Why is no one talking about how great washer dryers are?

[CTW23]

After years of yearning after a tumble dryer to make my life so much easier with 2 small children, I finally settled on a washer dryer because I don't have the room for 2 machines. I was worried because lots of people had said they leave washing wet.

WELL, this is just not true. My washer dryer is... amazing. Life changing. I love it.

Anyone on the fence. Get one. It works perfectly!

No way in hell would I be prepared to dry washing on radiators. You’re asking for humidity problems. And not to mention scruffy, crispy clothes. I hope that poster isn’t in a rented accommodation because you’re creating a world of problems if you are!!

Mine is LG and takes 3 hrs for towels and bedding.

I really like them - they suit my needs perfectly in certain weather/circumstances. I also use an airer/dehumidifier indoors, and line dry when possible. What the washer dryer adds is flexibility.

I used to have one, hated it at first - washing came out hot and wet!! Until I found the secret!! Put on wash cycle only, use dry cycle when tha wash cycle is finished. No idea why but stops the hot/wet scenario!!

Becasue they are not great.

I bought one at my last place and while I have few regrets in life, buying the washer dryer is one. I'd have to remove the washing and dry in part loads and even then it would take forever. Would have been much better (and cheaper) to get a heated rail and a dehumidifier.

I've always had a washer/dryer OP. I don't find it takes too long to dry a full load although now I no longer have little ones the only time I use the dryer is for towels!

You're wondering who can't line-dry their clothes?
Me.
Because we don't have a washing line.
We don't have any outside space, not even a balcony.
Same for every single neighbour in our whole block of flats.
It's not unusual.

We still don't have a washer-dryer though, because we tried two (both AEG) and they were both useless.

We have a clothes horse and a dehumidifier. There are 4 of us.

In my head washer-dryers don't work just like a fridge-oven wouldn't work. Two totally separate functions. Taking multi-tasking too far 😂

I had one about 20 years ago - it took ages to dry anything. Waste of time.

This above is what I do and it doesn't work for me.

I also can't stop it mid cycle and open the door to let the steam out, like another poster mentioned. If I did that, I'd have to permanently stop the drying cycle then restart it with a new drying cycle, taking even longer.

I hate my hotpoint too :(
4hours to do a full load 10kg, and 3hours for a half load! I seriously regret not finding this out before buying it.

Over the past 35 years, I've had 5 washer /dryers. The first was a real boon when dcs were tiny and I struggled to get washing dry outside. I've always taken out breakdown insurance. My second machine was a real pain, so much so the insurance company replaced it after 11 months. Apart from that, I've been happy with all of them. Yes, they may not dry as quickly as separate machines, but when you are severely limited for space, it stops having damp washing hanging around for days on end. My current machine has a 1600 spin speed which makes a huge difference to the dry time. My current machine is a John Lewis own brand.
ETA I always use the eco wash which takes longer but is much cheaper than using the shorter cycles. Last year,in my old machine, I only dried towels and underwear, this year in the new one I do virtually everything and it costs less than last year.

I have an old fashioned Victorian drying rack over the stairs. Dries a couple of loads at a time takes 24-48 hours but works for us and keeps the leccy bills down. Had incontinent child for several years so daily duvet/bedding wash. Worked a treat.

They’re great when they work but it’s when they break it’s crap, I love mine when it works but have to pay insurance for the repairs. Which actually if I’d have saved that insurance money we probably could’ve bought a better one by now.
great for towels but that’s the problem all the lint that you can’t remove 🤦🏽‍♀️

we bought a dehumidifier last year with a laundry function and actually love it for drying stuff, even towels, although I’d rather have the dryer for that. But can’t fault it. Towels are dry in a good few hours (maybe 4/5 hours) which without it I don’t know what we would do.

So you tumble dry absolutely anything you put in the washing machine? Even when the label etc clearly says “do not tumble dry” ?

I stick mine on an an airer and turn on a dehumidifer and shit the door on that room which has laundry settings and plus with the heating on it dries much quicker usually 1-2hrs.

In spring summer it goes outside.

Side benefit is whole house smells lovely as it dries

I do in winter yes. Clothes have to be tough to survive here.

It's not unreasonable to expect cotton to be tumble dryable so I'm not surprised the poster puts her shirts in. Do Not Whatever on the label just means they haven't tested it, not that something will definitely go wrong if you do it. I've killed a few things but most are fine.

The dryer part of the problem, for me, is needing to put things on the high heat to dry properly. That's what shrinks things. If I had a separate machine I'd use the low heat, because I could and it'll still be dry in an hour. With a separate machine I can also keep opening the door periodically to have a feel and see if the clothes are done yet, my washer dryer doesn't allow door opening mid cycle and there's no option to choose the time of the cycle either, the machine chooses how long it takes, so no putting it back in for an extra half hour because it's still damp.

Where does the lint go @Missy1213 ? I thought it washed away down the drain.

Actually that's another bug-bear. All the washing machines I've had would remove pet hair, and bits of whatever, from clothes and it got washed away. The washer dryer does one of two things. Either the pet hair is still on the clothes after the wash, albeit clean pet hair now. Or it's partially on the clothes and partially in a little hairy layer coating the dryer with a little ball of clean detritus in the bottom. PITA. Where's it's sucking power? Or whatever the correct term is for removing pet hair and bits from clothes and washing it down the drain during the wash cycle.

@CandlesAndCrystals okay, well good luck with that. I don’t know where you live, but we wear a lot of woolly jumpers in this house in winter in Derbyshire.

I had a Hotpoint washer dryer. Always had to remove half the washload to then dry,then socks and the like got trapped in the door and minced up..I line dry when possible (I have solar, which mainly dictates when I do washing. Separate dryer now,has to be in the shed, Hotpoint,LG dryer. No clothes on radiators,it makes them go rusty eventually,steams the wallpaper loose..I have a south facing porch I stick a common or garden airer in, when it's sunny,no wind. DD had a washer dryer small flat in a cupboard, also hated it.

Hotpoint dryer, vented,LG washing machine.

If you really don't have the space for a tumble dryer and only use it occasionally when it's raining for weeks on end then a washer dryer is better than nothing.

But I'd always advise walking round your whole home with a tape measure and see whether there's any 60cm corner where you can possibly squeeze in a tumble dryer. It doesn't have to be downstairs and it doesn't have to be plumbed in.

Maybe because they are not? If you have a full load it takes longer to dry than if you had a separate dryer, they break down more frequently than separate machines….. if you have a half sized dryer it’s more efficient than a washer/dryer if you get the right make… also if you have separate machines you can wash one load while you dry another

You shouldn't be trying to dry a full load in a washer dryer.

And that’s why they’re shit.

So do I. What's your point? You have some magic way of drying them that doesn't involve the dryer? Please tell! I just charity shop the ones that shrink and buy more next year.

Mine has a helpful arrow on it. Well two. Fill to here for washing and fill to here for drying. I use the drying amount for the wash too, because splitting a load is a PITA. It still doesn't dry it 100% properly.