Do you need a hole in the wall to use a washer dryer?
As most machines are condenser dryers, you don’t need a hole in the wall for a vent like you would with a stand alone dryer. The steam is condensed into water and goes out of the waste-water pipe, so you also don’t need to empty the tank as you would with a freestanding condenser dryer.
Why do washer dryers have different capacities for washing and drying?
Washer dryers will have a lower capacity for drying than the wash load, such as 7kg for washing and 4kg for drying. The reason for this is the clothes need to move around in the drum to dry properly. This means you won’t be able to dry a full load of washing, which may be a bit frustrating when you have loads of laundry to get through, but this is standard for washer dryers. If this is an issue, look for a machine with a larger drying capacity so you can get more done at once.
What should you look for when choosing a washer dryer?
Type
Choose from three types:
Integrated - this hides the machine completely from view behind a unit, so you can’t see the washer dryer.
Semi-integrated - this is covered by a door like the integrated machines, but you can still see the display panel.
Built-in - a standard washer dryer that fits under your units without a door.
Size
Although integrated washer dryers are designed to fit kitchen units, they’re not all the same size. Most are around 82H x 60W x 56Dcm, but check the space you need it to fit to ensure you get the right size.
Capacity
As we explained above, the washing capacity will be more than the drying. Most of the washer dryers on our list have a washing capacity of around 7-9kg washing and 4-6kg drying.
Energy usage
While washer dryers aren’t as energy-efficient as freestanding machines, check the energy rating as this will help reduce your electricity usage. Machines have different energy ratings for washing and drying - for example, it may be an A for washing and D for drying so look out for both when making your decision.
A machine with higher spin speeds will reduce the amount of time it takes to dry your washing so this may be something you want to factor in to help keep your energy usage down - most on our list are 1400 - 1600rpm.
Functionality
Integrated washer dryers don’t tend to have as many extras as freestanding machines, however, when you’re shopping you may want to look out for features such as smart connectivity for controlling your laundry from your phone, steam cleaning, quick washes, wash-to-dry cycles and hygiene washes for removing germs and allergens.
What’s the best integrated washer dryer to buy?
With a 6kg drying load capacity, good energy efficiency and decent spin cycle, the Hotpoint BIWDHG861485UK is a good all-round option for busy families to get through their laundry basket. Other features include an anti-stain cycle, steam refresh and a 30 minute wash, as well as an all-in-one wash and dry programme. It cleans well and doesn’t guzzle loads of water - and comes at a decent price too.
How we chose our recommendations
Recommendations from real parents
Whenever we start our research we head straight to our forums to get some advice from our Mumsnet users. With more than 8 million each month, we know that we’re going to get a host of honest feedback from parents to help us find the best products on the market.
Expert guidance
To help us whittle down our list of recommendations, we extensively research each product to ensure it follows the latest expert advice and stands up to scrutiny. To find the best integrated washer dryer we looked to the likes of Which for advice.
Consumer feedback
We also want to know what users of the product think, so we check websites like Amazon and AO to read consumer reviews, both positive and negative, to help us find out if the products are up to scratch.
Celebrated best products
Finally, we check to see which products have won industry awards and received recognition from trusted sources. This helps us come up with a final list of the best products to recommend to you.
Why you should trust us
We work hard to provide unbiased, independent advice you can trust. We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful articles like this one.
About the author
Gemma Wilcock is a freelance writer and copywriter. At Mumsnet, she creates content providing useful parenting advice, information and top products to make life easier – as a mother of two children herself, Gemma knows how important it is to get the right advice. Gemma loves writing about subjects that will be helpful to the reader – and herself! - including recommending top products on Mumsnet that help parents in their day-to-day life, such as writing reviews for strollers, double buggies and cots. She knows how important online reviews are when it comes to making a purchase so she always makes sure to thoroughly research every product so we are recommending the best ones on the market.