I Bought A 2-in-1 Washer And Dryer And Regretted It Instantly
As someone who is always looking for new ways to save space, I always keep an eye out for products that can do more than one thing. So, when I needed to buy a new washer and dryer, I had the idea to buy a 2-in-1 washer and dryer instead. It’s small, and the models I was looking at were all a lot less expensive than buying a washer and dryer separately. So, I thought I was getting a great deal! Sadly, a few months later, I have to report that isn't exactly what happened. If you’ve been thinking about trading your washer and dryer in for a 2-in-1 model, read this first! Because there are lots of things that I wish I had known before I bought mine.
It Takes Forever To Wash A Single Load
This is probably my biggest gripe with my 2-in-1 washer. To do a single, normal-sized load of laundry, it took my machine over four hours! Yes, the image says 3 hours, but the dryer just kept going and going. As someone who strictly separates her laundry by color and always washes delicates separately, this doesn’t work for me. Instead of getting all my laundry done in one day, I now have to do a load every day when I get home from work because there just isn’t enough time in the day!
It’s Loud
I don’t think anyone wants to feel like a herd of elephants is stampeding through their house whenever they want to do laundry. But, unfortunately that’s the experience I’ve been having with my 2-in-1 machine. It shakes, rattles, and makes a ton of noise. And when it's going, the vibrations through the floor are so strong that it's knocked my cleaning supplies off of my shelves more than once. Not fun!
Clothes Are Still Damp
Now, I could probably put up with the noise and hours-long wash cycle if my laundry came out clean and dry when the machine was finished. But spoiler alert: It doesn’t. Because my model of 2-in-1 washer and dryer is steam powered, the steam always gets trapped in the machine with my clothes when the dryer part is finished. That means that if I don’t immediately open the door of the machine when the laundry is done, my clothes sit in all that moisture and turn into a sopping wet mess. Which usually means I have to dry my clothes again, making the whole process take even longer.
You Can’t Easily Add Or Remove Items
You know that moment when you’ve just started a load of laundry, only to realize you’ve forgotten a sock or two? With most laundry machines you can just pause the cycle and add the extra item. But if your 2-in-1 washing machine uses steam like mine, it’s a lot harder to stop the cycle halfway to add anything extra. Because the steam gets dangerously hot inside the machine, it needs time to cool down before the door can be opened. So if you need to throw in that stray sock, you’re going to have to wait for a while before the door will unlock.
It’s Hard To Clear Out Lint
One of the things that I loved about my old dryer was how easy cleaning the lint trap was. You could just grab this little handle on the top, pull it out, and then clear the lint off easily before putting it back in the machine. With the 2-in-1 machine, it’s a lot more complicated. The machine flushes lint out through the drain line, so you have to clean the drain pump filter instead. That means using a screwdriver to pry off this little door to get access. It’s a hassle to say the least!
The Lint Builds Up
This isn’t something that has happened to me yet, but it is something that I wish I’d known before purchasing. Because most 2-in-1 machines don’t have a lint trap, lint can build up in the fan element of the machine and block the reservoir from flushing the lint and water down the right drain line. This makes the dryer function way less effective at drying clothes, meaning your laundry will be still be damp when the machine is finished. And sadly the only way to stop lint from building up in the fan is to take the entire top off the machine and clear the lint out by hand.
It Didn't Save That Much Space
While the 2-in-1 machine does save some space, it wasn’t as much as I was expecting. The machine itself isn’t very large, and it takes up about as much space as an oven. My hope was, that I would be able to build shelves around the machine to hold detergent and other cleaning supplies. But because the machine shakes so much, nothing would stay on the shelves. I think that getting a washer and dryer that can stack would have probably saved the same amount of space, as I can't really put anything on top of my 2-in-1 anyways.
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All in all, my 2-in-1 washer and dryer experience was not the best. But I’m not writing this article to tell you that you should never buy one. I still think that these combo machines are more convenient than going to the laundromat every time I need to do laundry, and I’m sure they’re a real lifesaver for anyone living in a small apartment. I just wanted to write this so that anyone who was thinking about buying one would know all the facts. So if you’re set on buying a 2-in-1, go for it! But if you aren’t sure, it might be worth exploring other options before deciding to buy.
Bliss Donahue-Power
