I finally got my new washer and dryer last week! I spent about two months without a washer because I just couldn’t make up my mind. I had pretty much decided to go with the Speed Queen because so many people recommended that brand, but I just couldn’t make myself go through with that final purchase.
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So I kept putting off the decision and washing clothes by hand ? . Matt had already given me one deadline about four weeks into not having a washer, and I blew right past that deadline because of my indecision. So around the six week mark, I was heading to Home Depot to get some paint or something like that, and as I was walking out the door, I heard Matt say, “And PLEASE buy a washer and dryer!!” So I knew I had better at least give the washers and dryers at Home Depot a very serious look before coming home.
Well, the Home Depot employee that helped me that evening made things so simple. He was an older man, and he reminded me so much of my late step-father. Talking to him felt like I was talking with an old friend, and quite honestly, he probably could have sold me anything. He could have easily convinced me that I needed a new refrigerator, and I probably would have bought one. ?
When I started looking at the washers and dryers that evening, I went directly to the top loaders with the agitators. I was about 99% sure that’s what I wanted. But when my new friend told me that he would only ever buy a front load washer, I wasn’t going to doubt him!
So we headed to the front loaders, he pointed me to a set that he recommended, and while he told me all about his wife, his travels, his adventures, his semi-retirement, I looked up the customer reviews on this set. And it just so happens that my new trusted friend led me directly to one of the most highly-rated washer and dryer sets I’ve ever come across. So I didn’t even question the decision or call Matt to talk it over with him. I just bought them. Let me show you what I bought.
I absolutely love this set. It was delivered last Thursday, and I used it pretty much nonstop for three days. The first time I did load of laundry, I stood there watching it almost the whole time thinking to myself, “There’s no way that’s going to get clothes clean!” ? I still don’t understand how these front loaders get clothes clean, but I’m a believer now! My towels have never come out of the wash this clean before!
This particular washer holds 50 ounces of laundry detergent at a time, and meters out the amount it needs for each load. Then it notifies me on my phone when it’s running low. I also love that the washer and dryer both send notifications to my phone when the laundry is 5 minutes from being done, and then when it’s done.
The washer is also capable of washing AND drying a small load of laundry without having to move the load to the dryer. I’ll probably never use that feature because it takes forever (I’ve had an all-in-one before, and I hated it), but it’s a nice feature to have just in case I need to be gone all afternoon and need a particular something to be washed and dried by the time I get home.
Anyway, I absolutely love this set, and I’m so thrilled with my purchase. And I LOVE the UltraFresh vent system so that I can keep the door closed and not have to worry about bad smells in the washer. The idea of having to keep the door open to keep it from stinking was one of my biggest issues with a front loader, but with this one, it’s not an issue.
So while I’m absolutely thrilled with my purchases, it’s such a huge disappointment seeing these beautiful new appliances in my current hideous “laundry room”. People frequently ask me where our laundry room is because I never show it or talk about it. Well, I never show it or talk about it because it’s literally the worst room in the house. While every other room in our house started out rough, they were all worth saving. They had good bones, so to speak.
Our washer and dryer sit in the so-called “sunroom”, which is the one room in the house that doesn’t even have good bones. It’s not even worthy of a lipstick-on-a-pig kind of makeover. I wouldn’t even want to waste money on paint for this room. The only option is to tear it down and start over, which is exactly what we plan to do…eventually. It’s a huge room (about 13 feet by 30-something feet) where I store my tools and home improvement supplies on one side, and the on the other side is the “laundry room.” So here’s a glimpse at my “laundry room”.
The room makes me feel sad. And scared. It doesn’t have a light, so I absolutely hate going in there at night. The floor is layers of plastic, particle board, and commercial carpeting placed over what I presume is the original patio. A couple of years ago, an animal chewed a hole in the very thin wall, and a possum got in and couldn’t find its way out and died in the corner. So the room just freaks me out. I keep the doors at the back of the music room closed 100% of the time, and any time someone has to come back here, I apologize profusely. I’m tired of doing that. I want this room gone so badly.
If you’re confused about where this room is, let me clarify. This is the room that is just beyond the back music room doors, which are always closed.
See this closed up window above the washer and dryer?
That’s the window that used to be in the hallway bathroom.
When I remodeled that bathroom, many people couldn’t understand why in the world I would remove a window.
Well, it’s because that window wasn’t an exterior window. So here’s what the floor plan of our house looks like right now…
And the goal is to tear down that sunroom, as well as the original tiny “master bathroom” (which is still sitting there, but is now completely inaccessible), and to add on three rooms, including a laundry room.
I long for that day! I’m so thankful for my new washer and dryer, but I’m ready to have an actual laundry room that I’m not afraid to walk into at night, and that doesn’t have a squishy particle board floor, and that I know will be free of wild animals. But for now, I make do with what we have. It’s the only option I have.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
