Washer dryer? Are they worth it?

[Liveyourbestlife123]

Hi all, just as the above really. I am soon to move into a small rental property and space is limited. The will be myself and my two children. What are your experiences of a washar dryer? Are they worth the extra money? are there particular brands you would avoid? Would you just not bother and stick with an airer and a standard washing machine? Thanks in advance for your opinions.

---

This thread is a little old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for washer dryer recommendations, we’ve recently updated our best washer dryers page with lots of great options, as tried and tested by Mumsnet users. We hope you find it useful.
MNHQ

Not for me, I live in a housing association flat and they come with the property, I'm currently awaiting a repairman to visit and look at my machine. this is the 4th time in 11 years and each time I have had to replace it totally and the repairman says that's the usual course of action as they are so rubbish!
Possibly as the ones supplied could be the lower quality ones but still...
Depends how else you would dry your clothes, I have no outsde space but rarely use the dryer anyway.

I've had one and I just found it a faff to be honest, especially when you have multiple wash loads, it's double the time. A heated airer could perhaps be a better bet?

Following with interest, about to move into a small unit.

We had one in our short term rental a few weeks ago and it was amazing. Honestly, a proper lifesaver.

We found that the washer dryer didn't work for us when we had DC. You can't wash a load whilst another dries so we couldn't get through all the extra washing DC1 created. Ours also could only dry half a load at a time so we had to either only wash half loads or pull out half of it- which made drying a full load take even longer. If you do get one I'd look out for that. If you've got space you might be better with a standard washing machine and a heated airer. That way you can wash and dry at the same time.

No no no no no no!

We have a Hotpoint washer dryer, it's lasted 5 years with no problems so far (touch wood!). I usually only use the dryer for 40 minutes and finish them off on the radiators though. Ours is a very big one as well which I love because less loads

I found ours rubbish and washing always had a burnt plastic smell - never smelt of the softener. Could you stack a dryer on the washer with a stacking kit?

I had an Indesit one, it was fine if you wanted to dry socks and underwear but everything else came out creased so badly I couldn't even iron it properly. Never again. Sorry.

I’ve just ordered a candy one. The drying part for emergencies only really... I’ve had one before. I tend to use an airer normally but get stuff on the line when it’s nice. I do have a bed wetter though so drying sheets or school uniform was handy if it rains - it rains a lot here.

The issue with the is the drum size. A dryer drum is typically a lot larger than what's on a washing machine so it ends up not being as effective. Also they tend to wear out quicker.

I used to have one in a rental and it was rubbish, we bought a heated airer from Lakeland and it did a much better job at drying while loads. I did still use it occasionally if I needed something quickly but not often enough that it would be worth spending much more on it.

Pastic drying racks by heaters / radiators & sunny windows are great. Use free heat or get double use out of heat you're already paying for. Move them outside when weather is kind. If you get the folding kind you can fold them with the clothes still on them and tuck them out of the way when you have visitors. Store them behind / under something when you're not using them. Kids make dens using them. They're cheap to buy / replace, they last for ages and they're great for the environment.

I bought a Samsung W/D. It was AWFUL.

The worst thing about it was the locked door - a drying cycle took 2-3h to complete and you couldn't open the door in the middle.

Washer dryers are generally MUCH worse at drying than standalone dryers. I now run with a WM in the kitchen and a condenser dryer in the shed for use in winter.

The only downside to drying clothes indoors is condensation - a load of washed clothes will throw about 1L of water into the air - that will then condense in the coldest part of the house - usually an external wall and can cause a mould problem. You can solve this with a dehumidifier.

I bought a Samsung W/D. It was AWFUL.

The worst thing about it was the locked door - a drying cycle took 2-3h to complete and you couldn't open the door in the middle.

Washer dryers are generally MUCH worse at drying than standalone dryers. I now run with a WM in the kitchen and a condenser dryer in the shed for use in winter.

The only downside to drying clothes indoors is condensation - a load of washed clothes will throw about 1L of water into the air - that will then condense in the coldest part of the house - usually an external wall and can cause a mould problem. You can solve this with a dehumidifier.

I think washer dryers have a bad reputation as they were truly crap years ago but they are much better now. We have limited space and when my last Samsung gave up after only a few years the engineer said he recommend we only look at LG, Bosch or Miele. We have had our LG for a couple of years now and I love it. With 2 children surely you'd really struggle drying clothes round the house without one? There's only 3 of us and its bad enough drying clothes that can't go in the dryer without it the house would look like a permanent laundry.

We had one of years and it was great! We are buying one ourselves now we moved into our new place. A was/dry cycle took around 3 hours and unless you overloaded it I had no issue with the drying. It also had a timer so I could load at night and set it to start in the morning and the dry cycle would be done after breakfast.

However I also still airdry a lot because just because dryers are not that great for clothing so it was mostly used for sheets/towels/jeans/socks&underwear.

The one we had was an LG and we probable will go for that again or similar.

We got an LG one this winter for just under £500 and it's good. Less moisture in the house from drying clothes. Usually don't dry to fully dry, just remove most moisture. Makes laundry turnaround times quicker. Hopefully it'll last! In the spring to autumn we can dry outside to save electricity.

We also have an LG Direct Drive one.
It shook the dryer housing apart within a few years, due to the spinning action. DH took it apart and put it back together again.
I am unable to use the dryer option without going through a wash cycle first, so it can be problematic with towels and they becoming unbalanced through wet weight and the wash/dry cycle stops. I have a short time to get to it before it cancels the cycle completely, to see if I can rearrange the heavy wet towels so it will carry on with the spin and move into the dryer cycle, otherwise it switches itself off completely and I have to go back to square one. I cannot remove wet towels, put them through a spin dryer and put back in the machine to then dry. I have to start from the beginning wash cycle, and likely hit the same problem.

So, for these reasons, I would prefer to have separate machines - and will do when it finally dies.

They have their uses. People seem to think they don't last but we had one for 9 years.

The real question is what's the alternative? If you can get a separate tumble dryer then that's the best option. However, if you can't and intend to dry your clothes inside then that is a no-no for me. It causes mold and damp.

Bottom line, better than drying your clothes inside.

I’ve had one for years, my last one was a hotpoint and lasted the best part of ten years. I’ve had a samsung now for a year, so far, so good. You need to check the specs to make sure you get one with the biggest drying capacity you can find, mines 6kgs. I always put mine on a full wash/dry cycle and never had a problem yet. There is only two of us though to be fair.

That must be a really old model DoubleTweenQueen. I have an LG and its great and you don't need to go through a wash cycle to dry

Thank you all for your comments. They are really helpful.

@XiCi It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve updated the cycle options! Would be very useful :)
I think I just wanted to highlight to look closely at program options before you buy - I didn’t think to when we got ours, and it’s been a niggle ever since.

If it were just you I’d say stick with a standard washer and airer but with young children I think the option of having the dryer to use is invaluable. We once went to stay at a holiday cottage and the youngest came down with a terrible bug - not being able to get clean sheets & clothes etc through quickly was just awful!! Get the washer/dryer - you don’t always have to use the dryer function but have it there just in case!!

No. Get a washing machine, a heated airer eg from Lakeland and if possible a heated towel rail in the bathroom. Did me well when my kids were small.