If you are looking for a solution for clothes not drying during monsoon and winter - then a washer dryer should definitely be in your consideration set. For those unaware, a washer dryer helps with 100% drying of your clothes after the washing cycle - so you can just fold and keep it in the cupboard after the cycle. Makes it so easy, right?!
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There are a few things to keep in mind though:
The cycle time for a washer dryer is typically long - mine is a small size so takes about 5.5-6 hours while larger sized ones can take upto 6-8 hours. More often than not, the machine detects the load and reduces the time - but this is the general cycle time if you need 100% drying. You can try various combinations that will give you a slightly lower time.
Fully cotton clothes will get creased, mixed fabrics don’t get as creased. This is very common even if you get a separate dryer too. In my house, we use a majority of mixed fabrics - so it works well.
Unless you plan to use the drying capacity, I don’t recommend you to buy a washer dryer as it is 100% more expensive than a front load washing machine. But that said - it is very useful - I’ve been using it for over 1.5 years now and find it very very useful. Can’t iterate it enough.
Washer dryers typically have a condenser based dryer which uses heat to dry the clothes - hence the electricity consumption will be higher than a heat pump based standalone dryer. I’ve made a separate video on the electricity consumption and demo of a washer dryer, linked in the description.
With this in mind, let’s jump into the comparison of washer dryers to identify the best washer dryer for you.
First thing to consider is the size of the machine - remember, larger the size, more clothes it can hold but can also take longer to dry completely and cycle times will be longer. It is ideal to take a size that is just right for your family. The table on the screen shows you a general rule of thumb. In the case of a washer dryer - since there is a difference between the washing capacity and drying capacity, I recommend you to select the size based on the drying capacity. For example, we are 2 people in my house, so we have a washer dryer of size 7kg wash - 5kg dry capacity. Second thing to keep in mind when selecting the size is so it has a minimum difference between the wash and dry capacity or a lower wash to dry ratio. Amongst the models compared, IFB, Croma, Lloyd and Samsung models have the lowest wash to dry ratio - so are better and the LG 9-5 has the highest, so not good at all if you plan to use the dry function more often than not.
WASHING MACHINE CAPACITYIDEAL FORGENERAL GUIDE FOR CAPACITY5 Kg (Small)1 - 2 25 t-shirts6 KG (Small) 2 - 330 t-shirts7 Kg (Medium)Family of 3-435 t-shirts8 Kg (Medium)Family of 3-540 t-shirts9 Kg (Large)5+45 t-shirts10 Kg (Large)5+50 t-shirts
Remember to never overload your washing machine, especially when you are looking for drying. The drum should be between 50-75% full only (which is equivalent to the dry capacity), otherwise clothes will not dry completely.
Next thing to consider is the rpm - rpm determines the drying efficiency. Higher the rpm, better is the drying (but also higher the creasing). In most machines, they show the highest RPM, but when using the machine you can always adjust it to a lower rpm - esp. for delicate clothes. Except Electrolux washer dryer and Hafele washer dryer, all others offer 1400rpm. These two are 1200 rpm.
Not all the brands publish the time of the cycle, but in general it can range between 5 - 8 hours. But like I said before, based on the load, most machines automatically adjust the drying time to be lower. The best practice here is to turn it on at night and by the time you are up, you can take the clothes out. I recently got back from a 25 day holiday, and having a washer dryer was a boon for getting all my clothes ready in a few days after I was back. Another best practice is to remove the clothes immediately after the cycle - to minimize creasing.
Number of programs range between 12 to 22 - most common programs used like delicate, quick wash, daily wash, etc are available in all the machines - even the ones with 12 programs. So this should not be a deciding factor. Midea washer dryer and Samsung washer dryer give the maximum number of programs, if that’s important for you.
Almost all machines compared allow to add clothes after the start of the cycle - generally in the first 15 min - typically that is before the drum is filled with water. Personally don’t recommend it for cleaning efficiency of the clothes.
Samsung, IFB, and LG have a mobile app which can be connected to the washing machine where you can view cycles, start stop cycles, see some analytics on most used programs, in some cases electricity consumption and so on. A good to have for sure, not a must have.
Coming to water consumption, again not everybody publishes it but washer dryers typically use the same amount of water as a front load typically around 60L - which is significantly lower than a top load.
From an electricity consumption point of view, again not all brands publish it - but electricity consumption depends on a few things like whether you are using heat for drying, whether you are doing a full cupboard dry and so on. I made a detailed video covering the electricity consumption of a washer dryer - but it could be anywhere between 7-12 units per cycle - based on the size of the machine and type of use.
Coming to the price and warranty. Midea is the lowest priced washer dryer at about 39K and Electrolux and LG are highest - ofcourse for a larger size. IFB gives the best warranty at 4 years + 10 years on the spare parts, followed by Samsung at 3 years + 10 years on the motor and Bosch gives the best warranty on the motor at 12 years. Rest are typically 2 years with 10 years on Motor.
Based on all of this - my top recommendations for washer dryers are:
For a family of 1-2, the 7-5 size that I use is ideal. Samsung does not have that size any more and the Hafele model seems too expensive for that size and a lower rpm. So I recommend to go for the next size, which is ideal for a family of upto 4 people. I have two recommendations:
The Samsung washer dryer with an 8kg wash and 6kg dry capacity.
The IFB washer dryer with an 8.5kg and 6.5kg capacity.
Like I mentioned before, it is recommended to get a washer dryer with less difference between the wash and dry capacity. Both of these models have a low wash-dry ratio, which is good. They both come with a 1400rpm motor, inverter motor, 5 star efficiency rating and with a smart home capability.
For a larger family, my recommendation is the LG washer dryer you see on the screen. I don’t recommend any of the 9-5 or 9-6 models as the gap is very high between the wash and dry capacity. Infact, if you have the space for it, for large families I would recommend a separate washing machine with a separate dryer instead of this. If you do not have the space for it, go for this LG washer dryer recommended.