Washer dryers (sorry, boring thread)

[Polly D]

Any thoughts, or recommendations for a combined washer/dryer?

We haven't got the space to buy separates. Never had a tumble dryer before but with two boys under 5s I suspect it would help.

Prepared to spend around ?500, I think.

Been getting by without a machine since moving by doing service washes at the brilliant Washboard on Cheltenham Road (Nunhead). Fabulous, friendly, efficient service but feels like a luxury in the long term.

[Indiana]

I had the same issue when number 2 was born but no room for separate machines

I did look at a condenser which you can put in a cupboard?

However I came to the conclusion after much research including on Which that washer dryers are very unreliable and you need to spend c ?1000 for a good one

Instead can you do big service drys at your local? I do 3 big kids washes in the morning then leave at my launderette for a couple of hours.... All dry and folded and I worked out much cheaper than a washer/dryer!

[alieh]

We put a cheap vented tumble dryer in a shed outside - any chance something like that could work for you? Changed my life!

[LondonMix]

Do you have room to potentially stack your washer and dryer on top of each other? The problem with the combined ones is that it takes much longer dry a standard load for some reason. Good luck!

[alieh]

Also, we now have a condensing dryer in our rental house and it is quite good. Not as good as my shed tumble dryer from our last house, but definitely dries big loads well and quickly and the water dispenser doesn't need emptying as often as I expected. With these you can site them anywhere in the house so might be able to create some space somewhere even if away from the washer?

I have had combo washer/driers in previous houses and just found them utterly useless every time!

[Belle]

I have a condenser after much consulting on this forum and it's brilliant - got a Beko one quite cheaply and it's in our basement, agree it's a life changer! I have actually had washer driers in the past that have worked and my mother in law swears by hers so maybe as per my thread on fridges it's worth a subscription to Which to find out more??

[annacurious]

We've just been looking at the same thing, but the majority of feedback from friends who have them was that they love their combined washer/dryers & def to get one if the alternative is only line/radiator dry (the Lakeland heated airer was well recommended too though).

That it's not as good as separate dryer (I didn't find anyone with issue with the washer function), but the main thing to the dryer working well was not to overload - it only takes just over 1/2 a full washing load (as wet clothes weigh more).

Anyway, we decided to go for it & our arrives on Sunday (our previous washer was old & useless so I'm expecting an improvement regardless).

We've gone for a Hoover WDNY855D which is lower budget & was bargain offer (we cross-referenced reviews on ao.com, reevoo & Argos. Negatives in the reviews were mostly that it's a bit noisy, but ours will be shut away from kitchen/living area, so less of a concern)

i'd recommend looking at & considering ordering from ao.com (was 'appliances online') site previously recommended to us & we had good experience with our kitchen appliances from them - reliable/easy/well organised delivery & best prices etc). Their site is really good for reading reviews & watching video demonstrations.

From my research & ?500ish budget I'd be tempted by the Samsung one that has ?50 cashback (that model's also a John Lewis fave) with a 5 year guarantee. But note that reviews say it's actually deeper than dimensions given (more like 64cm than 60cm) so if interested take care to measure up 1st...

(The one we've ordered is about 54cm deep)

Will let you know how we get on with ours when it arrives, Polly...

[bluesuperted]

Another Beko condenser drier fan here (did I recommend Belle?) it's fantastic! Don't see how a vented could be better and it goes anywhere. When we redo our kitchen we will move into into cupboard under stairs or possibly into our box room to free up space - so flexible.

Have never met a washer-dryer I didn't hate sadly!

[RoLo1]

We have a washer-dryer that I rate - AEG Lavamat Turbo. Was selling ?800 or so, but at the time currys had it at ?500 or so, so worth shopping around.

I really rate AEG, we inherited a 30 or so year old washer in this house that was of the same model (though obv prehistoric) and upgraded when kids came.

[espelli]

We have a John Lewis own brand washer dryer and I love it. We have had it almost 4 years and got it secondhand from someone on here so I don't know what their current model is like. I hope I'm not going to jinx anything but its still going strong!

[Sayroo]

Hi,

Hi

Sorry to hijack / ressurect this thread...

I'm looking for an honest view on the Lakeland Limited Heated Airers! They are terribly expensive, so I'm torn about whether to invest or not.

I work full time and I'm generally out the house for 12 + hours per day. We don't get too much sunshine, so over the last couple of weeks, clothes have started to take days to get anywhere close to dry.

Although it seems pleasant enough outside at the moment (indeed, warmer than in our houses at times!) I can't get out and hang things in the garden, so given I'm not looking forward to being surrounded by my laundry through autumn and winter, can anyone endorse this heated clothes horse?

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/p21736/Lakeland-Dry-Soon-Range

Thanks so much - S.

[Sillysol2001]

I have one of these Lakeland dryers and it is great. washing dries very quickly usually overnight. There is a lot of drying space and it folds up to a reasonable size so it is easy to store. would highly recommend.

[buggie]

Am I being dippy to wonder how anything but the bit laying right across the bar dries on the the Lakeland driers?!

[Belle]

Guess it's like heated towel racks? just circulates hot air and it all dries eventually.

I have one and can recommend - until we got our tumble drier we used it constantly, was great. And even now with a tumble drier we use it for stuff you can't tumble or to finish off line dried stuff. Also good for drying delicates flat. Really recommend but they're quite a big footprint so you do need space.

[katgod]

Washer drier was good but for reasons set out above ( load capacity mainly) not as good as tumble drier. Have a condenser one, is good. But am going to get the Lakeland heated thingy too. Please be careful with tumble driers though, especially beko ones. My brother's one burst into flames. They've subsequently found there are known issues with certain beko models. I don't leave my ( non beko) one on when I am out anymore as a bit paranoid now. Maybe not leaving it on when out is normal for other people but I often used to do it.

[bluesuperted]

Oh eek re the Beko! Although like never putting new shoes on the table, my mum has hammered home never going out or even to bed with tumbler left on... Will google models though as that's scary!

[Belle]

I have a beko one and do sometimes use it when I'm out I think...

BST don't worry re the Beko models though - I think they contacted everyone who was likely to be affected by the particular batch (by post, plus someone from British Gas or something came round to my house to check mine) and if in doubt you can check on their website I think, and compare the model number against the ones affected. There were some stories about this so def worth checking for peace of mind. And just if you've noticed it getting hot etc (which mine hadn't and it checked out fine).