Appliance recs for 2nd floor laundry

10 years ago

Hello everyone,

We are about to move our laundry upstairs, out of the basement, into a space between 2 bedrooms. I have read a lot of very useful posts here on this topic but have a couple of questions. We are going to be looking at front loaders.

Our house is newer construction (1987) and I'm thinking will probably not have a lot of shaking and rattling issues associated with older houses? Also, sounds like the barn/stall mats are definitely a go? Anyone, have any negative experiences to report with those? I read dampness and mold build up we're a concern with these. Anyone experienced this problem? Did you use any kind of sound deadening acoustic barriers in your upstairs laundry room/closet? Is that overkill?

Finally, in terms of appliances, Electrolux has a second floor guarantee on their web site. I have never used this brand and would appreciate feedback regarding how well the washer and dryer do their jobs. Also, whirlpool affinity appears to be highly rated for being whisper quiet. Does anyone have experience with these appliances? Are they really quiet enough to be running right next to where we sleep? I often run loads at night before going to bed so quietness is going to be critical. I also like my clothes to get really clean and really dry :-)

I have done a lot of reading and web surfing already so at this point I am really looking for first hand experiences of people who have a laundry set up in their main living space. Also, first hand pros and cons of the Electrolux and whirlpool machines would be much appreciated.

TIA for any advice and insights,
Amna

Comments (5)

jonw9
10 years ago
I just bought the Daewoo set from Costco for my upstairs laundry. CR didn't rate it ias the quietest, but I guess we will see.

I was going to go for the Duet, but the ~$1100 savings swayed me.

I will update when they get delivered and ran.

Here is a link that might be useful: Daewoo
whirlpool_trainee
10 years ago
You might want to check out Consumer Reports. They include Vibration in their tests. I don't like these mats. Yes, they might isolate vibration coming from the washer but the unit itself shakes even more. Can't be good it.

Alex
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erinsean
10 years ago
The only advice I can give is I have had two FL Whirlpool washers and dryers. The first was belt driven washer and sounded like a jet taking off when it was in the spin cycle. The second was a direct drive washer (which I have now) and is so quiet and does not vibrate at all. These machines are between my kitchen and family room.
hokie98
10 years ago
Just curious OP, what did you go with, and how do you like it? We moved into a house back in Aug where the laundry is upstairs (as well as all of the bedrooms). I must say, it is handy having the laundry right there, but my Bosch front loaders sometimes shake the entire house if there is a heavy load when it spins. As you mentioned, doing a load of laundry at night isn't convenient noise-wise, nor is using the delay start setting it for early in the AM before we get out of bed (which I used to do all of the time when the laundry was no where near the bedrooms). My Bosch set is 8 yrs old, and I'm starting to have a few issues. I figure I'll go ahead and start doing some research in case the inevitable happens. I too had seen Elux's 2nd floor guarantee and wondered if that was just hype, or if they really were better.
housefairy
10 years ago
Hokie I bought a set of the Samsung WF457 as a present. They are huge! They were installed on the second floor with pedestals. They haven't had any issue with the noise bothering them while it runs. The units have way too many choices(21) but the size is ideal for them. They are in love with the dryer and it's ability to remove wrinkles. This is a new build but all the bedrooms are upstairs with the utility room on the master bath wall.

I also looked at the Electrolux since this was on the second floor. I have an Electrolux oven, which I have been very happy with, so they were also in contention. The Samsung is direct drive and I believe the Electrolux is belt driven. Have no idea if it really makes a difference . I did like the speed spray and power foam idea for quicker cleaning. The biggest thing I saw with the Electrolux is not being able to find one that you could actually look at sitting on a showroom floor.

Anyway, they seem to be thrilled with their Samsungs.