Poor drying from washer drier - can it be improved?

[Passmethecrisps]

Hello,

Riveting thread for you all for a Saturday night.

We have a washer drier but find the quality of the drying of very poor. Clothes take a long time and come up massively crumpled.

I have tried reducing the number of items in the drum and while this helps a bit things still look awful.

We have a clothes airer but I find that things go stale very quickly and I hate my house looking like a laundrett.

Any tips would be gratefully appeciated.

Has it always been rubbish at drying, or gotten worse over time? Our old dryer deteriorated over two years until I had a chap out to fix another bit of it. He cleaned out loads of fluff that had escaped through the filter and spread all over the innards of the machine. It was much improved after that and I bought a new and better-fitting filter which maintained the performance.

I prefer to line dry though, as the tumbler tends to shrink stuff (and the kids are not great at removing untumblerables before moving to the next machine). So I hang it out most of the year round and finish in the tumbler. I have a rotary airer that stands up on legs instead of plunging into the ground (from a caravan supplies shop). This means I can move it to sunnier spots and also bring it inside when going out or when the heavens suddenly open without having to unpeg it all. When it's very wet, I put the airer in the bathroom (window ajar) overnight and then finish the damp stuff in the tumber in the morning.

I have had several washer dryers, and mine have all been good. Are you using the longest possible time? They do take ages to dry stuff - doesn't mean it doesn't work, just that it is slow. My current one supposedly has a sensor, but I do find if I fill it then I need to put it on maximum "cupboard dry" regardless. With the crumpling, I know it is a pain but it makes a huge difference to wash, take everything out, give it a shake/snap, put it back in and put on to dry.

Thanks for the replies.

It has always been poor at drying. Things come out crispy and with deep creases or still a bit wet.

I do prefer line drying but we haven't had a fully dry day here for about 2 months in honesty and I hate hanging washing out for it to get rained on while I am at work.

I also use the 'cupboard dry' option and have taken to doing the take out and 'snap' before putting back in. Mine also has a 'sensor' - I wonder if we have the same model?

I suspect a small load every day might be the answer.

I found with my Hoover one it was just rubbish.

I pop a small dry hand towel and dryer balls into my washer dryer when it's on a dry cycle, seems to be ok. Drys quicker and things are much less creased than when I did it without them.

Good tip, west. I might try that

You can't dry a full load in a washer dryer. Need to take out washing, shake out and then return 1/2 to machine. Then remove straight away once cycle finished, shake and fold or hang.
My experience with washer dryers is that they are not good for regular use, just the odd emergency or to finish off line dried.

I have a washer drier and always have to split the washed load in half to dry it. I put each one on for 90 minutes and have to take the clothes out as soon as they are dry and fold them up. Just realised my machine is on for four hours for every load of washing I do!!!

This is why I decided not to buy a washer dryer and line dry outside instead. I work from home though so I'm able to bring airer in from showers/rain etc.

Glad it sounds like it is only only me then!

The first washer I had when I left home was a washer dryer. Like others have said, it took hours to dry anything and creased everything up to hell. It was forever shrinking things too and got ridiculously hot.

Best part about leaving that flat was being able to buy a separate washer and dryer.