The pedestals that elevate many front-load washers off the floor have long seemed like lost space. Sure, some of them double as storage drawers, but couldn’t that room be used to add some serious functionality? Beginning December 20, LG plans to deliver just that with its new range of Twin Wash laundry machines, which are capable of handling two loads at once.
The big innovation is LG’s new SideKick pedestal, which contains a separate washer that slides open like a drawer beneath the primary washing machine. With a capacity of 1 cubic foot, the SideKick is significantly smaller than a regular front-load washer, but presents a solution for those laundry days when you would otherwise be left waiting to wash a small, second load of delicates or bright colors. “You can do two different types of laundry loads – one in the front-load laundry and one in the SideKick pedestal washer – at the same time,” says David VanderWaal, vice president of marketing for LG Electronics USA. The SideKick has enough capacity, he notes, to wash a three-pound load of intimates or five to six shirts at the same time.
In addition to the complete Twin Wash units, which will retail for $1,399 to $1,799, LG will offer the SideKick pedestals as a standalone purchase, for $699 to $899, for people who already own one of the company’s other washers. SideKick is designed to work with almost any LG front-load washer manufactured since 2009.