[Suzanne F]

I HAVE HAD IT WITH MY BUILDING'S MACHINES!!!!

Oh, they work just fine, but $1.75 per wash and $1.50 per dry is outrageous. I don't want to think about how many of my own machines I could have bought over 26 years.

So, as I get closer to redoing my kitchen, I am starting to think about getting my own washer and dryer. The dryer would have to be electric, since I can't vent it to the outside.

Any suggestions?

[Daisy]

I used to have a GE stackable in a former dwelling and boy do I miss it. Towels do take forever to dry in the non-vented dryers.

[Cathy]

I had one of these Whirlpool combo units for years. It's sturdy and reliable, and does a good job although drying towels and other heavy items can take a while.

[tsquare]

Electric dryers should also vent out - and the space should be vented as well. But, the all in one machines (you put in the wash and it dries too) don't require venting, somehow. Lots of makers these days - LG, Haier, Equator (or are they really all the same?) Space saving. They take a long time to run through a cycle.

[GG Mora]

Whatever else you do, get a front-loading washer. They use less water, do a MUCH better job of cleaning, and spin out a lot more water than a top-loader, so your clothes dry faster.

(BTW I didn't even know it was possible to have a non-venting dryer.)

[TheMatt]

Suzanne F, on Mar 14 2007, 09:56 AM, said:

So, as I get closer to redoing my kitchen, I am starting to think about getting my own washer and dryer. The dryer would have to be electric, since I can't vent it to the outside.

Any suggestions?

Well, no vent means you want to look for a "condenser dryer". The first question is whether you have room for a washer and a dryer or would rather have a combo washer-dryer. If you want a combo (here's another, larger LG, probably $1600 or so), how is your water supply (quantity and cost)? A combo uses water in both the washing and drying phases to a pretty big degree

[Cathy]

Our old electrical model "vented" into a little plastic tub filled with water.

[TheMatt]

Cathy, on Mar 14 2007, 10:18 AM, said:

Our old electrical model "vented" into a little plastic tub filled with water.

Hence, "condenser dryer". It either uses the room air as a heat sink to condense the water (usually seen in standalones) or more water (in combo units). The first will heat up the room it's in pretty well, but doesn't use extra water. The latter is the converse (or contrapositive...whatever).

[lovelynugget]

I used a combo while in Italy. It seems to be pretty standard in Europe, at least in the city. Got my clothes clean enough, but the drying did a lousy job drying. I had to hang stuff up to dry completely. Can be loud too.
(But this was 4 years ago and I'm sure there have been great strides in washer/dryer technology since then.)

I envy that you have the option to have a washer/dryer in your apartment. This luxury is at the top of my apartment wish list.

[rancho_gordo]

I live in a mansion with too many rooms to count but I avoid my dryer at all costs, and it's pretty easy. It's expensive and shortens the life of your clothes. A folding clothes rack holds about a load and it dries overnight unless it's been damp for a few days. It seems to work best in an empty shower with the window open a crack. My dryer busted about 8 months ago and I'm in no hurry to get it fixed.

I have the front loader that Geesala Mora mentions and it's great. Takes a bit longer but not much. I didn't know it wringed (wrung?) the clothes out better than a top loader but maybe that's why the folding rack seems so effortless. And if you do the front loader/dryer rack you still have access to your building dryer when you think you need it.

[Daisy]

Rancho, some of us live in small spaces in which drying even a bit of hand laundry is a challenge. I suppose I could fit a drying rack in my front hall or living room or even the bedroom but I know that would depress the hell out of me.

[rancho_gordo]

Daisy, on Mar 14 2007, 09:42 AM, said:

Rancho, some of us live in small spaces in which drying even a bit of hand laundry is a challenge. I suppose I could fit a drying rack in my front hall or living room or even the bedroom but I know that would depress the hell out of me.

I know it's not for everyone and with these things, you do what you can, but the "footprint" of a dryer is much bigger than a drying rack. I just figure if Europe and most of the world can live without dryers, I bet there's a way we can, too, especially when the alternative is free.

I'm not trying to be preachy, just a thought that may work for others as well.

[lovelynugget]

Daisy, on Mar 14 2007, 12:42 PM, said:

Rancho, some of us live in small spaces in which drying even a bit of hand laundry is a challenge. I suppose I could fit a drying rack in my front hall or living room or even the bedroom but I know that would depress the hell out of me.

Ya know, I can't remember the last time I ironed? Because of lack of space I don't even own an ironing board, even though I kinda like ironing. If I need something pressed, I either have it sent out or in a pinch, hang it in a steamy bathroom.

[lovelynugget]

rancho_gordo, on Mar 14 2007, 12:38 PM, said:

I live in a mansion with too many rooms to count but I avoid my dryer at all costs, and it's pretty easy. It's expensive and shortens the life of your clothes. A folding clothes rack holds about a load and it dries overnight unless it's been damp for a few days. It seems to work best in an empty shower with the window open a crack. My dryer busted about 8 months ago and I'm in no hurry to get it fixed.

Is it like with Al Gore where your mansion is so large that your average electricity bill is 20x the average citizen's, so in order to do your part for the environment (wat's dat?) and to show that you are down with us regular folk you are boycotting your clothes dryer?

Or is it that the consumption of all those beans helps with 'air-drying' those clothes?

[Daisy]

I hate ironing. I have an ironing board hanging on its own rack in a closet but my preferred method (because I am lazy) of ironing is on the bed, which will give you an idea of how successful I am at it. I once gave myself a rather spectacular burn on the thigh using this method, so I would counsel caution for anyone considering it.

My cat is afraid of the iron--when it hisses she hisses back at it and recoils.