What is a wasdroog combo?
To distinguish the facts and fables surrounding the wasdroog combo, we must first look at what exactly the appliance is.
Washing machine and dryer in one
Very briefly, a washer dryer is a washing machine that has a dryer built into it. You can wash and dry your laundry with the same appliance, sometimes even in one go. So the big advantage is that you only need one appliance to do two jobs.
With a washer-dryer combi, it’s important to keep in mind that the fill weight for washing and drying is different. You can always wash more laundry than dry, which means you have to wash smaller amounts or take some of your laundry out of the drum each time. If you put more laundry in the drum than the maximum fill weight, it will not get clean or dry properly.
Are two separate appliances better than a washer and dryer?
Many people still think that a separate washer and dryer will get your laundry cleaner and drier, but nowadays that is no longer true. The technology for washer-dryers has come a long way in recent years and is no longer inferior to that of the separate appliances.
Because a washer-dryer has a smaller drum than a washer and dryer, there is less room to dry the laundry. This used to lead to more wrinkled laundry, but now washer-dryers are also equipped with a steam function that makes your laundry wrinkle-free.
Energy consumption
In addition, washer-dryers are also known to have higher energy consumption than two separate appliances. This is certainly true, as a washer-dryer uses a motor that will lead to high energy costs.
Nowadays, it is also possible to find a washer-dryer that uses a heat pump or a brushless motor, which can significantly reduce your energy costs. To find out if this is one of the disadvantages that will influence your choice, it is wise to first calculate the annual energy costs of a combined washer-dryer. It is no myth that a washer-dryer will take considerably longer to wash and dry your laundry. A stand-alone washing machine will take on average 2 hours to wash a full drum at 60 degrees, with a wash-dry combination it can take twice as long.
The drying program in particular takes a long time. Because of the small drum the washer-dryer needs more time to get your laundry completely dry, which can take up to 5 hours before a load is completely dry.
The duration of the non stop programs vary. There are brands that have a 4 hour program, but there are also washer-dryers that take up to 10 hours.
How does a washer-dryer work?
A washer-dryer looks the same as a washer and dryer from the outside, but the inside is slightly different. The difference is mainly in the method used to dry your laundry.
Each dryer has a condenser in which the warm air used to dry your laundry is converted into water. With a normal dryer, this is done through a hose that draws in cool outside air. A washer-dryer, on the other hand, uses water to cool the condenser, which results in higher water consumption.
Differences compared to a standalone washer and dryer
There are many preconceived notions about the washer-dryer combo that aren’t all true, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t differences between washer-dryers and a standalone washer and dryer.
What’s best for you depends on what weighs more heavily to you. If, for example, you value the space you can save and don’t care about longer waiting times for washing and drying, then a washer/dryer combi is a good option. If, on the other hand, you care about energy consumption, it might be a good idea to consider a separate washer and dryer.
To make it a little easier to make an informed choice, we’ve listed the main differences between a washing machine, dryer and washer-dryer.
Washing and drying takes longer
Washing and drying your laundry takes longer, but it takes less effort. Some washer-dryers have a non-stop programme that means you don’t even have to switch to a new drying programme in between. Bear in mind that a full load of cotton laundry can take up to 4 hours to complete a full cycle and that the non-stop option is not available on all wash programmes.
A separate washer and dryer is more energy efficient
It may sound contradictory, but it can be more energy efficient to buy two separate appliances. Washing and drying combinations use a lot more energy and you don’t always use the functions for washing and drying. Two separate machines with an energy label A will in some cases result in a lower energy bill at the end of the year. So you should always calculate the costs per appliance and decide which is the most economical choice for you. This ensures that the maximum fill weight is often considerably lower, so you can do less drying and washing than if you had two separate machines.
The difference in fill weight for washing and drying is also always different. On average, you can dry 40% less laundry than you can wash, which sometimes comes down to as little as 5kg. This means you will always have to dry some of your laundry separately or wash less than the maximum capacity.
Fluff filter
A normal dryer has a lint filter that you can remove after each drying program. With a washer/dryer combination, there is no filter, so the lint gets caught in the rubber section between the door and the drum.
You should remove it after each cycle, otherwise it could end up in your laundry next time you wash. It’s a small task, but it’s very annoying if you forget to do it.