Combi washer dryer or separate?

another_casualty

In my previous flat, my washer/dryer lasted over 12 years . Whirlpool. Solidly made etc.
When I was renting for a few months before moving into my present flat, the landlord had a nice expensive Bosch washer /dryer . Worked well, but then kept trippping the electrics in the flat so had to be replaced.

My present washer/dryer is a hotpoint ( almost 5 years old ) . Around the last 18 months or so, there are cracks appearing on it . Quality control no longer exists. I managed to rest machine last year when a fault occurred. For the length of time I've had this machine , I expect to have to get a replacement in the not too distant ..
My next machine will again be a washer / dryer but probably a make such as Bush or John Lewis so it won't be hugely expensive and rinse and repeat every 5 years or so.

Living alone in  a small flat, a washer / dryer is the right option for me.
For couples with babies etc I'd say a seperate washing machine and dryer seems logical if you have the space . Probably something expensive like Bosch/ Miele etc .
Couples have more clothes so use the motors more in the machinery .
The annoying thing with washer / dryers as mentioned above is the length of time it takes ...

jennifernil

Definitely separate machines.  The drying takes longer in a washer-dryer than in a separate  dryer, and this means you cannot get on with the next load of washing.  Do not underestimate how much washing a baby generates!

Even with outside drying space, there will be plenty of wet days when you need to use the dryer, or have lots of wet stuff hanging about inside, which is not good.  

If you dry a lot of stuff that way, then invest in a dehumidifier too.

We have a Bosch washer and an AEG vented dryer.  A load of towels is ready for the airing cupboard in under 40 minutes, and nice and soft and fluffy.  I never use fabric conditioner.

ABFG

Combi will always be a bit less convenient than separates. But I've just bought a combi as it makes sense in the space I have. Combi will do the job. It's about judging the convenience versus the space.

casper_gutman

ABFG said:

Combi will always be a bit less convenient than separates. But I've just bought a combi as it makes sense in the space I have. Combi will do the job. It's about judging the convenience versus the space.

Which is more convenient depends on your needs.

Combi used to be very convenient indeed when the two of us were the only people in a flat and both worked outside the home all day. Even though you could only put a small load in to wash and dry, the fact you could set it going and not pay it any attention until it had finished both the wash and the dry made it very convenient.

With four of us in a larger house having separate machines is useful because we can get more throughput: not only can a full load be dried but a second load of washing can go in while the first one is drying.

I wouldn't go back to a washer-dryer if I had the space for a separate dryer, but if space is limited a combi is better than nothing for drying the occasional pants and socks when the weather isn't conducive to drying outside.

greensalad

I've used one and hated it, but then it may have been a cheap brand. Bear in mind it takes twice as long if you're a "all the laundry on one day" type person (like me) because you can't simultaneously wash and dry two loads. Plus you need to fish things out of the combi that are not tumble-dryer-able. 

hpsauce86

Thanks all for your replies. I’m still torn between having a nice bootility with storage or being practical and having two separate washer dryer and no space for making it a nice entrance. Our house hasn’t got the hallway we wanted so I want to try and use the back door as much as possible, which at the moment is just a utility. We have a small puppy and go on lots of muddy walks so the idea of having a boot room sings to the clean freak in me. But having kids in the future perhaps means I should be more practical in terms of the washer dryer situation. Once we are in I might see if there’s a way of configuring it to have both but it’s only a 2.5m x1.8m space as it is.

greensalad

Is there anywhere you can stack a pair? A friend of mine turned a side-access door into a stacked set of washing machine / dryer and cupboard doors to close over it.

poppellerant

Buy separates, you won't regret it in the long run, especially when you have little feet running around causing chaos!

As you've already said, and rightly so, combi machines do take longer to dry and use more electricity in doing so.  So you have potential to spend the savings elsewhere.

I hope you don't mind my saying so, but I'm surprised you still even use a dryer given today's energy prices and they are very probably going to rise again in October.  I've hung clothes on the line and on days like these (warm, dry and windy) a full load of washing can be dry in less than an hour.  I bet most household tumble driers couldn't dry a full load in only a hour.

FaceHead

Combis have a bad rep, but I think they have improved enough in recent years to put them in contention. Really it depends on whether you have outside space to do drying some of the time (year), and whether you have inside space for separates. It's like having a perfectly normal washer, and having half a dryer (they typically have 4kg or 5kg drying loads) 

I have a combi because we have a garden to do most of the drying in, and separates would have meant some sort of kitchen design sacrifice that I wasn't prepared to make. If the 'sacrifice' was to have a perfectly good combi then I'm sure I made the right call.   

jennifernil

Our utility is 2.1m  x 3.2m, we have a door to the hall, a door to outside, a small window, a wall hung boiler, an airing cupboard with large HW cylinder, floor space for up to 4 appliances, an 800mm sink base unit, a free standing shelf unit with space above to hang things to dry, and 7 wall units of varying sizes.

2.5 x 1.8m does not sound that bad !

Thanks all for your replies. I’m still torn between having a nice bootility with storage or being practical and having two separate washer dryer and no space for making it a nice entrance. Our house hasn’t got the hallway we wanted so I want to try and use the back door as much as possible, which at the moment is just a utility. We have a small puppy and go on lots of muddy walks so the idea of having a boot room sings to the clean freak in me. But having kids in the future perhaps means I should be more practical in terms of the washer dryer situation. Once we are in I might see if there’s a way of configuring it to have both but it’s only a 2.5m x1.8m space as it is.