My college experience was fairly typical; studying on the weeknights, parties on the weekends and laundry on Saturday mornings. In those days, my laundry slog involved dragging a massive mesh bag stuffed with clothing down two flights of stairs to the wash dungeon. Once inside the basement washing facility, rows of rickety washers and dryers churned and spun, filling the dank room with the smell of sweaty clothes, detergent and perfume-scented dryer sheets.
Thankfully, my laundry slog days are behind me. The convenience of owning an in-home laundry set makes dragging clothing to a shared laundry room seem less than desirable. Yet today, many mid to high end multi-family buildings offer only dorm-style shared laundry facilities to residents.
Survey results commissioned by leading developers have found in-unit laundry to be the most desired resident amenity. And other than the college crowd, who wants to put up with the inconveniences of a coin-op laundry room?
With condensing (ventless) laundry options now available, there’s no excuse not to add in-unit laundry to a new or existing development. Best of all, in-unit laundry pays for itself over time by increasing property values are rental rates.
Thor Appliance Company (www.ThorAppliances.com) offers a full line of washer dryer combos and stacking washers and ventless dryers that can be easily installed anywhere a water source, electrical connection and drain line are accessible. And the elimination of the dryer vent means that cumbersome vent duct installation and vent line maintenance are no longer an issue.
Today’s ventless laundry machines are not only more efficient than vented dryers; they also offer comparable dry times and are easier on clothing (for more details on ventless dryer technology, see the “Drying Old School” post).
If you’re a developer or property manager looking to upgrade to in-unit laundry, take a closer look at Thor’s line of compact washers and dryers. While we may never eliminate the need to wash and dry clothing, we can guarantee a shorter commute.
