Clothing care cachet: laundry appliances step into the limelight

Custom Home, March, 2005 by Stephani L. Miller

Home buyers are realizing that laundry rooms should be located where the laundry originates, not buried in a dark basement. In response, builders and architects have begun to elevate the room's status by locating the laundry room near the kitchen, family room, or master suite, sometimes even incorporating it directly into these rooms.

Convenient extras like ironing stations, countertops, hanging racks, and cabinetry make the laundry room a real work space. But the big story is that a new generation of laundry appliances is taking this functional space to new heights in terms of both clothing care and style. Just as high-end kitchen appliances were elevated from mere machines to elements of design, washers and dryers are undergoing a similar transformation.

According to Mark Johnson, FAIA, manager of architectural and design marketing for Whirlpool Contract Marketing Group, "It's not so much a desire for a commercial look," as the kitchen appliance trend has been, "but definitely a designed look. Having appliances that are as well-designed, visually, as electronics is a natural step for consumers."

"Appliances are becoming fashion statements across the board, and the laundry is the next logical step," points out KitchenAid brand manager Brian Maynard. Shapes are becoming more rounded, fluid, and aerodynamic, taking inspiration from the automobile and electronics industries.

"Because the laundry room is getting more attention from a design aspect, people are having fun with it," says Lori Dolnick, spokesperson for Miele.

Premium laundry appliances aren't just pretty objects, though; they're also designed to work hard. Manufacturers are focusing on engineering their top-of-the-line washers and dryers to treat fine fabrics and expensive wardrobes like gold with a slew of features and options.

In most premium washers, internal water heaters get water hot enough to remove most common stains, running to temperatures as high as 190 degrees in some models to kill dust mites and bacteria. Some washers use systems that sense the amount of dirt in the wash water and add a wash cycle accordingly. Load sensors automatically adjust water levels to the size of the load, while preset programs set the ideal water temperature, level, and spin speed appropriate for washing a variety of fabrics.

Multiple spin speeds and final spins as fast as 1,300 rpm remove the maximum amount of water, which reduces drying times. "The dryer causes a lot of damage to fabrics, so if you can wash in the right temperature and reduce the drying time, you can take better care of your fabrics," says Cynthia Fanning, GE Appliances' marketing manager for clothes care.

Dryers offer multiple programs that set the appropriate air temperature and time for delicate fabrics like wool and silk, as well as fabrics such as cotton. Some models incorporate moisture and temperature sensors that adjust drying time to prevent damage to clothes from overdrying and heating.

Functional features all trend toward making the chore of doing the laundry easier and releasing the user from having to know exactly what water temperature, spin cycle, and dryer heat temperature is best for each type of fabric, according to Michael Bohn, director of brand marketing for Siemens.

"Most people like controls that are pretty intuitive, so they don't have to hunt around to figure out what they're doing," adds Randy Karn, director of product management, laundry category for Maytag. However, because some consumers prefer to control every aspect of their clothing care, most washers and dryers allow cycles to be set manually as well as automatically.

Clothing-care-conscious consumers require more options for caring for their fabrics at home. Delicate clothing that could be damaged in a tumbling dryer can instead hang or lay flat to dry in air-drying cabinets that circulate air around items to dry them. Clothes that are not really dirty, but not quite clean can also be refreshed in several appliances designed to remove odors and wrinkles.

With all these advances in clothing care, it's not surprising that home buyers demand laundries that are conveniently located, well-provisioned, stylish work rooms.