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Combination washer/dryer

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  1. #1

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    Combination washer/dryer

    Our new flat has a combo washer/dryer unit for clothes. I'm wondering what experience people are having with these as far as time wise--how long to do a full load of laundry. My last flat had one and it was easily about 3-4 hours from start to finish, and with a couple of kids (and tons of laundry) I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to keep up doing the laundry in house. During our last stay we ended up finding a place that did it for us as we couldn't manage with just the one combo.

    Would a dehumidifier in the washer/dryer room speed things up a bit? Or have some punted and bought a standalone dryer to run separately?


  2. #2

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    So you can do 6 loads of laundry (maybe 24kg) a day and that's not enough? I think that you need to address the lifestyle and hygiene issues before looking at the laundry equipment!


  3. #3

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    I recall using one of those washer/dryer combos 4-5 years back, think it was a Thompson or some French brand, 1-2 hour wash is quite normal, then 1-2 hour dry is normal also, if your wash is taking 3-4 hours, you might have it set to short Rinse + Long Wash + Rinse AGAIN w/ softner + short RINSE AGAIN.. you get the picture, you have to check carefully as this waste a lot of water & electricity.

    Regarding a separate dryer, you can decide whether a electric or gas is better, asking in the past has lead to a debate as long as the distance between here to the moon.. I would just get a good washer, a good dehumidifier, hang everything up in the bathroom, turn on dehumidifier and go to sleep for the night, everything is dry in the morning.

    Your cloths wont be as soft like right out the dryer with Bounty, chances are your towels will feel like paper oO".... but....

    I prefer an electric dryer but they are not known to save electricity and electric cost is insane in HK island, not as bad outside.

    Gas dryers are good but I think most of them are installed in the kitchen in most apartments as bathrooms don't normally come with a gas fitting unless you renovate.

    oh I just go to my laundromat downstairs, he wash & folds all my stuff nicely..


  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by justsomebody2:
    electric cost is insane in HK island, not as bad outside.
    Compared to what, or where?

  5. #5

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    I have a combined unit, takes about 1h for laundry and 2-3 for drying; worst that it can only take half load when drying and often the items are still damp. According to the user guide that's normal and makes ironing easier. No joke, it really does say that.


  6. #6

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    We had a combo in our temporary place and hated it, for all the reasons Raccon gives.
    Now we have a seperate units and life is so much nicer.
    We have two toddlers and it is almost impossible to keep up with all the laundry, mostly because both the washer and dryer are too small.
    When we lived in the US we had a friend who was a fireman and he recommended an electric dryer; he said every house fire started by a dryer was caused by a gas dryer. I am guessing that people never cleaned the lint filter, so not really the dryer's fault but the electrical ones must not get as hot/dry.


  7. #7

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    I will try and get a separate dryer if possible too - a combo only takes a half load for drying and takes a lot longer than a dedicated unit to do it - something to do with the smaller drum maybe.

    The alternative is to dump your washing at a laundry shop which is a cost and time effective option if you have one close to your apartment.


  8. #8

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    We have a combo due to lack of space. It has a 30-min wash (does take longer if a heavier load) and can dry a handful of shirts in 35 minutes. Not super fast but we are a couple w/out kids and it copes with our laundry load just fine.

    It sounds like the OP might have one of those combos that come with new buildings. The developer puts in the cheapest combo they can find and it dries for cr@p.


  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    Compared to what, or where?
    Quite. I can't believe what people pay for electricity back in Blighty!

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    Compared to what, or where?
    I think HK Electric (HK Island) charges more than CLP (Kowloon and NT).

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