Not me. I had a full size stacked unit - no bending!

Good question though. When we got the Bosch FL set - I hated it - way uncomfortable. Could I have dealt with it on the floor? Yes. Is it MUCH better to have it where I don't have to bend over at all? Yes.

It all depends on the person, with a taller person the pedestals can help by the person not bending as much, but someone that is vertically impaired (shorter) they are not needed, I am 6'6" tall and my wife is 4' 10" and she likes the machine closer to the floor as it makes it easier for her to reach and move the clothes from the washer to dryer on FLer pair.

For me I wish the pair were on pedestals but the my fiance minister (wife) said heck no.

i absolutely love the pedestals and now that i have them (15" size) would never want the machines lower..... much easier to manage the laundry comfortably... and i am in great shape with no back, or physical problems!!! just because people have managed without them doesn't mean that they're not fantastic! there was a time that "we" didn't have washing machines and dryers and "we" managed without them!!! (plus being able to store laundry detergent, bleach, etc under the washer is very handy and i love keeping old towels for the dogs, etc in the drawer under the dryer.....) keeps all of my cabinets from getting cluttered with those items...

Well, pedestals are unheard of her in the UK where washers are on the floor... I'm 6'2 and have never had back problems from loading or unloading the machine. And there isn't a crippling back problem through Europe because we load machines that aren't on pedestals, and nobody finds it the least bit inconvenient...

IMO pedestals are only there because some bozo in marketing made up an unnecessary disadvantage, which the majority of Americans purchasing frontloaders have caught on to in a "me too" form. Pedestals don't have any ergonomic advantages, only economic for manufacturers.

Jon

I partially agree with Jon, pedestals are not used in Europe and most people don't have a problem at all without them.
However, I disagree with the statement that "nobody finds it the least bit inconvenient." Several years ago I had problems with a chronic joint inflammations, especially in my knees. At that point, any kind of bending my knees or kneeling down was not only inconvenient, but almost impossible at times.

I have to admit that I do find the high levels of FL washers and dryers at a laundromat very convenient. However, it is unpractical for most households to install them that way. The 15" pedestals are large enough to provide some additional storage for laundry products and things like that, so I can see the advantage of rising the w/d and having the drawers underneath.

We are going to move this fall and we will probably buy a Bosch nexxt w/d set. Bosch offers pedestals that are just 8" high and I don't really see how that would make a big difference. The drawer is too small to offer any serious storage space and to unload the w/d you still have to bend down (depending on your height). Now that I don't have any joint problems anymore, I will just have the w/d sit on the floor.

Simple facts about pedestals.

Pros:

1. Convenient laundry load & unload.

2. Makes your back happy.

3. Adds extra storage.

Cons:

1. Increased vibration and wobbling due to the elevated washer's center of gravity.

2. Detergent compartment and control panel/display location are too high for the not-so-tall people.

Restrictions:

FL Washer + Second Floor = Big No-No

I second all the Pro's for the pedestals...I am 5'0" (hence the name) and I definitely like the machines at an appropriate height. I place my laundry baskets on the open drawer of the pedestals to load and unload the washer and dryer. I store all of my detergents, rags, etc. in the drawers as well.

Another advantage that I noticed this past Easter after the flooding that we had here in central NJ during a Nor Easter is that they raise my expensive washer and dryer off the basement floor and thus are protected if we get water in the basement. We have what's called a floating foundation with french drains around the perimeter. We also have a sump pump that was running every 2 minutes during that storm (we timed it).

Some people in our town had a foot or more of water in their basements after that storm (we live in a river town) and basically I'm happy that I have them.

i had to respond to the comment about increased vibration and wobbling as being a con with pedestals...... i only have my own experience to go by, but with both my duets on 15" pedestals, there is NO vibration or wobbling.... with all these machines, i think it's important to properly install and level them and you will avoid a lot of these issues!!!

Pedestals don't have any ergonomic advantages

That's a downright silly statement. You may not care whether you have pedestals or not, in fact, most Europeans may not care, but the advantage is there nonetheless. It's plainly obvious that loading and unloading the washer and dryer while practically standing upright is better ergonomically speaking that bending or crouching to do so. Just wait until Europe gets dishwasher drawers :)

FL Washer + Second Floor = Big No-No

I don't have pedestals (we didn't get around to building a platform this weekend, too nice out), but my FL washer & dryer are on the second floor and we have absolutely no vibration (nothing that makes a coin move or water spill from a full cup on top of the machines)

Gibby3000 notes that people have been bending over to get clothes out of a front loading dryer for years. Why IS the front loading *washer* conidered so inconvenient, but not a front loading dryer?

I detested the on-the-floor front loading dryer, especially if the dryer model had a drop-down door (hamper door?). Not only did I have to bend over to get each piece out of the dryer (the way I liked to unload), but I had to twist at the same time because you can't stand in front of the dryer with the hamper door open.

I thought the top loading washers were a pain to unload. I'm just short enough that I needed to bend over and balance on my toes to see the front of the tub, then dive into the tub to scrape damp clothing off the bottom. I'm about 5' 5", about average, but I still missed items stuck on the tub at the front of the washer because I didn't see them.

I now have a FL washer with the dryer stacked on top. I still have to bend over to unload the washer, but there isn't all THAT much bending involved: clothes in, clothes out. I can spin the tub run my hand on the front of the tub to check for "lost" items. I can see all the way to the back of the drum without doing the Ballerina Balancing Act. It's different than the old TL, but I don't find it worse.

Ah, but I love having the dryer at eye level. I tend to pull items from the dryer 1 by 1 and hang them up. The washer is simple: clothes in, clothes out, no fiddling, no rocket science. For me, the dryer involves a lot more fiddling and rocket science.

YMMV, of course.

CMC

As far as platforms go, I don't think they are completely new. My mom-in-law has had her washer and dryer on a platform for over 25 years. Her reason is similar to Fivefootzero's. The washer and dryer are in the basement in an area where flooding is common. Elevating the machines has no doubt saved them a lot of money and trouble over the years. My family lived in the same area. We replaced several washer and dryers as well as water heaters and furnaces over the years. Too bad we did not have platforms. They built theirs.

Oh yeah, I should mention that their washer is a TLer! Who ever heard of putting a TLer on a pedestal? To make matters worse, they were placed behind the furnace. I hated doing laundry at their house, I was afraid I would fall in the washer trying to reach the socks in the bottom, or have something jump on me from the furnace!

i'm not compelled by any means. maybe it's just easier on my spine which i injured 22 years ago in a car accident.

I was thinking it's American marketing genius too - we're big on every possible labor (including bending over) saving device and apparently don't mind paying for them. I kind of subscribe to the philosophy of skipping many of the labor saving devices as long as I'm still able to do the particular activity. I think it might help me keep being able to do things longer. That said, I'd never want to have to be like my mother who used a wringer washer and clothes line (year round in MN). Love the automatic washer and dryer - just don't need the pedestals. I actually need the nice surface area on top for folding, etc. since I don't have any other surface for that in my laundry area.

It's funny that JCCrowley mentioned mother in law's "pedestals". My inlaws (who live in the same area that we do) also have their TL washer and dryer on a cement "pedestal". I didn't even realize it until this thread.

Basically they have a cement platform that has raised their washer/dryer about 8" off the basement floor. And this is exactly the reason they did it: "basements get water" (at least most in our area do).

That being said, my FIL is 6'2" and MIL is about 5'8" so they have no problems reaching inside the elevated TL finding things. I can remember standing on my tippie-toes trying to get the last baby sock out of my old TL and even sometimes leaving my feet to reach it.

Instead of a pedestal, I have a folding camp stool that I sit on to pull wet laundry out of the FL and transfer it into a basket or toss it in the dryer.

It's much my back compared to a TL and is gentle on the knees too. My washer and dryer openings are at about the same level.

If the washer is on a pedestal, I guess the dryer needs to be on one too, ergonomically.

Different strokes for different folks. The one thing I really find attractive about a pedestal is the storage space.

Mostly a lurker for a long time, I must say Jon usually provides good information, and even if someone would disagree, at least there's a rational basis for the opinion, but WOW, did you blow it this time, buddy! I was shocked. Having a bad day or something?

Nobody is suggesting that bending over for a dryer or washer (or for that matter, diswasher, oven or otherwise) is in itself going to GIVE someone a bad back, but how about those of us with the injuries such that we cannot readily bend over for all this stuff? If I drop something on the floor, it's very difficult for me to pick it up. Bending over for a dryer has been a problem ever since my injury. For a while I was using a "grabber" to get the stuff from the back of the dryer but when I had to replace it, I thought about a pedestal but decided the cost of the dryer with a mated pedestal would be prohibitive and that there would have to be a cheaper and equally practical solution. Tried to order a universal pedestal, but couldn't get it. Giving it some thought, I put down 4 concrete blocks and then built a platform to place on top of the blocks to raise the dryer about 14"-15" in total and what a difference that made! I can stand, use the hamper door for a workshelf and reach the back of the 7.4cf dryer and set the folded clothes onto the washer or put into a laundry basket as needed. Being a much larger capacity than my old one, this dryer is much deeper and the drum is lower to the ground than my old dryer and would have been worse yet to use if I had to bend over and dig around to access it.

Did it GIVE me the back, knee and hip problems? Of course not. Did it HELP make the task much easier? Oh yeah!

No ergonomic advantage? Foolish. I invite you to use your favorite search engine and look for accessible housing and see what the recommendations are. You'll find a common theme. Raised dishwashers. Raised dryers. Raised washers. Raised outlets. Drawers or pull out shelves instead of digging into a conventional cabinet. Wall mounted ovens rather than the bend over conventional units we're used to. Etc. Etc.

Would a person rather take a 20# turkey from a wall oven or from the bottom oven of a freestanding stove? Most people wouldn't become crippled from it, but it is certainly easier and if you happen to have physical limitations, it makes a big difference.

As people grow older, there are a lot of things that should be considered. Adaptive housing is an interesting topic for people to look into. Simple and low cost things to make life easier and make it easier for people to stay in their homes. Simple things like raising appliances, lever door handles, etc are just a couple examples of this. Do I HAVE to have lever handles now? No. But it does make it easier to open a door when you have an armload. And is better for a person with arthritic hands too. So don't write off conveniences as being money-making gadgets. Many serve a useful purpose.

OK. End of rant. Sorry for being so long-winded. But this one could not be left unanswered.

cynic,

Good point. I work for the state department that helps people with disabilities and we even have special programs that provide assistance with "raising things".

I bought a pretty expensive washer & dryer set with pedestals for one reason only, make laundry load &
unload easier for my mother in law. She's eighty-four and very active, but she has serious problem with her back (spondylosis or spinal osteoarthritis), before installed new set she could hardly handle our old top loaders, and now it's like a charm!

P.S. Of course, me and my wife could take care of all her laundry, but she wants to be independent and do it herself.

I have had a pedestal for my FL dryer for years (11", made it myself). I still have a TL Washer so no need for pedestal there. Its like alot of things, you don't really appreciate until you have lived with it first hand and then went without.

It would be like having an ice maker for 10 yrs and going back to trays. Of course, people w/o icemakers would say what's the problem. While every time you reached for ice you'd remember how nice that ice maker was and these stupid trays.

i don't know why this thread disturbs me. if feel a bit insulted ...is it me? ok. i'm leaving now. i'm pms-ing.

kate, don't sweat it. Some folks just have a real need to judge the choices of others.

kateskouros,

Nobody insulted you, come back!

Just because people did something for years doesn't mean they shouldn't take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself.

thanks guys, but i'm fine! as i said i think i'm pms-ing! this is a confusing thread since i believe the reason so many frequent gardenweb is to learn about the newest developments in technology, design and building. i don't think it's a place to judge people's choices. honestly, i don't even know if the original poster was implying that pedestals are in some way excessive or ridiculous... that is however, the way i read it. it's hard sometimes to interpret IT messages since they don't convey the intended tone of the poster. "compelled" somehow relays a negative tone. some replies seem judgemental as well. my back injury aside, i'd still opt for the pedestals. or if i didn't want to pay for them i'm raise them on a platform of sorts. how this might be unnecessary or even frivolous to some is a mystery to me. anyway, i for one use this site on a daily basis. it arms me with information and provides a network filled with people who share a common interest. ok, so maybe you just need a new washer. maybe you don't need hand-holding for that but for those living through a remodel or build it's an amazing source of communtiy. heck, i just like to come here. people are for the most part helpful as well as entertaining.

OP here - no malice or ill will intended - I was just curious what other people's opinions were on this. And I know people here have interesting opinions on all things laundry.

When we bought our Whirlpool Duet set years ago, there was a rebate for free pedestals so we got them. My hubby is 6'4" and I am 5'10" and we LOVE them. The added storage is fantastic... the added height is wonderful... and we still use the top of the washer and dryer to fold clothes or as an added shelf for storage. They are the type of things that you don't think you really need but once you have them, you wouldn't give them up for anything.

One thing the pedestals are good for is holding "orphaned" laundry, especially socks. DH and I throw loners in there. If another loner appears, we know where to look to see if there is a mate.

How ironic. A European says pedestals or risers are unheard of in Europe, yet to the best of my knowledge, Miele was the first to offer them here in the states! LOL Miele offered pedestals before the DuHetties, FriGEmores, etc. were even on the market just not too many years ago.