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Oct 28, 2024

The Best Washer-Dryer Combo (But We Don’t Recommend It) | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Andrea Barnes and Liam McCabe If an all-in-one, single-drum, washer-dryer combo is the only practical option for doing laundry in your home, be realistic in your expectations. These appliances use

By Andrea Barnes and Liam McCabe

If an all-in-one, single-drum, washer-dryer combo is the only practical option for doing laundry in your home, be realistic in your expectations. These appliances use a ventless heat-pump dryer, which means drying tends to take much longer than it would in a separate machine—and they generally aren’t as convenient as they may seem. We don’t wholeheartedly recommend combos. Still, not having to schlep your laundry to the laundromat may make the trade-offs worth it.

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Staff writer Andrea Barnes covers large cleaning appliances, including washing machines and dryers and dishwashers. She also wrote Wirecutter’s guides to laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, and she’s provided tips for getting the most out of your dishwasher and laundry appliances. Andrea has been doing laundry since 1998. This guide builds on testing and reporting done by writer Liam McCabe.

We’ve been evaluating washer-dryer combos since 2017. Over the years, we’ve done the following:

If single-drum washer-dryer combos worked well, they’d be the ultimate laundry appliances. They take up less space than separate machines, and you don’t have to transfer clothes between them. But our stance hasn’t changed since we began covering washer-dryer combos in 2017: A combo is a great alternative to schlepping laundry to the laundromat, but the advantages end there, unless you have no other option.

Various companies have tried to make all-in-one laundry happen for decades (PDF), but the machines are still not popular. The washing aspect works fine. But drying in a combo machine, which uses a ventless heat-pump dryer, limits you to small loads that take a long time to dry.

There are a few reasons for this. First, most 120-volt combo machines can’t crank out as much heat as a typical 240-volt dryer. Second, these machines are typically ventless, and ventless dryers always take longer than vented ones. Third, although the drum capacity in these machines is about the same as a 24-inch washing machine, it’s usually only half the volume of a typical 24-inch dryer. Dryers need bigger drums so that clothes can tumble freely. In a drum this small, a full washer load is an overstuffed dryer load, and clothes will dry even more slowly.

You can’t wash new loads while you wait for the dryer, either, and that makes combos less efficient if you regularly wash multiple loads in the same day. (Historically, all-in-one machines have also had higher repair rates.) Because the heat pumps used in combos are expensive, there’s a good chance you won’t actually save any money purchasing one machine instead of two. (Though the Inflation Reduction Act’s appliance rebates, which are expected to roll out in late 2024 and can be applied to heat-pump dryers, could reduce the cost a bit.)

Chaim Shanet, a repair technician and owner of Mr. Appliance of Park Slope in Brooklyn, New York, services an area with many small apartments in mid-rise and high-rise buildings—a neighborhood where all-in-one combo units actually make sense. He said that even among his space-constrained clients, “people either love them or hate them. ... There’s no middle ground.”

All of that said, the user reviews for all-in-one machines tend to be pretty good. Most of the reviews we read seemed to be written by people with little space but plenty of patience. We’ve also read a couple dozen reviews from people who live in small homes and don’t mind the long drying times of an all-in-one, because they find it easier than hang-drying.

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If you have the space for a separate washer and dryer—even a compact pair—skip the washer-dryer combo. It might seem like a clever way to save space and maybe even some stress on laundry day. But, as far as we can tell, the downsides aren’t worth it for most people.

If you have no other practical choice for washing and drying your laundry, you could consider getting a combo. If you’re in a very small home with very little space, and you wouldn’t consider hang-drying your clothes, an all-in-one combo might be a good choice. It could also be an option if you live in an RV or on a boat, if space is at a premium, and if hang-drying your clothes is not practical.

Remember, heated tumble-drying is not the only way to dry your clothes. Before you buy a combo, think about whether you could be comfortable using a compact washing machine and a great drying rack. You’ll save hundreds of dollars, and you probably won’t lose much time compared with using a combo.

We are currently reevaluating our approach to washer-dryer combos and are not recommending any picks. New models have hit the market recently (including the GE Profile UltraFast Combo, which we reviewed). We plan to test others, focusing on cleaning power, drying time, overall usability, and long-term reliability.

Because our experts have warned us that you should get a combo only if you have no other choice, we focus on models that will be the easiest to install. We take the following criteria into consideration:

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This machine is an effective cleaner, and it dries laundry faster than most ventless dryers we’ve tested. But it still takes this machine significantly more time to dry large loads than it takes a traditional dryer. And its hulking size is limiting for those with space constraints.

We put the GE Profile UltraFast Combo washer-dryer through the same testing protocol we run for washing machines and dryers. It performed well and was able to wash and dry loads lighter than 8 pounds in about 2 hours. (It cleans as well as our also-great washing machine pick.) But it dried larger loads very slowly, sometimes taking up to four hours.

One of the most notable details of the UltraFast Combo is its large size: This machine stands nearly 47 inches tall, 28 inches wide, and 32 inches deep. (Most washer-dryer combos are around 34 inches tall, 24 inches wide, and 25 inches deep.) David Wilson, director of clothes care at GE Appliances, explained that a large fan (which helps this model’s ventless heat-pump dryer to dry stuff faster) contributes to its massive size.

If you’re drawn to a combo model because you think it will save some space, the UltraFast Combo won’t be for you—you might be better off with a compact washer and dryer.

Read more about the UltraFast Combo in our full review.

We plan to test a few washer-dryer combos, including the LG WashCombo All-in-One, which has a large, 5-cubic-foot capacity.

This article was edited by Ingrid Skjong and Courtney Schley.

Andrea Barnes

Andrea Barnes is a staff writer reporting on large cleaning appliances for Wirecutter. Previously she was content director at FXcompared, a financial-product review site, and more recently she worked as a research analyst. Her grandfather owned a TV and appliance repair store in Arlington, Virginia, and she still fixes her own appliances when she can.

Liam McCabe

Liam McCabe is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering appliances, HVAC, home improvement, and yard gear—the big stuff for your house. Previously, he was on staff at Consumer Reports and USA Today’s Reviewed and worked in the clean-energy industry for a bit. He has tested more than 50 robot vacuums and has mostly electrified his 100-year-old house.

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