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Original poster

I've been told not to get a washer/dryer as they are problematic

71 replies

Kittykat86 · 09/11/2024 11:21

Moving into a new house and don't have room for a dryer and washing machine so was going to get a washer dryer but my friend said she knows a few people that have had bad experience with them, not washing clothes properly, breaking down etc.
What is your experience if you have one? Would you recommend getting one? Thanks

OP posts:
TheLittleOldWomanWhoShrinks · 09/11/2024 12:06

Washing part of ours was fine. The dryer function might as well have not existed. When it died we replaced it with a washing machine only. A dehumidifier placed near our drying racks means that a load tends to dry within a day.

seashaken · 09/11/2024 12:11

We've got an AEG and it works well. This is our second one of the same model, the first had to be scrapped after the house was flooded. Current one is entering its 15th year of service.

nomorehocuspocus · 09/11/2024 12:16

They aren't the greatest for reliability and the drums tend to be smaller, but we only have a small house so it's Hobson's Choice for us really. If I was at home all day and could hang the washing out to dry all the time, then I'd just have a washing machine.

Kittybelle123 · 09/11/2024 12:17

I am having the exact same dilemma at the moment. I had Samsung one a few years back and, as everyone else has said, the washing bit was fine, the dryer just heated everything without drying?! It was very frustrating especially living in a house that suffers with damp. In the summer I peg out but I’m so fed up with heated airers / dehumidifiers / washing over the bannisters……

@ChunkyMunky and @HowYouSpellingThat10 your tabletop dryers - realistically how much can you get in? I have three double / king sized beds, would a load of bedding go in? Towels? Interested to hear your experiences of capacity! (Sorry to derail your thread slightly @Kittykat86 !)

Thursdaygirl · 09/11/2024 12:19

Mine was useless! I should have heeded all the warnings!

dontmindthegap · 09/11/2024 12:20

I can’t stand the hot rubber smell of the seal and I find it lingers on the clothes. Possibly people with a less acute sense of smell wouldn’t mind.

ChunkyMunky · 09/11/2024 12:27

Kittybelle123 · 09/11/2024 12:17

I am having the exact same dilemma at the moment. I had Samsung one a few years back and, as everyone else has said, the washing bit was fine, the dryer just heated everything without drying?! It was very frustrating especially living in a house that suffers with damp. In the summer I peg out but I’m so fed up with heated airers / dehumidifiers / washing over the bannisters……

@ChunkyMunky and @HowYouSpellingThat10 your tabletop dryers - realistically how much can you get in? I have three double / king sized beds, would a load of bedding go in? Towels? Interested to hear your experiences of capacity! (Sorry to derail your thread slightly @Kittykat86 !)

I split the bedding so will dry fitted sheet and pillow cases as one load, then the duvet cover separate (king size bed). Takes between 40 - 60 minutes for each load.

Towels are fine too. I tend to wash my towels with clothes so will put one big towel and a load of socks etc in the dryer, then hang more delicate items.

FreeFromFun · 09/11/2024 12:30

I love mine. Got a Zanussi. I spent a lot on it about £800 if I remember correctly. This is the second one I've had. First one is still going but exDP has custody (2013 bought). Yes it's true a tumble dryer does the job better but the dryer on this works bloody well for what I need it for. I'm happy. Just don't buy from Currys. They're awful.

MrsAvocet · 09/11/2024 12:32

Never had any problems with ours - the same Hoover as a PP mentioned. The single biggest issue is that they can't dry as much as they can wash so if you've done a big wash load you can't dry it all in one go. I suspect that at least some of th "they don't dry properly" complaints are because people don't realise this and have left the whole wash in, or at least not removed enough. We have lots of stuff like sports kit that can't be tumble dried though so that doesn't particularly bother me, and I try to dry outdoors whenever possible anyway. Plus now my DC have grown up and there's only DH and I at home most of the time the dryer doesn't get used that often so it seems pointless to have a separate appliance. I do like to tumble dry towels though and it's handy to have the option to use it in bad weather so a washer dryer is a good compromise for us. I probably wouldn't recommend one for a family with several small children where there's non stop laundry though.

RosieFlamingo · 09/11/2024 12:33

I've got a bosch and use it for towels and underwear. As long as you don't overload it, it works well.

Shinyandnew1 · 09/11/2024 12:37

We used to have one and it was dreadful. The dryer part didn’t dry properly so you’d just end up with hot wet clothes. It used to take for ever as well. It was made by Ariston and we used to despair, saying to went on and on 😂. We just used to use the washer part and hung stuff on an airer in the end.

Kittybelle123 · 09/11/2024 12:46

@ChunkyMunky that’s really helpful, thank you!

NoTouch · 09/11/2024 12:48

I've had 2 washer/dryers in 30ish years. Both died within 3-4 years. Current washing machine (no dryer) is 11 years old, I've had an engineer out to it once.

The last washer/dryer was the AEG their top of the range as we wanted something to last, the mother board went and it was not financially viable to fix after just 4 years. Engineer said washer/dryers are the worst for not only breaking down but not being fixable. We didn't even use the dryer part much, 2-3 times a month at most.

If you have the space separates are much better practically.

suburberphobe · 09/11/2024 12:51

I have a separate washing machine and dryer. Stacked on top of each other in the bathroom.

User364837 · 09/11/2024 12:54

Better than no dryer I think. Bosch one I had in a rental was fine for occasional/part load drying.
moved house where there was a washer already here and no space for dryer. Have tried managing without but just bought a dryer to go in the garage as finding it hard not having one at all but would totally have gone for a washer dryer.

Ginkypig · 09/11/2024 12:59

Can I suggest as an alternative just buying a washing machine but also a dehumidifier.

the dehumidifier has been a game changer for me I just stick it next to the clothes horse and a load is dry in a couple of hours.

or if I am doing a bigger lot il put it in the bathroom with two clothes horses and shut the door (it’s open a crack because of the cable) that’s two loads washed dried and then put away in an afternoon.

also the benefit is it pulls the water into the machine rather than being released into the house. You can use the water to water plants or other jobs which don’t require it to be fresh out the tap etc or chuck it down the sink.

DiliGaff · 09/11/2024 13:07

I had a washer dryer that caught fire years ago.

Then there was one in an Airbnb when we had to move out of our house due to storm damage. The handle broke off and we couldn't access my sons school uniform for over a week while the engineer tried to source parts

MaidOfAle · 09/11/2024 13:09

Ginkypig · 09/11/2024 12:59

Can I suggest as an alternative just buying a washing machine but also a dehumidifier.

the dehumidifier has been a game changer for me I just stick it next to the clothes horse and a load is dry in a couple of hours.

or if I am doing a bigger lot il put it in the bathroom with two clothes horses and shut the door (it’s open a crack because of the cable) that’s two loads washed dried and then put away in an afternoon.

also the benefit is it pulls the water into the machine rather than being released into the house. You can use the water to water plants or other jobs which don’t require it to be fresh out the tap etc or chuck it down the sink.

Edited

I second this.

I have a Meaco DDL8. Because it is a dessicant dehumidifier, it runs well in unheated spaces where compressor dehumidifiers would fail. It also heats the air as it dries it, which makes the washing dry even faster.

cherrytree12345 · 09/11/2024 13:32

In my last house I had separate machines, the dry was vented and great. I never damaged anything. When we downsized I bought a washer dryer, the dryer is really hot (even on delicate setting). I have ruined and shrunk a few garments, so now just use it for towels and pants etc. I have now bought a heated drying rack (and a small dehumidifier) which I use for jumpers/tops etc. Wish I could have my old dryer back. My current dryer is a condensing dryer, but I have read that heat pump washer/dryers are much better but I can't comment from personal experience.

JaneandtheLaundry · 09/11/2024 13:41

Ours is lovely. Had it 3 months now with no issues. Quieter than our old separate washer/dryer, too. We keep our old tumble dryer in the garage for emergencies e.g. when the kids had a vomiting bug last month and we were able to use the washer/dryer to just wash while the dryer dried. We had one before when we lived abroad and it was fine, too.
I think the problems start if you overload the washer, because wet washing weighs more than dry washing, and then the dryer can't dry effectively. I only fill it to about 2/3 to 3/4 full and do a shorter wash (ours has flexitime so you can shorten the wash cycle).

Talipesmum · 09/11/2024 13:45

We’ve got a John Lewis one, I think it’s Zanussi under the hood. It’s absolutely fine. I never tumble a whole load anyway so the different drying vs washing capacity doesn’t bother me. We had a separate condenser dryer and washing machine in our last place and the condenser dryer was no better than this combined washer dryer - I think if you can fit a vented one they are more efficient but this one is easier than the condenser as it doesn’t need emptying or anything.

It’s got a big drum to allow for the drying so it’s a great capacity washer as well. I find it a great compromise. We could have stacked a tumbler on top in our tiny corner, but we needed the shelf storage space more.

HappiestSleeping · 09/11/2024 13:48

@Kittykat86 as others have stated, the wash part is fine but the dry part isn't. This is because the wash cycle will cope with more clothes, so the way to overcome the issue is to wash a full load and then split into two for drying. The drier needs more space for the clothes to tumble.

BadForBusiness · 09/11/2024 13:50

I'd walk around the whole house with a tape measure and look for some where with a 60cm space where you can tuck in a condenser tumble dryer. You don't need to plumb it in, just find somewhere where the noise won't bother you. Ideally somewhere where the extra heat will be useful in winter.

We put ours under the stairs and it was a game changer.

HelenHywater · 09/11/2024 13:50

yeah it's a pain - the dryer doesn't work on a full load. Washing function is fine though. I do have a separate dryer but it's being a bit temperamental at the moment too. I wish I could afford a miele or similar.

Aliflowers · 09/11/2024 13:53

Yep when we moved into our house we knew we eventually wanted to do extension/new kitchen but were limited with space so decided on a washer dryer. The dryer was utter shite. It was an 8kg capacity for washer but anything bigger than a tea towel and the dryer struggled to work. You could put it on for 2hrs and end up with warm wet clothes. It was a zanussi and it wasn’t a case of not splitting the load. I once put a pair of jeans belonging to DH in it nothing else and they wouldn’t dry. I think I left them out of pure frustration for about 4hrs and they were still wet 🤣

so I bought a stand alone dryer and put it in the shed