Hi Ladies,
Another question for you. Does anyone have a washer/dryer combo? We are looking at options for a new washer and dryer. I have seen the combo advertized and am interested in it but I don't know if it works correctly. I have read 1 review that says that it does a good job but takes up to 4 hours to do 1 load, which is too long. With my family I do up to 2 loads a day. So if anyone has any reviews I would love to hear them. Thanks in advance.
Chris
Thanks again ladies. It's nice to get the opinion of moms around me.
If you are asking about the all in one washer/dryer combo, I don't have one but everything I have read about them is that a separate washer and dryer are a much better option.
Hi C.,
I have not had experience with washer/dryer combos here in the States, but I lived in Germany for 2 years where they are very popular. In addition, Germany is known for their engineering on things like washers and dryers.
That being said ... I HATED IT! Yes, it got the clothes clean and dry. But the wash cycle alone (even the shortest one) was over an hour. And then drying took absolutely forever. Towels took me literally all day to finish. If I didn't do towels, I could basically do 2 loads per day. IF I got to the loads right away when it was finished. Also, again, I don't know about the capacity of the models here in the US, but because space is very limited in Europe, the size of the machine was very very small. I could was 3 of my husbands dress shirts at a time. THREE. That's it. If I washed any more, then they were so wrinkled I would literally have to wet them down and let them dry before ironing them.
So, in my opinion, I would not get this type of machine.
If you are limited on space, I would look into a stackable machine. I had one years ago that I loved. My mom has had a stackable for YEARS and loves it.
I also recommend Kenmore products. Every product line has it's pros and cons. And of course every product line gets a lemon from time to time. But, Kenmore consistently has good products and good service. Lines like LG and Samsung, are very hit or miss when it comes to quality. In addition, it can be very very difficult to get parts for these products. Most of the time they are made in Korea and shipped to the US.
Good luck.
I don't have washer dryer combo ideas but....why are you doing 2 loads a day for a family of 4? I maybe do one a day with a family of 8 and just take one day a week to designate to "catch up" and getting it all put away ect. I do have a large capacity but still.....Do you lack in space? You can stack the large capacity or get a stack combo. I guess this post didn't really help...I was curious though.
If you are referring to the washer/dryer combo where you put your clothes in and it does both wash and dry for you without you having to touch the laundry, I do not recommend this one. I had one in my apartment 6 years ago and it was awful. It does take for ever to do one load of laundry and when your cloths are done, they are really wrinkled, even the jeans. There were even times when I would wash my cloths and have an item in there that would have to lay flat to dry, and if I forgot to grab it in time, it would shrink. If space is all you're looking to save, I would suggest the stackable washer and dryer combos.
Chris,
I don't have one so I can't speak from experience but I've hear that they are small, and it does take a little longer to do the loads because of their capacity and strength. We have an HE washer and dryer that we bought a few years ago, I also have to do laundry all the time, and we love them! You can fit so much in it and they are really quick. Usually under an hour.
We just purchases this a few weeks ago from Sears...
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02627072000P?vNa...
when it was delivered we were told that this was larger than the front loader. I really like it!!
We also purchased a dryer but I couldn't find the exact model.
We were fortunate to be able to purchase last year models coming off the floor for the new year models.
I recommend the Whirlpool Duet pair. Works great!
Here are my thoughts on the washer and dryer as a working Mom with three active kids in school, get one with a timer and the largest available. You can always put in a small load if a uniform is needed the next day, but it's hard to get "caught" up when it's a smaller unit. Also I have a washer that spin dries the clothes more than most, so the dryer can keep up. These are the key factors I would look for.
I had one in England, and hated it. Most people in Europe, line/radiator dry. So I think that's why they don't seem to mind. But, you're asking a watertight drum to dry wet clothes? That's why it takes so long. It took me 3 hours to dry a load of towels. I finally figured out that the clothes lying on top of the dryer dried faster than the stuff inside. My girlfriend had difficulty with clothes smelling like mold.
Don't do it!
