Washer/Dryer All-In-One

[kath16]

Does anyone have a machine that washes and dries all in one?

I didn't know they existed until recently, when my husband started trying to talk me into one in our new laundry room.

With kids, I can see the pros (no moving the laundry, set it and forget it, etc) and the cons (takes longer i assume)


Our laundry room won't be huge, but there is enough for separate machines. Ultimately I want to make it easier for my kids to do their own laundry lol. 

I work from home a few days a week and that's usually when things get washed, but i'm not very efficient with it to be honest. Like, I don't always move it over immediately, etc. is what I mean. 

idk. thoughts?

[egishere]

They are fairly new to the market and get pretty bad reviews from what I have seen so do your research. The idea is genius but I'm not sure if they are refined enough yet. You would probably be better off with a stackable unit.

[cville]

I had one at an apartment in law school. Granted that was 4 million years ago, but it could wash and dry like 6 socks (tiny) and everything came out damp. My clothes also got pinpoint holes in them.

[lavenderblue]

My Mom just got one and she loves it, but it's only her and my Step-Dad. I wonder how it would work with a bigger family/more laundry, like, is the capacity big enough? How long do the cycles actually take? I'm not sure. Also, as far as major appliances go, I generally prefer the simplier, there's less to break. My w/d were bought used 10 years ago and have zero bells and whistles, but are absolute work horses and have never needed a single repair. Having one machine with multiple functions would really worry me in regards to longevity, especially because they aren't exactly budget friendly.

[heygrey]

I did in my last apartment. It was under the kitchen counter as typical in European houses (except we live in Canada). 0/10. Do not recommend.

It took so long to dry that we just didn't use the dryer function. Like 2-3 hours. This was fine in the summer, but miserable in the winter. We would have drying racks all over our tiny apartment. If you want to use the dryer function, it prevents you from doing two loads of laundry back to back. The capacity was tiny. It could fit 3 bath towels and a few wash clothes.

The places where these are popular have very different climates (able to dry clothes outside most of the year) and cultures (more minimalist, don't own the same amount of clothes/linens that are typical in North American homes). If space is an issue I would get a slim stackable set or apartment size side by side models.

[mrsukyankee]

They are very normal in Europe due to smaller spaces - I hated mine. I never used the dry cycle because it was just easier to hang my clothing up (otherwise it would take forever and sometimes the clothes wouldn't even really get dry or they've be stupidly wrinkled. We now have stacked our washer and dryer. So much better! (UK washers/dryers take longer than in the US anyway).

[kath16]

i'm literally watching the Amsterdam episode of Ted Lasso where her clothes take 2 hours and 40 minutes or whatever to dry on the houseboat and it's reeeally turning me off to this idea lol

[cereal K]

I don't think I knew these were sold/available in the US - I've only ever seen them in Europe, and recently in Japan. IME they're always much smaller capacity. The one I used in Japan washed/dried six pairs of pants, four bras, and seven shirts in 2 hours (for 600 yen lol). Almost all the pants and some of the shirts were moisture wicking/quick dry fabric, which I'm sure helped. I think it'd lose my mind if I had to do our weekly, household laundry in such a small machine.

I'm sure I could get used to an all-in-one, but if you have space for two separate machines, I would 100% get separate. If remembering to move clothes from the washer to the dryer is a concern, I'm sure the newer models have web connectivity to remind you via a cell phone app.

[heygrey]

Jul 3, 2024 9:30:36 GMT -5 kath16 said:

i'm literally watching the Amsterdam episode of Ted Lasso where her clothes take 2 hours and 40 minutes or whatever to dry on the houseboat and it's reeeally turning me off to this idea lol

This is accurate. I don't think we ever got a load completely dry. We attempted a couple times and shut it off at the 3 hour mark because it was just getting ridiculous. 

[donutsmakemegonuts]

The only experience I've had with one of these is at one of our timeshares in Las Vegas. The in unit was a combo under the sink in a bathroom which I thought was pretty neat. Until I went to wash a load of clothes and thought I had it set up to go from washing to drying automatically but ended up having it going through the wash cycle twice back to back. Then before I could get to it after the second wash cycle, my father in law pressed something to "help" me and ended up washing it for a third time. So my experience was frustrating and probably user error but it turned me off to them none the less.

[loira]

Nearly all of the flats I lived in in London had these and they were awful. The washing function worked fine but the drying function either didn't dry my clothes or got so hot I was worried it would burn them.

[stemmie]

I friend bought a house that came with one in the owner suite bath. She had every intention of loving it, but she almost exclusively uses the full-sized pair in her basement laundry room.

[sadlebred]

Consumer Reports hates them....if you have the room buy a Washer and Dryer.

[VillainV]

These were common in the UK and everyone agreed that the dryer function was crap. Most of them don’t vent to the outside, so it just recirculates the same humid air around your clothes. Small capacity. If one function breaks, then you need to replace the whole machine. If you have the space for two machines (even stacked) I would highly recommend it.

[gerberdaisy]

Just had one at an air bnb last weekend. Great idea, terrible execution. We tried it with towels and they wouldn't dry. Then couldn't figure out if you could just dry longer, would do the whole cycle again. Would hate in my house, but love the idea.

[wanderingback]

These aren’t new in general. I’ve used them overseas and they’re not very efficient. I wouldn’t choose it for my house.

[waverly]

They are 1 step up from a laundromat. I would only buy one if you had no other space. If you have the space get a separate washer and dryer.

[livinitup]

My MIL just got one and thinks it’s great. She’s used it for a week and her laundry is pretty simple. I thought it was odd that she’d embrace something new/different but she insisted that she “had to” because space was so limited. Which to me is hysterical because she converted a bedroom to a 2nd floor laundry room.

I guess perception is reality.

[sakoro]

Jul 3, 2024 9:30:12 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

They are very normal in Europe due to smaller spaces - I hated mine. I never used the dry cycle because it was just easier to hang my clothing up (otherwise it would take forever and sometimes the clothes wouldn't even really get dry or they've be stupidly wrinkled. We now have stacked our washer and dryer. So much better! (UK washers/dryers take longer than in the US anyway).

I’ve used them in other countries and they suck. People generally hang their clothes in a line and only use the combo dryer if it’s pouring with rain and they need clean dry clothes same day. I’ve heard that the reason is the combo dryer doesn’t have a vent.

[dale]

My former neighbor had a Bosch washer/dryer and he said it was fine for just him. I took a look at it and it would have been awful for my family of 4. I don't have 2 hours to wait for my clothes to dry, and also it was much smaller capacity.

[janegold]

I had one in a loft I lived in about 15 years ago, because it was in a location that couldn't be vented. It was better than nothing but we hated it; total washing and drying time was 4-5 hours and it didn't dry all that well. Maybe they've improved a bit since then.

In our cottages, we have those tiny stacked units that fit in a closet but are separate washers and dryers. They need to be vented but take up very little space. The capacity is small, but they are a million times better than the 2-in-1.

[penguingrrl]

SIL had one and hated it. It was smaller capacity and didn’t wash or dry as well as the separate units she was used to. She also found that it was rare that she had a load that didn’t include items that don’t go in the dryer (bras, workout clothes, etc) so she had to go do things between washing and drying anyway.

[penguingrrl]

I had space limitations in my combo laundry/pantry and got a stacked Electrolux set that had been fantastic if it’s just a space issue.

[litskispeciality]

I don't have kids, and I'm not super great with laundry. When I finally get motivated I want to have something washing while something else is drying if at all possible. Finish more loads in a day whenever I can. To me these machines only make sense if I have two machines to run two loads at the same time, which also seems wasteful. Sad to see the bad reviews, but makes sense if it's newer technology.

All that to say maybe try stackable if you're worried about space.

[basilosaurus]

Jul 3, 2024 9:30:12 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

They are very normal in Europe due to smaller spaces - I hated mine. I never used the dry cycle because it was just easier to hang my clothing up (otherwise it would take forever and sometimes the clothes wouldn't even really get dry or they've be stupidly wrinkled. We now have stacked our washer and dryer. So much better! (UK washers/dryers take longer than in the US anyway).

yeah I just hang mine. The only time I get upset is during rainy season when I had a balcony without direct sun at all.

I think they're inefficient, and I wouldn't want it for a family. There's no chance of doing a couple loads in sequence, and they're usually smaller, too

[wanderingback]

Jul 3, 2024 13:20:49 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

I don't have kids, and I'm not super great with laundry. When I finally get motivated I want to have something washing while something else is drying if at all possible. Finish more loads in a day whenever I can. To me these machines only make sense if I have two machines to run two loads at the same time, which also seems wasteful. Sad to see the bad reviews, but makes sense if it's newer technology.

All that to say maybe try stackable if you're worried about space.

It’s not completely new technology, seems like they’ve always sucked in my experience!

[dreamcrisp1]

It used to be more common here in Europe and they’re awful. Take forever to dry. Absolutely don’t recommend it.

[gummy]

I used one in Italy once. It was awful and we preferred to hang dry our clothes because it was so inefficient. Also, your kids can learn to do their laundry with two machines. It's not that hard.

[sproctopus]

We had one in our apartment in Brooklyn. If you love drying your clothes for 5 hours at a time, you'll love it.

[4speedy]

We had one when we lived in Asia.  I would put a load of laundry in at bedtime and it would take all night to wash and dry, I would wake up to clean laundry.  Literally did laundry every single night for 4 years.  It was the only way to stay on top of it since the loads were tiny and took so long.