I don't have personal experience with this. I can only give you the advice of a washer technician who frequents the Consumer Reports washer forum, though he is not affiliated with CR. For a second (or higher) floor, he recommends only two frontloaders: Samsung w/VRT and LG with the 'square' window. I own a Maytag Bravos washer, which is an HE toploader (no agitator). I have read many good reports from people who use Maytag Bravos on an upper floor.

Coming in on late with this, but since I have an HE toploader, I thought you might like some input: I bought a Maytag Bravos MTW6700 in May. It's an Energy Star top loader with the HE advantage - no agitator, huge capacity (4.6 cu ft), very efficient when it comes to water and electricity. I've not had any problem at all with mold, mildew, or vibration. I leave the top open after I've put laundry into the dryer (as I've always done with any washer); it's only shut when clothes are washing. Because my washer is a top loader, it can go on either side of the dryer with no problem. ALL my experiences thus far with this washer have been excellent - far beyond good. There haven't been any cons to this point. I like it that the washer has a soak cycle, and also a setting for clothes which are stained/very dirty. It also has a handwash cycle, delicates cycle, wrinkle-control cycle, sheets cycle, bulky cycle for comforters, sleeping bags, etc, whites cycle, jeans/colors cycle, and more. There is also a Delay cycle, which means you can load the washer and delay it for up to 10 hours. The settings are very easy to use. I like it that I can choose water temp, spin speed, everything. It's unbelievably quiet, even when spinning. All I ever hear is water going in or draining out. It's a good thing it has a chime to alert me when a load is finished! I like the detergent, bleach, and fabric softener dispensers. When I wash towels, I use vinegar in the f/s dispenser, which helps to keep the towels soft and fluffy (there's no residual odor), and also cleans out the dispenser. I can wash many more clothes or laundry items per load in this washer than in the traditional top loader I had, which had the largest capacity on the market at the time I bought it. I have washed king-size comforters and bed pillows in my washer with no problem. Whereas I used to wash at least one, often two or three, loads each day, now I'm down to washing about five loads each week (for a family of six, including three teens) because I can wash so many things at once. This washer gets my laundry much cleaner than any other washer I've ever owned, and it is gentle, even with the fast spin. When I wash a load of sheets, they do not tangle nearly as much as they did in my old washer w/agitator, and they dry much smoother, too. I haven't had any problem with my clothes wrinkling. I do get them out of the dryer when the chime sounds (it has a LO or HI or OFF setting) and immediately fold or hang them. The machine spins so well, laundry dries in much less time than it did with my old washer. The dryer is finished before my next washing is done, which gives me time to unload the dryer before putting the next load in. I don't use regular laundry detergent, for I've read the sudsing can cause damage to HE machines, as well as invalidate a warranty. I read an article which compared using regular laundry detergent in an HE washer to using regular dish detergent in a dishwasher. I've used liquid Tide HE w/ bleach for whites and towels. I've also bought Sears HE Detergent w/OxiClean, and it works well, plus is very inexpensive. I use Sears HE Ultra Stain-Fighter powdered detergent (very inexpensive) for everything else except dress clothes and delicates. I like liquid Cheer HE ColorGuard for nice dark clothes, and Woolite HE for delicates and light dress clothes. ALL of these detergents clean very well in my washer, at any temperature. You said you have little ones: One big advantage of this washer, as compared to a front-loader, is that the controls are on top, in the rear. Children cannot reach the controls or open the door - which means they can't get in the washer, as they could with a frontloader when the door is left ajar to avoid mold/mildew. (Also true for pets) I hope this helps you in your decision-making. I was right where you are a few months ago. One of my main reasons for getting an HE toploading washer is because I have back issues which would make it difficult for me to do all the bending required to load and unload a frontloader - and the pedestals are expensive. This washer is sold in a number of places, but the site I've linked below gives detailed information about it, plus a number of reviews. www.maytag.com also has a good demo of the washer in action. Here is a link that might be useful: Maytag Bravos MTW6700 washer

In our first house we had one level, and W/D near the garage entry. Next and current house is 2-story with laundry room on 2nd floor, and I love it. But, it just depends on how you live and how you actually "do" your laundry. For us, by that time, our girls were school-aged. So I was not tending a baby and folding lots of little baby things. The upstairs is just great since the laundry is in the middle of the hall, with baths and BR's on either end, so all linens and clothes just go there. You can dash and get something from the dryer to put on, or a warm towel. I don't think it's as simple as "where you spend your time" with the exception of watching small children, but maybe more about how you attack the clean clothes, and whether you have bedrooms on 2 floors or all upstairs. Or maybe as pointed out, if you do 10 loads of laundry in one day, you then are having a real laundry project, like a cooking project, and tending it most of the day. So those habits and preferences will affect what works best. I spread my laundry loads throughout the week, and so tending 1 or 2 loads in a given evening overlaps with other trips up or down stairs to do other things. With the upstairs laundry, I bring a hamper to my room and fold clothes and towels and put them directly in the closets/drawers. I may use the bed to make piles of folded stuff. I listen to radio or talk with my husband or just, you know, think deep thoughts. (Girls (esp in past years) take hampers to room and who knows what they do then? Not my problem). There is room in the laundry to fold there, so I might do some towels there, but otherwise I don't, since I would then have to just stack stuff in hamper and bring back and dig out again. So, I prefer my current system to an off-the kitchen system in which I'd haul stuff upstairs or fold stuff on the sofa. I don't have a mudroom and wish I did. I think that definitely influences laundry gameplans, since then you have other advantages of the mudroom and how your organize the flow of clothes and stuff. If one or more family members have to deal with dirty work clothes/uniforms, or maybe just active kids and sports stuff, that can be an advantage if you are organizing the clothes and shoes off upon entry. I guess you have to put on a robe or something to come trouping through the living room after stripping? But for those who have less frequent "toxic" clothes, you could just have a drop-off hamper at the entry point. I think it's less universal than kitchen design, which while still very personal, has the somewhat universal issues of work triangles and door-openings and things for the basic layout, and then moves on to more preference-based issues for how and where you eat, do homework, watch TV.

enduring, thanks, you bring up a lot of good points. i noticed in my existing laundry room that the tiles are all loose. i had assumed it was just because it is old and in need of a refresh, but wonder now if this is an indication of a poorly located washer? i also see that the dryer vents out onto the roof (a lot of old lint here). i didn't know there were ventless dryers! i will have to read up on those. thank you! Jan, initially i didn't think I should do the laundry in the smaller bath since that bath is small as it is. but the exterior wall of that bath is on my deck, which would be much better to clean out the dryer vents that way. so your and hemina's suggestion of moving it to the other bath is warming up to me. i agree with you regarding the attic not being worth tapping into. Laura, thanks for those suggestions. I do think we need a second bath and do feel it will add value. i also am thinking about having the upstairs laundry be a secondary unit stowed away somewhere, and putting the main laundry in my mudroom, since it is closer to where I am most of the day. perhaps a laundry chute would be a fun and useful item to add. i need to work on the location and concept of how i do laundry a bit more, think through all of my home's issues too. thank you so much everyone. it has been such helpful feedback!