How hhgregg and Maytag are Filling My Home with Happy!

Last week I attended a blogging event at an hhgregg store here in the Chicago area. I had been wanting to visit a store for a while, but I just had not made my way into one yet. I knew that when I did enter, I would fall in love. More on that in a minute. First I need to tell you about a bit about my how I do laundry. What? Yes! Laundry. 🙂

When I got my home built in 2006 one of the things that attracted me to this model was the fact that the laundry *room* is on the 2nd floor. It is in the hall right outside 4 of the 5 bedrooms. This was PERFECT for me because when we started building I had just found out that I was pregnant with my 2nd set of twins. I was thinking about the hassle that it would be to trek down 2 flights to the basement every day to do laundry while pregnant and then after pregnancy with 2 toddlers and 2 newborns. I did not want to do it!

To this day that it is still one of my favorite things about this house. I very often do laundry late at night before bed. I love that I can throw in a load and then lay in bed, or get things ready for the next day while I wait for the signal to change the load. The washer is just steps away and I do not have to carry clothes up and down the stairs. It has served me very well. Although, there are some issues with my setup.

#1 When they installed the lines for my units, they put them in reversed. My dryer is on the left and the washer is on the right. This is a problem because I have front loaders, so when I open the doors, they crash. The door on my dryer can be reversed, but the one on the washer cannot, so switching them won't help. So I am constantly going around the doors to move things from the washer to the dryer.

#2 When we got the units we did not get pedestals. Why? I have no idea! So when I put in laundry I am either bending down or sitting on the carpet in front of the washer.

#3 Since they are front loaders the tops of them have become a junkyard of things that I just need to stash in a closet in a hurry. LOL! This is not a problem with setup, just a problem with me. 🙂 I promise to do better. You will see why in a minute!

#4 The washer does not hold quite as much as I would like. With 4 kids sometimes loads can be quite full. Then, of course, we have bedding, comforters, coats, and other large items… even stuffed animals!

So back to my visit hhgregg! Last week I attended a blogger lunch event at the hhgregg store in Orland Park, IL. We got to learn a lot about the store and their partnership with Maytag. I have been loving Maytag lately because of the commercials that include one of my favs, Colin Ferguson. Did I tell you about the time that I stalked him in LA?? Uhh anyway… We learned about the “Fill Your Home with Happy” campaign. Have you seen that cute commercial that is airing now? If you have a child that loves to play with boxes you will love and appreciate it.

The overall theme of the event was laundry room trends. Gone are the days of going down to the dark, dirty basement to do laundry. As mentioned above laundry rooms are now very often in the center of the home. They are in rooms off the kitchen, mudrooms, or even on the 2nd story. In fact, if you ever watch House Hunters International you will see the washer is very often in the kitchen. I can't say that I would want mine right there, but I do love having it in a central location.

We participated in a laundry room trends Twitter party during the event using the #HappyHome hashtag. Some lucky attendees won Maytag irons and vacuums. Check out that hashtag to see some great tips and ideas on how to fill your home with happy.

As for the laundry room… Laundry appliances come in three major designs: traditional top load, front load and high-efficiency (HE) top load. Another growing trend (and my favorite) is steam technology in washers and dryers. As a key cleaning component, steam is a sanitizing agent in washers. This is ideal for children’s clothes, gym clothes (ewww) or linens. And as an added bonus having steam means that you don't have to iron! Now, this is a perfect segway…

During the event, I won a new Maytag washer and dryer with steam technology!! I am soooo happy! I'm usually the one that wins something like baby bottles, juice, socks, or other random items that I cannot use. LOL! I never win the good stuff. I am very excited! On the way to me are a Maytag Bravos XL® 4.8 Cu. Ft. High-Efficiency Top-Load Washer and Maytag 7.3 Cu. Ft. Bravos XL® Steam Electric Dryer. Woot!!

These will be SO perfect for my life!! You see… I HATE IRONING!! I never do it if I can help it. I only do it when truly necessary. 🙂 I usually do a load of laundry before I go to bed. Then in the morning I throw my kid's uniforms back in the dryer, turn it on for like 15 minutes and smooth them out when warm. Ideal? No. But it keeps me from ironing. So with this new steam technology dryer, I will be one happy camper!

hhgregg is currently working on a brand transformation in all of their 228 stores to let consumers know that it is a great place to get home appliances and furniture in addition to televisions, stereos, cameras, and more. And they are doing great things! One of the is offering consumers a 90-day price match guarantee. You can use the Ultimate Price Center to check prices of local and online retailers to ensure that you are getting the best price. And if the price changes within 90 days you get the difference + more!

To help you go out and get your kids some new boxes (and yourself something shiny!) hhgregg is giving one of my readers a $25 hhgregg gift card!

We had a great time at the event! Now good luck and happy shopping. 🙂