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Reviewed / General Electric
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Credit:
Reviewed / General Electric
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This highly efficient Energy Star-certified washer-dryer combo comes with a large mold-resistant drum, high-end features, and an excellent warranty. Read More
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Ever walked back into your apartment or townhouse after a trip to the laundromat and found yourself wishing you could fit a washer-dryer in your kitchen or bathroom? With the new wave of washer-dryer combos, you just might be able to.
These handy all-in-one hybrids save space by providing a washer with ventless drying built right in. A design long used in Europe, the best washer-dryer combos are built to tuck away into nooks and corners where it would be inconceivable to fit a laundry center.
Most combos run on 110V power, and use condenser or heat-pump systems that dry your laundry without requiring an outside vent. Just don’t get impatient; most of these hybrids work great when you learn them, but they dry more slowly and in smaller volumes than traditional units.
To help you find the best washer-dryer combo, we dug through spec sheets and read through thousands of reviews, factoring in both the innovative and the bad.
We loved the GE Profile PFQ97HSPVDS' useful cycles and energy efficiency.
Value that can fit in any apartment.
Steam away.
Big on speed and capacity.
Invest in heat pump.
Washer-dryer combos are an achievement of engineering that can often eliminate the need for a laundry room. However, most washer-dryer combos are capable of less volume and speed than a traditional washer and dryer set.
If you have limited space, this tradeoff might very well be worth it, but it’s important to manage your expectations. For them to be effective, most combos will require that you spend some time learning both their accomplishments and their limitations—once you do, most of these units can be made to do a great job.
Generally we recommend combos for couples or single people living in smaller homes. Families, or anyone who often dries larger batches of clothing should carefully consider whether washer-dryer combos are capable of the volume that they require.
Most likely, when you think of a dryer you think of a classic American vented dryer. These dryers work by heating air from the room they inhabit and blowing it across tumbling clothes. This hot air is then vented and blown outdoors.
With nowhere to vent hot air to, ventless dryers instead use a different principle: condensation.
Ventless condenser dryers work by passing warm air through the laundry tub, they then use a coolant to condense moisture from the air. This condensation is then usually stored in a reservoir. Once the reservoir is full, it needs to be removed and drained.
Some condensing units use a system called a heat pump. These efficient systems use refrigerative condensers that achieve very cold temperatures. Think of a heater and an air-conditioner working hand in hand to wick the moisture out of your clothes. Unlike traditional condensing dryers they don’t exchange much heat with the surrounding room, yielding superior efficiency.
Since AC units are often such energy hogs, it may seem counterintuitive that a system which uses a more powerful condenser to better refrigerate would have superior energy efficiency. However, heat pump systems achieve just that, recycling the internal air of the dryer repeatedly to yield maximum drying efficiency.
While heat pumps are a nice feature that will save you money via better efficiency, for the time being they’re generally only available in more expensive models.
Washer-dryer combos work similarly to standard laundry machines. Most allow you to select from multiple wash and dry cycles for different soil levels. Many machines will select the appropriate dry cycle based on your wash load.
Often these machines are more capable of washing a given amount of clothing in a reasonable time than they are of drying that same amount of clothing. So we recommend that to start you should begin with a small load and pay careful attention not to overload your device.
Generally, combo units take a longer time to complete their cycles than standard washing machines and dryers, so allot more time. However, though they take longer, they eliminate the inconvenience of having to move your laundry out of your front loading washer and into your electric dryer.
For specific instructions, we highly recommend that when you invest in a new combo unit, you thoroughly read the instruction manual, since most of us will bring habits we’ve picked up from standard washers and dryers.
Yes. Generally, washer-dryer combos are much more efficient than traditional top and front load washers and dryers, though by just how much varies. Heat pump models will save even more energy than traditional condensers.
The only Energy Star-certified unit on this list is the GE Profile PFQ97HSPVDS, but according to Energy Star that model’s estimated energy usage is less than one fourth of the energy usage of an Energy Star certified traditional dryer, the LG DLEX3700W—which doesn’t even figure in the energy usage of its paired washer.
Gabriel Morgan
Staff Writer, Home
Gabriel Morgan is a staff writer on Reviewed's home team, where he covers consumer education topics such as earthquake preparedness, radon in the home, and concerns about health and wellness in product design. He also writes product reviews and how-to articles on appliances, smart home technology, and goods for the home.
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