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Original poster

Who has a combined washing machine/tumble dryer - are they really as crap as people say?

51 replies

AlwaysWantedToBeATenenbaum · 29/12/2018 14:01

We have quite a small house with a tiny area beside our downstairs bathroom where our washing machine usually is. I have a 2 year old DS and a little girl on the way and I’m sick of our clothes horse forever sitting in the kitchen so we thought a combined washer/dryer is the answer. However everyone and their friend keeps telling us how shit they are. Can anyone who has one tell me what they’re like? Thanks!

OP posts:
TheNewYear · 29/12/2018 14:39

It’s fine for washing but, unless it something like the bath mat or tea towel, we use the tumbler for drying clothes.

LeafCutterAnt · 29/12/2018 14:39

I had a Bosch one. It worked ok for finishing sheets off etc. I do remember it left clothes a lot more creased than my washing machine only does now. So a lot more ironing required

Omgineedanamechange · 29/12/2018 14:40

Love mine, had it years, wouldn’t swap back to separate machines. Big drum too. You just need to do your research, some models are crap, some are good, check the drying capacity too cos on some models it’s a lot lower than the washing capacity.

ChanandlerBongsNeighbour · 29/12/2018 14:40

I've always had a combi and had no prob with them. Go for it.

RJnomore1 · 29/12/2018 14:43

I had a smeg one and I loved it.

I then bought an indesit one because which rated it really highly at about half the price of the other top ones and I hate it.

I think I once had a zanussi one that was ok.

Tartyflette · 29/12/2018 14:45

Mine is a Miele so ££££ but the washer is excellent and the drier is good enough for me. Yes, it won’t take a full load on the drying cycle but two or three towels and a couple of other small bits come out beautifully fluffy after about an hour, and, best of all, if you take everything out as soon as the drying cycle finishes and fold straight away it needs very little ironing . Great for cotton jersey. (Bedding goes to the ironing parlour anyway)

Fabulouslyfatatfifty · 29/12/2018 14:50

I have one - it was in a house I bought six months ago. It is a neff built in thing and now 15 years old. It’s fine but I only partially dry towels and sheets in the winter. The worst thing about it is the drum size (much small than I am used to).

Not sure how long it will last for but I will probably get another one for the convenience of it.

Tartyflette · 29/12/2018 14:55

It also came with a 5 yr guarantee (now expired - had it 10 years +)

adagio · 29/12/2018 14:55

I had one and as pp have said, dryer is small capacity, takes ages and everything came out really creased - and you obv can’t wash while it’s busy drying, so in practice I very very rarely used it as there was always another load to wash so I couldn’t tie it up for 3 hours for half the bed (it wouldn’t fit a full king size set had to do sheet separate to duvet cover). Laundrette would dry 3 wash loads as one so worked well for occasional use (eg all bedding and towels and dressing gowns), plus airer with dehumidifier for the rest of the time. Now got a separate white knight dryer in the garage and it is amaze balls 😁.

HaudYerWheestHen · 29/12/2018 15:00

I had one and hated it. I couldn't get a load of washing on while another dried and when I did use the dryer it came out kinda damp and a little smelly. Plus it took twice as long to get to even that point.

Do you have enough room for a stacked washer and dryer?

If not it is better than nothing.

MaverickSnoopy · 29/12/2018 15:25

I have a matchbox size house, every inch of which is utilised. Literally no space for separate machines. So it's a washer dryer or nothing.

I had a Beko for 3 years which was fine for the first 2, but the dryer broke down regularly thereafter. I got rid of it in the end and replaced it with a Bosch which has been brilliant. Don't get me wrong, separate machines would be better, but with no alternative it's the best I'm going to get. Drying doesn't take too long and doesn't come out creased at all. I'm happy with it. As a family of 5 I use it a lot during winter but hang everything outdoors in the summer. I also have a Lakeland heated airer that I use.

Athena51 · 29/12/2018 15:40

I've got a Hotpoint one and it's brilliant. I don't have room for separate ones. Most of the time it's just my washing though, I don't think they are ideal for families.

Oopsy41 · 29/12/2018 15:43

I hated mine and would never have one again, luckily we had it insured when we bought it and the dryer broke 14 times in 2 years. After that we didn't bother using the dryer bit. We still haven't got room inside for a separate one but have a small shed that's just for another freezer and a separate dryer

PivotPivotPIVOTTT · 29/12/2018 15:48

I had one until recently and the stuff took hours to dry. Some days I'd run 2x 3 hour drying cycles and the stuff would still be damp Angry. Mine broke a few weeks ago mid drying and I was left with no washer or dryer. The thing I miss most is being able to dry underwear and socks in it as I HATE hanging them up to dry they fall behind the radiators etc and just annoy me.

Gazelda · 29/12/2018 15:52

I have a Bosch and I'm happy with it.

I only use it in winter/poor weather.

I wash a load then take out items that dry better on an airer or are delicate. Put all of those on an airer next to a dehumidifier which runs while the tumbler programme on the washer/drier dries the remainder.

I can wash, dry and iron a full load in about 4-5 hours by using this combination.

yips · 29/12/2018 15:54

I got one because I live in a tiny one-bed flat and genuinely just didn't have room for two machines. It's a cheap and cheerful second hand one I found on Shpock for £70 (including delivery up 2 flights of stairs!) and I really can't complain for that price. Everything comes out clean and dry as long as I don't overload it, and I do love not having to wait in to swap a load over. Only problem is it doesn't have a 'dry only' option, so if I overload it and stuff comes out still slightly wet I have to just air dry it.

workshyfop · 29/12/2018 15:59

Mine is a AEG one and it’s fine. You have to limit what you put in the dryer, but it’ll dry a bedding set and a couple of hand towels in just over an hour. I don’t use it for everything, mainly sheets, duvet covers, towels, shirts, school uniform. Anything cotton basically.

MickHucknallspinkpancakes · 29/12/2018 17:28

Op can you not get a separate condenser dryer in a shed or in your bathroom?

Just stayed in a holiday rental with a combination washer dryer (Siemens) and there seemed one cycle of drying which took nearly two hours regardless of what was in it!

My dryer seems to measure weight and moisture as it drys and changes the drying speed, it's much faster.

Plus the frustration of not being able to wash when you're drying and vice versa.

QuantumWeatherButterfly · 29/12/2018 17:34

I had one for years and thought it was fine. Of course separates are better but if you haven't got space, you haven't got space. Mine was an Indesit. It washed as well as any washer in that price bracket (though with a smaller capacity due to the drying mechanism taking up space), the drying took longer but it got there in the end. And I used to love putting dirty towels in at night and waking up in the morning to find them clean, dry and fluffy!

JessicaPeach · 29/12/2018 20:13

I have a samsung one and I'm really pleased with it. Before you buy one you really need to research and be clear about what you want to use it for. I got mine because I was sick of loads of washing hanging round on airers all the time. My ds has not long started school so I'm on a quick turnaround with the uniform and really I'd like to complete one load of washing a day end to end without having to wait a while for it to dry. I have got a separate tumble dryer that I don't use in our side shed, cba to go out and use it at all.

I got the washer dryer and I find that about half of each load I'm happy to tumble and the rest fits on the radiators so I can get a full load washed, dried and put away easily in a morning. I don't tumble towels, sheets, jeans or anything like that, it's all light weight stuff and takes no longer than an hour on the low temp dry setting.

I'm not sure it could replace a tumble for someone used to hammering them separately and tumbling everything they wash but for me it's cut a lot of work out and saved me a fair amount of time. As someone said above they are definitely better than no dryer at all and somewhere in between no dryer and separates!

TheCrowFromBelow · 29/12/2018 20:34

My AEG washes a 7 kg load and dries about half of it in 1hr - 1.5 hrs, mainly used for towels, bedding, school uniform and underwear.

It works better on the timer than on the drying level optionwhich always stops it too early.

It’s fine for us as I line dry in spring/summer and we have a lot of football kit etc that won’t tumble dry anyway so I use a heated aired as well.

Original poster
AlwaysWantedToBeATenenbaum · 29/12/2018 21:42

Thanks so much for all your replies - we have no garden shed or outside space at all so that’s a no no. A neighbour has taken out a cupboard like someone suggested but every cupboard is full to the brim unfortunately. I think we’ll do a good bit of research and see what options we have - I’ve noted down a lot of what you all have mentioned to show DH so thanks again!

OP posts:
groundcontroltomontydon · 29/12/2018 22:32

I had an LG one and it was brilliant. The bigger drum made a difference.

FOTTOSOFTFOSM · 30/12/2018 00:03

Mines a Hoover one and I've no issues with it. Dries a half load in about 90 mins which is the same as my stand alone dried was. Drier is lower capacity than washer so I tend to split the load in half or just remove stuff which won't go in the dryer.

It's still going strong after over 5 years of use for a 5 person household.

Heyha · 30/12/2018 00:14

I love ours, it's only a beko so nothing fancy. However ours has different drying settings and I usually only ever set to "iron dry" which means things need an hour or two on the clothes horse after to dry out fully. Much better than a house full of wet clothes drying on radiators though and we don't have room for both, so the combi is an absolute godsend for us when washing can't go on the line (so most of the time!)