowsills but things like rain/snow/allergy season make dryers more dependable than the crazy weather sometimes.

      xo
      s

  46. melanie says

    aaahhh, the carlton dance, this accompanies ever major accomplishment in my life, my boys think its great to see mummy do the funny dance now, wait till im doing it at their graduations!!! might change their minds then, thanks for a little day brightening gif!!! you guys are amazing,

    Reply

  47. Marianne says

    I feel your pain. I waited for a new washer and dryer to come in once for 6 weeks! Then, when the guys installed it, they dropped it so that there was a huge dent on the side! Normally, we’re dent-and-scratch people, but this time we bought the set at full price, so I had them take it back….. I waited two more weeks for the replacement and when they finally delivered it, they refused to install it…. Grrrr. But fortunately, my handy hubby was able to do it and we lived happily ever after, even though I swore off front loaders for the future. They’re a mildew-y pain.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have heard/read that the newer high efficiency ones are great (nice big capacities, clean well – even for things like cloth diapers, etc). Here’s hoping!

      xo
      s

  49. Lynda says

    You are a lot more patient than I am. I would have insisted on a new machine since you paid for a new machine. Paying for appliances on credit cards give you more protection and negotiating room. If you haven’t had your dryer vent cleaned out since you bought the house you should consider that since it can be a fire danger. It isn’t easy to do that with second floor dryers, normally. Consider putting down a washer pan before getting your new washer back. It could save headaches later.

    I hope you get good out of the washer situation. Considering the home show, my husband doesn’t like me getting new ideas.

    Reply

  50. Kate says

    From what you describe it doesn’t sound broken but that the people installing just forgot to take out the four big screws that hold the drum in place during transport.The same thing happened to use years ago with our first washer

    Reply

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