Are Washer/Dryer Pedestals worth it?

[lazydays]

We have the pedestals and I think it puts the washer and dryer at just the right height for loading and unloading. I have a bad back so this is a bonus. We fold clothes on our nearby bed. They were expensive though.

[AlphaDog]

Stavs wrote:
[quote=AlphaDog]
People have different ideas about what constitutes convenient or efficient. While I like the idea of having the openings to the appliances at a more convenient level, I'd never get the pedestals, because I use the top of the washer and dryer for folding clothes. Given how much longer I spend folding laundry than putting it in the washer and/or dryer, I'd much rather have the work space. Where is laundry folded in your house?

We typically fold in the family room on the coffee table or the hassock. Now that the new house has a proper laundry room, I see us folding in there. I was contemplating building a countertop above the W/D so its extra workspace for laundry and other things. Our laundry room is 6x8, and is also our mud room (with mahogany floors!).
Everybody has their own idea about what's convenient, but I'd forgo the pedestals in favor of the workspace. You might also want to wait until you've had time with the new space before putting in a countertop over the appliances. I certainly don't need one - the tops of the washer and dryer give me roughly five feet of flat work surface. When we remodeled a number of years ago, I couldn't expand the size of my utility room/rear entry, but I was able to reconfigure the way the space was used so that I could add a five foot long base cabinet, which is on the wall opposite the washer and dryer. Between that and the tops of the washer and dryer, I have plenty of storage and plenty of work space in an area smaller than what you'll have. I even managed to get a full size freezer in there and a pantry. And, yes, we can even still use the back door.

[DaviDC.]

I too think pedestals would render the tops of the appliances useless.
I'm with AlphaDog on this one.

My ideal laundry room would be adjacent to the bedroom, have counters on 3 walls & racks to hang clothes from. The only time I'd ever have to transport clothes would be to get them to the washer.

[Dennis S]

Use 2 X 4s and plywood. Use Formica if you are particular about the way it looks.

[DRR]

2x4's and plywood put together with a little forethought and a hint of skill won't look hacked together. Yes you need to finish the surface before you paint it. Yes it will look a hundred times better than thrown together with a handsaw and whatever leftover nails you have lying around.

The tops of my appliances are used for storage. On top the washer I keep the soap, and a wire basket with other laundry stuff (Shout, dryer sheets, etc) Above the dryer, a small plastic basket that's used as a small hamper for things like socks that get taken off downstairs, dish rags, etc.

[macphanatic]

AAA wrote:
We have been supremely unhappy with our (first ever) front-load clothes washer. It smells moldy. We leave the door open to vent it. But the thing seals so well when closed, no fresh air gets into the the thing like a top-load.

No peds.

Tide sells a cleaner that you use to run through a wash cycle. It works well. I think the issue is fabric softener. If you can pull out the dispensing tray, look in there and be prepared to be appalled. I take ours out every few months to clean it out. It's worse where the fabric softener is.

[AAA]

Oh, yeah. We clean it. It's not that bad. It's just the moisture/vapor that remains in the washer gets very moldy smelling

[DRR]

Thanks for the tip about Tide Washing Machine cleaner. I'm going to try it. We get a lot of nasty crud in all those little rubber gasket creases.