Should I buy a washer dryer or two separate machines?

Washer dryers exist to solve one problem: there is only one appliance space. They solve it well. What they do not do is combine the two machines' abilities, because the drum that is the right size for washing a load is too small to tumble the same load dry, and the machine has to get rid of the moisture without a vent.

What you'll need

• The appliance space you have
• An honest count of how many loads you dry in a week

Step by step

1. Compare the wash and dry capacities on the same machine.They are always quoted separately and the drying figure is roughly half. A 9kg/5kg machine washes 9kg and then needs you to take half of it out before it will dry the rest properly. That doubles the handling and the time.
2. Add up the cycle time realistically.Wash, then split, then dry, then dry again. A wash-and-dry sequence on one load can occupy the machine for five or six hours, during which no other washing can happen. In a busy household that is the deciding factor.
3. Check how the machine condenses.Most washer dryers are air-cooled or water-cooled condensers, and the water-cooled ones run mains cold water down the drum wall throughout the drying cycle to condense the steam. That water goes straight to the drain. On a water meter it is a genuine cost.
4. Look for a heat pump washer dryer if you go this route.They are newer, more expensive and less common, but they use far less electricity and do not consume water to dry. If a washer dryer is the answer, this is the version worth paying for.
5. Accept the single point of failure.When a washer dryer breaks, you have no washing machine and no dryer. With two machines, a dryer fault is an inconvenience and you carry on washing.
6. Consider the stacking alternative properly.If the constraint is floor area rather than a fitted opening, a dryer stacked over a washing machine with a proper stacking kit occupies the same floor space as a washer dryer and behaves like two machines, because it is two machines.
7. Consider the no-dryer alternative too.A washing machine plus a dehumidifier and an indoor airer costs less to buy and less to run than a washer dryer, dries overnight, and does no heat damage. In a small flat it is frequently the better answer.
8. Buy the washer dryer if space genuinely dictates it.There is nothing wrong with the machine when it is the right answer. Just buy it for the reason that applies — one space — rather than expecting it to be cheaper or better than the pair.

Tips

• If you buy one, get into the habit of drying half loads from the start. People who load them like a dryer find they dry badly and conclude the machine is faulty.
• Check whether the drying programme needs the cold tap on. Water-condensing models will not dry with the tap off, and it is a very common false fault report.
• Washer dryers reward a high spin. Getting an extra litre of water out in the spin is the cheapest possible way to shorten the drying half.

Common mistakes

• Buying one to save money rather than space — They are not cheaper to run, and water-condensing models add water cost. The saving is floor area, and that is the only saving.
• Loading the drying cycle to the wash capacity — The load cannot tumble, the air cannot get through it, and it comes out damp and creased after hours of running. This single misunderstanding accounts for most complaints about washer dryers.

Questions people ask