our washing machine is on the way out, we had a tumble dryer but had to put the downstairs toilet back in (where it lived)

the wife is now convinced we need a washer/dryer, the voices in my head tell me they are cr*p….

can anyone confirm this?

Ive heard there crap aswell.

They are okay if they have a pipe for the dryer bit. If it's a condenser dryer, they are cr4p.

I have a really expensive one but its a piece of shite!!!

Takes forever to wash anything then takes forever to dry anything. Its not very old but is on the way out.

When the time comes ill buy a single washer and sack the dryer off as who really needs a dryer?

Haven't had one for years but when I did they were rubbish. Given the amount of washing your doing you're better off with a washer. You'll get 3 loads washed in the time for 1 wash and dry. Hang the clothes up to dry, inside if you have to.

How much energy is used for drying? I've never had one.

See if you can find space for a separate dryer as then you can have one load washing while the last one dries – my misses would go spare without it during the winter (mother of 4 so you can imagine the amount of washing!)

We have a combined washer/dryer and it is a condenser one too. It is a black art getting things to dry (because of the odd way condenser ones work adding water to take it away and all that) but my wife has worked it out and it is fine.

It is a Zanussi and we have had it 8 years, only needing a £50 replacement set of bearings in that time.

But we do avoid using the dryer as much as we (ie me) possibly can.

And we have twin girls (aged one) so it has been hammered for the last year.

But I do agree with the above, condenser ones aren't as good (but easier to fit as you just need a standard waste pipe) and if we had the room I would certainly go for separates – even if only because the larger drum on a dedicated dryer is much bigger so things dry much more quickly.

Life is too short , do not get one.

We made the mistake of getting one when last washer blew up. Never use the dry facility as it doesn't work as well as a tumble, and means you can't use the washer while drying (4hrs plus to get towels dry)
I guess we're a bit more green as we have to use the line more.
With a new baby you need a washer with the biggest drum you can find, plus a tumble dryer esp in winter

We never used to have a drier when i was younger so mum used to hang the clothes on the line outside.

When it was winter she used to hang them on a rack over a glowing fire to get them dry. Everyone at school used to think we were wierd because I always smelt like we had barbeques for tea every night.

My washer dryer broke last week and the chap who came out to fix it said the only dryers worth having are the proper ones that have a pipe running out of the house. I never use my dryer as, like the people above, it takes forever to dry anything. I just hang my stuff outside in the summer and on radiators in the winter.

When it finally gives up the ghost i shall just get a dedicated washing machine.

Condensor driers use more juice, make the place feel a bit clammy and take a long time to dry stuff. Ours is pretty decent (cheap Indesit), but my Mum's expensive Bosch couldn't dry a shirt in an hour!

I can see how a washer drier would be good – if you're out at work and can set it up so your clothes are drying just as you get home. If someone's in, and you've a lot of washing to get through, a washer and a vented drier will get through it quicker and use less leccy.

We had one, it was rubbish. You can only half-fill the drum if you want to use it, and it takes FOREVER to get anything dry. Hours and hours. You're much better off getting an airer and leaving it out in the house. That's what we did, and we even used re-usable nappies.

Also, we didn't have much more washing when we had a baby. Some people change their baby's clothes with every nappy change, but I guess they just love doing laundry. We only changed hers when there was poo or a lot of puke on them.

thanks all thats enough evidence now…

i have to hold court when i get home tonight.

i think i'll try and clear out the front 'enclosed' porch and put the existing old tumbler in there if it will fit… i do worry about it being on and not actually inside the house but aslong as somebody keeps an eye on it.

cannot believe how many clothes a 5 week old can go through!

Some people change their baby's clothes with every nappy change, but I guess they just love doing laundry. We only changed hers when there was poo or a lot of puke on them.

i agree with you, but try and tell my wife that…. i got 'hissed at' because the baby had a 'spot' of puke on her top when i took her down the mother in laws! SHE'S FIVE WEEKS OLD!!!!

If you're really stuck for space it may be worth a go. Mine is a very good washing machine, but a rubbish drier. Still, sometimes a rubbish drier is better than no drier at all.

Ohh look at you all lah-de-lah changing babies clothes when she has puke/poo on them. We use baby wipes.

😉

Have a look at some of the Compact Tumble Dryers – we hung ours on the wall, it isn't much bigger than a boiler, and it's been fine. We used washable nappies too so they tended to give it a hammering…

The poor environment… having to suffer for your immaculate babies.. I dunno. And people complain about the Chinese!

Get a washer with good capacity and REALLY whizzy spin speed, 1600 rpm. That way the water gets wrung out as much as possible.
Tho obviously not for delicate woolly baby cardigans, but all those vests and bibs and grow bags.

We have one and never use the dryer bit as it is poor. OK for 1-2 items but you need a proper tumble dryer with big drum for when the washing line is unuseable.

i would just get a normal washer and dry inside or outside if weather ok. If drying inside is a problem (ie taking too long, condensation etc) then a dehumidifier in that room really helps.

Combined are poo! Mrs would never accept that whilst drying anything the washer is then tied up!
Had both types of dryer, vented and condensed. Vented was good and lasted 4 yrs, latest one is a kenwood condesor and i'm told is also good!! Don't buy second hand old ones tho, heard several stories of them causing fires!

They are notoriously unreliable. We have had a Bosch and 2 John Lewis fail over the past 2 years, all got which best buy reviews. We now have a hotpoint, all replaced after shouting at Andy Street the MD of John Lewis. We have a really small kitchen and young twins so drying ability was essential for winter.

If you must get one, go to a retailer you know will deliver you a back up when it goes tits up.

As soon as the extension is built I'm going back to seperates…

Avoid combined! Their life is approx 12 months and that info came from an engineer. Get a foldup airer and dry the little clothes on that overnight, easy! Low cost too!! Rarely use my tumble drier with 3 kids. Think, climate change 🙄

We bought a new house with one already fitted, ended up have another washing machine and dryer in the garage as the combi was sh1t, you can only get 1 load done every 3.5/4 hours, dryer is always bad, stay clear, get a large drum washer and a dryer as you can get on top of it all.

Combined washer dryer is shiiittee but I have to defend condenser dryers, I have 4 bosch ones and they are all excellent.

We hardly ever use our tumble drier either. Only got it for curing re-proofed waterproofs.

With a baby you will want separate units.

The washer is loaded washing one load while the dryer is drying the previous one.

Just to contradict all the above, I have a zannusi washer dryer and it's great.

Better than the bosch washing machine it replaced at washing clothes and it dries too. Admittedly it's not as fast at drying as a dedicated tumble dryer, but it doesn't take that long (1:30 for a load).

Just to contradict all the above, I have a zannusi washer dryer and it's great.

Not quite 😛
We have a combined washer/dryer and it is a condenser one too. It is a black art getting things to dry (because of the odd way condenser ones work adding water to take it away and all that) but my wife has worked it out and it is fine.

It is a Zanussi and we have had it 8 years, only needing a £50 replacement set of bearings in that time.
😉

Get yourself one of these

We've somehow managed to bring up two kids without the need for a drier. The sheila maid works a treat.

We run a separate washer and dryer, and the dryer was replaced last year – old one was 10+ years old.

Replaced with a large capacity one – works well. No idea on running costs etc.

We only needed one more load a week for baby clothes. I seriously don't know wtf you people are doing. You must be constantly changing your baby's outfits!

"Right, that's the dishes done, floor cleaned, what shall I do now? I know, I'll change the baby's clothes four times!"

I seriously don't know wtf you people are doing. You must be constantly changing your baby's outfits!

I guess every child is different. I know our two are. Evie can wipe her entire meal over her entire body in seconds whereas Izzi is quite a clean eater. But take them outside and Izzi will be covered in mud/slugs/twigs within seconds and Evie will be spotless as she prefers to play in the water table we have for them.

So difficult to compare I would say 😉

Can confirm rubbishness of dryer. I inherited one when I bought a flat, and lived with it for several years without even realising it had a dryer setting (in The Colonies washing machines are all top-loaders so it just wasn't a concept I could compute).

Did wonder why it took 2 hours to do one wash. When the dryer function was pointed out to me found it useful for re-waterproofing goretex, that was about it.

That's toddlers, MF. I am talking lil babies. Seriously, we had one extra load of clothes a week and about 2 of nappies.

I still think you were very lucky Molgrips – didn't you have sick/milk/shit to contend with too?

We always tried to re-use clothes (after my wife's initial excitement about constant changes) for two or three days, but still had the machine on constantly – dirty bibs, muslins, bedding etc as well as clothes.

And we use disposables too so no nappies to wash.

Yes, but a bit of spit up we didn't worry about. And poo we changed.