[rhema]

Or "The laundry needs washed." No, the laundry needs TO BE washed. Or the laundry needs WASHING. "Washed" is never a noun, so whatever the laundry needs, it must be some form of verb.

You're right, and if I remember my high-school grammar instruction correctly, both constructions that follow the transitive verb needs are direct objects, so the infinitive phrase to be washed and the gerund washing both have noun functions in each sentence.

[IronJack]

Both are objects of the verb "needs," and therefore, need to be nouns or noun forms. Youre memorree iz korekt.

[Conservative4Ever]

Also...the subject is never found the the prepositional phrase. Thank you Mr. Burk for drumming that into my head in 8th grate English.