Should I raise my washer and dryer? This is why I wish I'd invested in a laundry pedestal

Creating a pedestal for a washer dryer in a laundry room is a simple addition that can make your space much more functional

a laundry room with a raised washer dryer
(Image credit: Whittney Parkinson)
Hugh Metcalf
By
published
in Advice

As someone who is 6'4" who is prone to a bad back every now and again, there are some things in my home I wish I thought longer and harder about when designing it. While I might be able to reach the highest of shelves in the house, it's those cabinets that sit at floor level that present a little bit more of a challenge. 

Loading and unloading the washer dryer falls into that camp, but since I've spent more and more time looking at the world's best laundry room ideas for Livingetc,  there's one big trend I've noticed - washer dryers on raised platforms. 

If your space allows, it has the potential to be a real game changer for your laundry room, so to get the lowdown on whether it's worth it, and how to make my laundry pedestal dreams a reality, I asked some of my favorite design experts for their advice. 

hugh metcalf
Hugh Metcalf

Hugh is Livingetc.com's deputy editor and an experienced homes and property journalist. Lamenting his low-level washer at home, he's asked design experts whether raising appliances in a laundry room is really worth the hassle. 

Is it worth raising your washer dryer from the floor?

a laundry room with bespoke built ins to raise a washer dryer

(Image credit: Sean Litchfield. Design: Becky Shea)

The main reason for raised washer dryers is to make your laundry room more ergonomical. 'It's a personal preference, as some of my clients are taller in height,' says interior designer Whittney Parkinson. 'The plinth allows for the appliances to be at a more appropriate height, so you’re not uncomfortably bending down for a front-loading washer and dryer. It's where form meets function!'

However, designing in a pedestal also comes with a few other benefits, not least extra laundry room storage. 'Raising your units is an amazing way to add functionality and convenience to your laundry room,' advises interior designer Becky Shea. 'In the design you see here, we not only utilized the space to add drawers for easy access to your supplies such as detergent pods and dryer sheets, but the oak detail directly above slides out to give you a surface on which you can fold while pulling items out if you don't feel like going to your folding station.'   

Laundry isn't the most exciting chore to undertake, but small additions to your laundry room like this can definitely make it more palatable, especially if you're dealing with several washing loads a day. 

How do I raise a washer dryer?

a laundry room with a raised washer dryer

(Image credit: Whittney Parkinson)

These beautiful examples of laundry rooms with raised washers and dryers are the ideal, but as you'd probably expect, they're all bespoke millwork made custom for the space. However, that doesn't mean you can't benefit from raising your appliances, even if you're dealing with a not-so-glamorous laundry room. 

'While custom cabinetry is the only way to achieve this style, you can find out of the box solutions that fit your units' footprint and provide similar functionality,' Becky suggests. You can buy laundry pedestals at Home Depot for a few hundred dollars, for example, and the likes of this Maytag pedestal from BestBuy offers you extra storage for cleaning supplies, too. 

Sadly, they're not as pretty as bespoke ones, but if you're working on a budget, they're a relatively simple idea to take on as a DIY, and could even be done as a weekend project. Just make sure to make your structure strong enough to support the weight of your washer and dryer, wide enough, while also considering how it's fixed to the floor, especially for a dryer with a spin cycle. 

EZ Laundry Universal Pedestal, Amazon
Budget option

EZ Laundry Universal Pedestal, Amazon

This simple laundry pedestal allows you to storage whatever you want underneath, while raising your washer and dryer safely and securely. They work best in twos, connected together for stability. 

Should I stack my washer dryer instead?

a simple laundry room design

(Image credit: Herringbone Kitchens)

Stacking a washer and dryer is a great way to save space when you have two appliances in a small laundry room, but it doesn't necessarily solve the height issue. Usually the dryer is stacked on top, meaning the washer is still likely to be at a low level. It doesn't really offer any benefits over placing the appliances side by side in a laundry room, especially when the latter option is on a raised pedestal. 

Hugh Metcalf
Hugh Metcalf
Editor

Hugh is Livingetc.com’s editor. With 8 years in the interiors industry under his belt, he has the nose for what people want to know about re-decorating their homes. He prides himself as an expert trend forecaster, visiting design fairs, showrooms and keeping an eye out for emerging designers to hone his eye. He joined Livingetc back in 2022 as a content editor, as a long-time reader of the print magazine, before becoming its online editor. Hugh has previously spent time as an editor for a kitchen and bathroom magazine, and has written for “hands-on” home brands such as Homebuilding & Renovating and Grand Designs magazine, so his knowledge of what it takes to create a home goes beyond the surface, too. Though not a trained interior designer, Hugh has cut his design teeth by managing several major interior design projects to date, each for private clients. He's also a keen DIYer — he's done everything from laying his own patio and building an integrated cooker hood from scratch, to undertaking plenty of creative IKEA hacks to help achieve the luxurious look he loves in design, when his budget doesn't always stretch that far.

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