Ahhh...nary a thread on this site has warmed me more then a new washer and dryer.
VERY nice set, too!
We (over)spent on a new set a few years ago when our old top-loading washer broke mid-wash cycle and never stopped filling. The laundry room is on the ground floor around the corner from the kitchen....above the furnace. I was standing in the kitchen when my daughter asked me where the water in the hall was coming from (it was rushing down the hallway on top of the berber carpeting). HOLY SHIT. We had 2 inches of water in the furnace room and it was coming out of the light switches and electrical sockets in the 'man room' downstairs. My husband was not amused.
So, now we have a very nice set of front loaders (black) with the pedestals. That's where I usually keep the detergents and such, but yea, it's much easier to just keep that stuff on the shelf over the washer.