The LG WashTower is all over social media right now… inspiring countless people, including
celebrities like Drew Berrymore, to reconfigure or even completely renovate their laundry
spaces. But is it right for your home? In this video, we’ll show you what makes the
WashTower unique, how it saves you space, and what are the 3 different WashTower models
and their best features. And if you stick around until the end, we’ll give you one
major reason you might want to steer clear of the WashTower altogether.
Hi this is John with Designer Appliances, New Jersey and New York's premiere appliance
showroom. As the experts, we’re here to help, so if you’re struggling to select
a washer and dryer, call us, visit our showrooms, or leave a comment below and our team would
be happy to help.
So, what is the new LG WashTower?
The WashTower is an all in one laundry unit that features a washer with a dryer stacked
on top.
You may be wondering what’s so special about this setup? People have been stacking front
load washers and dryers for years. Just about every manufacturer nowadays sells an optional
stacking kit that lets you bolt the dryer on top of the washer. Stacking is a great
option. For some a stacked laundry pair might be the only option, especially if you just
have a laundry closet. But for others a stacked pair frees up valuable floor space to be able
to add extra storage.
However, the main issue has always been accessibility. With the dryer on top, the controls become
unreachable unless you’re very tall. With stacked pairs the controls can be as high
as 6 ½” feet from the ground. And reaching into the back of the dryer to pull out your
finished clothes can be nearly impossible without a step stool. Also at nearly 80”
tall, stacked pairs can be very difficult to fit underneath door frames for installation.
Enter….. the WashTower. It gives you all the space saving benefits of a stacked washer
and dryer, without any of the cons.
The WashTower features a shared control panel in the middle that brings the washer and dryer
controls into convenient reach. Since there’s only one control panel to worry about, this
reduces the total height of the stacked pair to about 74” allowing it to more easily
fit into tighter laundry closets. And with the shared control panel, the washer and dryer
can easily communicate with each other. So if you run a bedding cycle on the washer,
the unit will automatically know to pre-select the bedding option when you start the dryer.
In addition to the height savings from only having one control panel, LG was able to shave
a few inches from the bottom of the dryer to move the dryer door into a more accessible
position letting you reach all the way into the back without a step stool.
Are you still nervous you won't be able to reach inside? Come to one of our showrooms
to test it out firsthand. We are excited to be getting our display unit installed any
day now.
While LG has done a lot of great things with the WashTower, we do have a few gripes with
the design. For starters, the doors on the washer and dryer are not reversible, and have
a hinge on the left side, so they open from right to left. This is fine if your hookups
are in the middle or left side of your laundry room however if they’re against the right
side wall, it makes it much harder to access and load your laundry. This may completely
preclude some people from getting this setup. Also, the dryer is a vented, meaning the dryer
vents to the outside, which is the norm for most units this size, but nonetheless unfortunate
if you live in an apartment. Apartment dwellers in big cities stand to gain the most from
the space savings benefits of the WashTower, but usually dryers in apartments are ventless
and don’t have a way to vent outside, so you might be out of luck.
Once you install the WashTower, you might be asking yourself, what can I do with all
this extra space?
LG has some great ideas to get you started. With a stacked laundry pair, you can pick
up space for all sorts of things, like a small closet for hanging clothes, or a convenient
pet bath.
Now that you have a better understanding of what makes LG’s WashTower unique, let’s
break down the different series available.
Are you on Instagram? Follow us @designerappliances to see real-life laundry room renovations
and get ideas to make the most of your living spaces!
LG currently has three different WashTower models available. As you go up in models,
you’ll pick up additional features and capacity, but we’ll cover all three so you understand
the differences.
First up is the WKE100 with electric dryer, or WKG101 with gas dryer, both available in
either white or graphite steel
This entry level WashTower typically retails for about $2000. Keep in mind, prices fluctuate
throughout the year and we typically have mail in rebates that help you save money on
certain items. At 4.5 cu. Ft. the washer is large enough to fit a king size comforter.
All of LG’s WashTowers come with WiFi technology which allows you to start, stop and monitor
your laundry remotely using an app. At my own home we love getting notifications when
the wash is done because it let’s us quickly move the laundry into the dryer. This helps
us get more laundry done in less time.
There are 6 pre-programmed cycles including normal, bedding, heavy duty, delicates, speed
wash and an option to download a cycle from LG, as well as 9 wash options, including an
allergen option, sanitize option, and a steam wash (there is no steam dryer to release wrinkles
however, you’ll need to upgrade to the next model for that). With all those cycles and
options it can be overwhelming to pick the right one for your specific load, so LG built
smart sensors into the machine to detect the type of fabric you are washing to best clean
your clothes.
Another cool technology feature is the download a cycle option. With your smart device, you
can download a customized cycle right to your machine. Check out the link in the description
for all of the downloadable options. LG has specialty cycles for just about anything,
from carefully cleaning denim to removing stains from sportswear. The only downside
is you can only have one custom cycle downloaded to your machine at a time.
https://www.lg.com/us/support/help-library/cycles-and-options-front-load-washer-CT10000010-1337797444134
A little convenience feature that might go unnoticed at first is LG’s SmartLearner
functionality, which remembers your favorite settings. For example on my current washer
and dryer, I need to select the cycle, and then since I prefer to wash with cold water,
every time I need to change the temperature from the default of warm. LG will remember
your preferences so the next time you wash your clothes you don’t need to change the
settings to suit your needs.
Next up is the WKEX200 with electric dryer, or WKGX201 with gas dryer, both available
in either white or black steel
This is LG’s most popular WashTower and goes for about $2299 and carries over all
of the same features as the previous, plus you’ll also pick up LG’s TurboWash as
well as steam in the dryer which helps to soften fabrics and remove wrinkles.
TurboWash is really impressive and worth the upgrade. It has the power to clean large loads
in under 30 minutes. Unlike some express cycles that are just meant for lightly soiled small
loads (like the SpeedWash on the previous model we talked about), TurboWash can handle
a full load in a fraction of the time. To put this into perspective, the normal cycle
on most front load washers is at least 50-60 minutes.
And finally we have the LG Studio WSEX200HNA with electric dryer, or WSGX201HNA
with gas dryer, only available in a lighter gray color LG calls Noble Steel
This pair jumps up in price by $500 to about $2799. With that you’ll mainly just pick
up extra capacity. The washer increases in size from 4.5 cu. Ft. to 5 cu. Ft., which
is going to let you get more laundry done at one time. Most washers in this category
and size are huge and take about 28” in width or more but LG has managed to keep the
dimensions tight at a standard 27” width while still giving you this huge internal
capacity. Just watch out for the depth on these models. These are 3” deeper than the
previous model we talked about. If you have a tight closet space that may be something
you want to consider. Also if you are like me, my laundry room has pull down stairs to
access our attic. My attic stairs literally clear my washer and dryer by about 1 mm. Just
something to keep in mind.
When we recommend a product, we want you to have the full picture before making your decision.
So what’s the one reason why the LG WashTower might not be a good fit for your home?
Have questions yet or need help deciding? Comment below. Don’t forget to subscribe
and check out the description below for more information about our top picks.
There’s a lot to like about the new LG WashTower. However it’s biggest strength is also one
of the biggest weaknesses in our opinion. Since the WashTower is one single unit, if
either your washer or dryer breaks after a few years, you’ll need to replace the entire
unit, not just the part that broke. Since the WashTower is brand new, we’ll need to
see how reliable they are in the long term, but LG is constantly rated as one of the most
reliable laundry brands in the world so you should be fine. Just to be safe you might
want to consider an extended warranty to keep yourself protected. Also, since this is one
single unit, it weighs a ton at over 300 lbs. If you are planning to install this yourself
you might want to think twice. Even if you aren’t installing it yourself, if you were
planning on having a professional, like someone from the Designer Appliances team, bring the
WashTower up a flight of stairs, let us know ahead of time so we can send extra team members
to assist. This may increase the overall delivery and installation cost.
The LG WashTower is a brand new concept, so we understand you might still have questions,
so leave us a comment below and we’ll get back to you quickly, OR if you’re looking
to make a purchase or see it in person, either shop online or visit one of our New Jersey
and New York area showrooms and our experts would be happy to help. We’ll include links
to purchase and to our locations in the description.
Thanks for watching! Please subscribe to our channel where we provide helpful tips and
advice that will make you an educated appliance shopper.