Buying Advice

Please be gentle, first post!

We've currently got a Zanussi WJD 1257 washer dryer, but I'm getting a bit fed up of it. It hasn't done badly, we've had it 5 years and it wasn't new then, and that's with washing nappies for 2 kids. But not it scarcely dries, and is leaking somewhere from the bottom. So I'm looking at alternatives.

Our situation: we're a family of 4, both kids under 5 (at least one load of washing every day). I line dry all summer, and dry probably 2/3s on an airer in the winter. But we need some kind of help with drying for the remaining third in winter. I don't dry jeans in there anyway, but do dry towels and sheets.

The maximum we can really afford to spend is £600- any more and would have to dip into real emergency funds. Long term cost is an issue too, but I appreciate that in order to minimise this we may have to have a higher initial outlay and up our maximum spend.

Space wise- we've only really got the one space, unless we look to put a tumble dryer in my son's bedroom, or get some kind of shed to put a tumble dryer outside, neither of which is an ideal solution. So would another washer dryer be the only viable option? We can't afford the Miele one recommended, no chance. So what's the next best option?

Any thoughts would be most appreciated

The only washer dryer on the current market that is any good is a Miele, even that is not ideal for a family of four.

If there is any way possible that you can accommodate a stand alone dryer then you must do it.

Washer/dryers have always been a poor compromise and all of the current production except the Miele is nowhere near as good as the ones produced 10 to 15 years ago.

To be brutally honest, £500+ will get you a decent but not top notch washing machine, let alone a washer/dryer.

Thank you for the reply- suspected this might be the answer.

A few more questions if I may-

Would a cheap dryer and a mid priced washing machine provide a better solution than a washer dryer? I was looking at the LG one on the JL site as an alternative.

If so- is there any reason I couldn't put the dryer outside if we found storage that would be sufficiently waterproof?

On another tack, is there such a thing as a slimline dryer? We could create an additional space, but maximum width would be 53cm. We could fit our slimline dishwasher in there, but that would require plumbing, which is obstructed by the cooker.

Another thought- could a compact tumble dryer go on an upright fridge freezer? Or wall mount or something above it? Would a compact dryer suffice for the amount of washing that would be dried in it (approx 1/3 of a load per day)?

We could get rid of the dishwasher and put in a proper tumble dryer, but we use the dishwasher every day, whereas the clothes drying is only necessary for a third of the year, and even then only dealing with a third of the washing I do.

TIA for the patience

An entry level dryer such as a White Knight and a decent mid range Bosch machine ( better than LG ) would be much better than any washer dryer. No slimline dryers I'm afraid.

Simple vented dryers are OK outside as long as it is not damp.

It is possible to wall mount a compact dryer, would not advise standing it on a freezer.

A compact dryer would be the ideal solution to the usage you describe.

My esteemed colleague Don may read this in the morning and be better placed woth specific models numbers etc.

Not much to add really as iadom has it all covered

Zanussi produce the TC 180W wall mounted condenser dryer for those areas tight on space, just remember though condensers are not as reliable as a vented one. Also due to the depth it only holds just over 3kg which is just a tad more than a vented compact dryer and it's a lot more expensive.

Don

Thank you both very much for the advice. I think we will buy a mid range washing machine soon (as we're coming up to spring/summer and can probably do without a dryer) and then over the summer I will get DH to construct some kind of outside storage and we'll buy a cheap White Knight vented dryer come autumn time. At least this way it spreads the cost a bit.
So... are Bosch a good enough make for the washing machine? Any specific models to recommend?

Bosch produce 4 ranges As you go up the capacities, bells and whistles along with the price will increase.

Reading your original post through again I would have thought one from the Exxcel range would be a good all round machine for family use.

A good article here on load sizes, before you get carried away with the notion of one from the Logixx range

Don