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Laundry reno - combo washer/dryer?


cardamom

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DP and I are planning a laundry renovation (this is our first house and first renovation, so very exciting!). It's a very small laundry and we're trying to maximise storage as much as humanly possible.


I just learned that there is such a thing as a combination washer/dryer. Has anyone used one of these?


We've never had a dryer before and prefer to line dry, so I don't anticipate using it a great deal. We thought it would be good to have the option of a dryer, but I'm reeeally resenting the loss of storage space to fit it in. A combo could be perfect - dryer there as an emergency backup for wet days, but without the footprint of a second machine.


Does anyone have a combo machine? How have you found it?


Other laundry renovation tips welcome!

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riotproof

Sorry. They do not work well. The washing capacity is much higher than the drying capacity, so it’s easy to overload unless you do very small loads.


Exciting though!

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StillFreddiesMum

My first front loader was a combo washer / dryer for the exact same reasons as yours OP - we were in a small 2 bedroom unit and the laundry was in the bathroom. It was a good first step away from a TL but the dryer simply didn't work as well as the washer. Could you get a separate washer and dryer and then stack them on top of each other? That would be my suggestion.

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Kiwi Bicycle

Could you fit a dryer in your garage? I didn't put a drier in my laundry when I renovated it. I had one and hardily used it so I sold it. We also have a laundromat down the road with super huge driers. If someone wanted one in the future there's room in the garage. I prefer having the bench and cupboard space instead of stacking.

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Thanks [mention]StillFreddiesMum[/mention] - trying to avoid stacking two machines in order to maximise bench/storage space. If we do get both they would be side-by-side under the bench (with overhead cupboards).


[mention]riotproof[/mention] Do you think it would be okay for non-dryer users though? If we just wanted to have the option occasionally? I'm imagining we might want to use it once a month or so, for instance; to me I think the storage space is going to be more important than a dryer. My family never had one growing up, I've never had one as an adult, so it's not something that's particularly important to me, if that makes sense? (though that's what I said about the dishwasher and now it's my favourite thing in the world...!)


If we decide not to get a dryer and just to have a washer, would it make sense to get the combo? Or is the washing function crappier than a standard machine?

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We have a Miele combi washer dryer (and a stand alone washer and dryer). I like it.


I had one at our beach house and have used them in holiday accommodation, so I had already used them and knew their strengths and weaknesses when people tried to talk me out of it - including the sales person!


The current Miele has an 8kg capacity for both washing and drying. The old ones have half the capacity for drying compared to washing.


The cycles are long but front loader cycles are long too. For mornings when we’ve realised that we don’t have clean uniforms, I can put it on an express cycle and it’s about 40mins start to finish. A regular load of towels for example, would take close to 7hrs. Perfectly fine if I’m putting a load on before bed and I wake to clean and dry washing. Or before I go out for the day.


I’ve also used Bosch, Ariston and another brand I can’t remember. The Bosch is the only other one that comes close to the Miele. I wouldn’t bother with any other brands.


If it’s just for 2 adults and the dryer is a back up option, a combi would be perfectly fine. In our family with multiple big kids (so large volume of washing), a combi would not be sufficient to keep up with our household’s washing. We do 8 loads of towels and sheets each week. Multiply that by 7hrs per load and it’s just not feasible and that’s before we even get to clothing.

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[mention]Kiwi Bicycle[/mention] That's what our neighbours (same style/layout unit to us) have done. The garage space is already a bit tight between my chest freezer/Costco pantry storage shelves and DP's tools/gardening/camping gear, but if we needed to we could. Especially if we can fit enough storage in the laundry that I can use that for some pantry functionality rather than the garage.


I also would prefer to have the bench and cupboard space, I reeeeally love storage.

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Jaffacakes

We had a washer/dryer combo in a previous house (small laundry too).


It was an LG model: 7kg wash capacity, and 4kg dry capacity. It was a great machine for washing and got used several times a day when the kids were young. Like you, we didn't use it much for drying but it was handy when there was a run of wet weather and did a pretty good job. It lasted well over 10 years until we moved house and forgot to secure the drum properly when shifting thus rendering it useless..... :roll:

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Or is the washing function crappier than a standard machine?

I’ve found the washing function to be similar to our stand alone washer.


They’re seriously not cheap though and I wouldn’t recommend any brand other than Miele.

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Thanks [mention]Jaffacakes[/mention] and [mention]Basil[/mention] - that sounds like what we're wanting to use it for - 95% washing and the occasional drying off of items on wet days.


Holy moly Basil, I'm wincing at your laundry level! It's just the two of us here, and DP bizarrely doesn't sweat or smell so will happily wear things a few times in a row. We do probably a load and a half a week.

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Thanks [mention]Basil[/mention], have noted re: Miele. Our current (and first) washing machine is a Samsung top loader that we picked up secondhand on Gumtree for $120 as a stopgap solution 8 years ago that's still going strong, so I reckon we've earned the right to treat ourselves to an upgrade :D

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riotproof

I think you’ll end up paying a premium for something you only want to use occasionally. Sheets and etc were terrible in mine. Actually terrible.


Can you wall mount the dryer? Is there a Laundry mat local enough with a dryer you could use in a pinch? My Mrspeggs airer is something I love, but I’m guessing in Melbourne you’d need it indoors in winter.

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LemonMyrtle

All the reviews say they don’t work well. If you don’t need a dryer then I’d get a washer only and then a dryer later on only if required, and then maybe in a garage if no room in laundry. But I’d happily sacrifice laundry storage for a proper dryer, we use ours a lot. My washer and dryer both run continuously on a weekend, so it wouldn’t work for me.

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Thanks @Jaffacakes and @Basil - that sounds like what we're wanting to use it for - 95% washing and the occasional drying off of items on wet days.


Holy moly Basil, I'm wincing at your laundry level! It's just the two of us here, and DP bizarrely doesn't sweat or smell so will happily wear things a few times in a row. We do probably a load and a half a week.

Sigh, I miss the days when I had such little washing. I know this is just a phase but the sheer volume does get me down week in and week out.


I didn’t grow up with a dryer either. Didn’t have one as a young adult or even when i cloth nappies 2 babies. Completely do-able. Very handy these days though.


Our machine has a steam freshen up option which is handy for clothes that have been worn but doesn’t need a full wash. I wash and iron school uniforms once a week. If the kids don’t have them in the correct basket on wash day, they have to do it themselves. My pongy teen boy went through a phase of forgetting to put his uniforms in the correct place so he would use the 20min steam freshen up cycle each morning. Took the stink out and smoothed the clothes so it didn’t need to be ironed. I buckled as he was about to start his third week of wearing unwashed uniforms. Win for teen, zero for mum 😝

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Hmm, okay, it's sounding like maybe not the best option.


How expensive are dryers to run? It was always hammered in to me as a child that they were expensive and environmentally terrible, but after borrowing the neighbour's dryer one wet weekend earlier this month the appeal is definitely growing...!


With just the two of us we've managed fine (albeit mildly annoyingly) with clothes airers, I just make sure to put washing on early to catch the sun, maybe shuffle it about during the day to chase the sun, bring the airers inside at the end of the day, etc. but I'm imagining that once a kiddo comes along (fingers crossed) that kind of effort might become less feasible...

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Oh jeepers, I've just seen the price - I stand corrected! You said the Bosch came close to the Miele?

Yeah, it’s eye wateringly expensive. Works perfectly though.


Depends on how much you value the convenience and space saving. It’s not something we would have splurged on when we were younger and madly saving/paying off the mortgage. But we had more space than we knew what to do with back then.


At the moment, we are very close to the city so space is at a premium and the space saving is worth the cost for the convenience.


The Ariston was terrible for drying. The Bosch was good in that it didn’t keep having errors and the drying wasn’t bad but it had such a small capacity that I would have to dry sheets individually. It was fine for small loads of clothes and towels but overloading was a problem. I also hated having washing locked into the machine and being unable to cancel a load add a missed sock etc. If it was on a long cycle, I wouldn’t be able to do anything for hours. I can add washing or cancel a load easily in the Miele. Maybe the other brands have changed in the last few years (I think I last used a Bosch combi about 3 yrs ago).

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LemonMyrtle

Hmm, okay, it's sounding like maybe not the best option.


How expensive are dryers to run? It was always hammered in to me as a child that they were expensive and environmentally terrible, but after borrowing the neighbour's dryer one wet weekend earlier this month the appeal is definitely growing...!


With just the two of us we've managed fine (albeit mildly annoyingly) with clothes airers, I just make sure to put washing on early to catch the sun, maybe shuffle it about during the day to chase the sun, bring the airers inside at the end of the day, etc. but I'm imagining that once a kiddo comes along (fingers crossed) that kind of effort might become less feasible...

 

Cost to run depends on the dryer and how big it is. It can be anything from $0.50 to $1.50 a load.

$4 a week for 4 loads of drying? I’d happily pay that. (And we do, lol, although not sure exactly what our dryer costs to run)

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How expensive are dryers to run? It was always hammered in to me as a child that they were expensive and environmentally terrible, but after borrowing the neighbour's dryer one wet weekend earlier this month the appeal is definitely growing...!


With just the two of us we've managed fine (albeit mildly annoyingly) with clothes airers, I just make sure to put washing on early to catch the sun, maybe shuffle it about during the day to chase the sun, bring the airers inside at the end of the day, etc. but I'm imagining that once a kiddo comes along (fingers crossed) that kind of effort might become less feasible...

I worked out my Miele heat pump dryer costs us 6.3cents per load if we’re buying electricity but essentially free if we’re using the solar power generated. Modern dryers are efficient and I use it for all our washing because my kids have a plethora of allergies so it was one of the doctor’s recommendations.


When we lived in a cold climate, I used a dehumidifier set up near the clothes airer. It dried the washing in no time and helped to keep mould issues at bay too.

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riotproof

Hmm, okay, it's sounding like maybe not the best option.


How expensive are dryers to run? It was always hammered in to me as a child that they were expensive and environmentally terrible, but after borrowing the neighbour's dryer one wet weekend earlier this month the appeal is definitely growing...!


With just the two of us we've managed fine (albeit mildly annoyingly) with clothes airers, I just make sure to put washing on early to catch the sun, maybe shuffle it about during the day to chase the sun, bring the airers inside at the end of the day, etc. but I'm imagining that once a kiddo comes along (fingers crossed) that kind of effort might become less feasible...

 

It depends. You might just use it to finish off things that aren’t quite bone dry.


I would find it hard in your climate without one, but possibly you finish in front of heaters etc ?

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WHOOAAAAA, what?! Far out, for some reason I was imagining it to cost, like, $5+ a load. Yeah, screw the space, I want a dryer. (Am now understanding why my neighbours laughed away my offer to pay for the load of laundry I dried in their machine!)


Heh, [mention]riotproof[/mention], that's a whole other conversation (DP doesn't believe in heating). Getting things dry in Melbourne winter definitely requires some planning.

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LemonMyrtle

Heat pump dryers are the most efficient. The old style dryers are expensive to run.

 

True, but my old tumble dryer took 40 minutes to dry a load, my heat pump takes 2-3 hours. So I wonder which one is actually cheaper? I’d have to work it out.

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Heat pump dryers are the most efficient. The old style dryers are expensive to run.

 

True, but my old tumble dryer took 40 minutes to dry a load, my heat pump takes 2-3 hours. So I wonder which one is actually cheaper? I’d have to work it out.

This link sort of explains it but the gist is that the heat pump might have a longer run time but it uses less power overall compared to the modern condenser tumble dryer and is a shedload more efficient than the old tumble dryers.


Mine’s a condenser heat pump which I can pipe the waste water straight down the drain but I prefer to collect it and use it in my iron so there’s no limescale build up (a tip from another EB member).


https://www.canstarblue.com.au/appliances/heat-pump-vs-condenser-dryer/

 

Heat pump vs condenser dryer: which is more energy efficient?


Thanks to the reheating and recycling process of heat pump dryers, these are the most energy efficient types of dryers on the market. Heat pump dryers use less than half the energy per load than condenser dryers. Condenser dryers typically consume about 3kWh per average load, while heat pump dryers will use roughly 1.5kWh per load.

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