It is very common to find a washing machine in someone’s home now, but tumble dryers are a different matter.
For a start you need to have the room to have one. If you have a small kitchen and no separate utility room it could be a problem. But if you can fit one in it is worth doing so, because you will be able to get your clothes dry nice and easily even when the weather won’t permit you to hang them outside!
Let’s see what you need to think about when you want to buy a tumble dryer.
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Where do you want to put your tumble dryer?
Ideally it should be situated right next to your washing machine. You can then simply transfer your wet washing into a basket and then straight into the tumble dryer quite easily. You won’t have to walk around with a heavy basket to do so.
But if you don’t want everyone to see your tumble dryer you might want to think about getting a built in model. This is designed for you to attach a normal kitchen door to it. If you are having your kitchen re-designed, just buy an extra door for this purpose.
What type of tumble dryer do you want to buy?
There are two different types on the market today. One is a condenser model while the other is a vented model. Vented dryers are harder to install, and need to be on an outside wall. A vent is then used to go from the dryer to the outside, so it needs to be properly installed.
Condenser models are great if you don’t have the ability to be able to put your dryer next to an outside wall. As such they are more versatile – all you have to do is regularly empty the container that is provided to collect all the moisture from the drying cycle.
The disadvantage is that they will usually cost you a little more money, so bear this in mind when budgeting for your purchase.
Should I be looking at the load capacity of the dryer?
Definitely – especially if you will be using your tumble dryer a lot. Basically speaking, the bigger the load capacity of the dryer, the more items it can efficiently dry at the same time.
Whatever capacity you get though, always make sure you do not over fill it. Always read the instructions that come with the dryer.
What on earth is a reverse drum?
It sounds a little strange, but a reverse drum is basically capable of turning in either direction. Cheaper models have a drum that only turns one way, but you will find that such models will tend to result in more creasing of your clothes. As always, if you spend that little bit more you will tend to get a better result.
Should I be thinking about buying a machine with more advanced features such as sensor drying or fuzzy logic?
Advanced features can be a little bit confusing if you don’t know what they do or mean.
The two most common features you will see on the more expensive tumble dryers are sensor drying and fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic is also now evident on many washing machines, and it works in much the same way for tumble dryers as well.
Basically, fuzzy logic means that no matter how long you set your dryer to work for, it will only work for the minimum amount of time required to dry your clothes. In other words, if you set it to run for 30 minutes but your clothes are dry after 21 minutes your dryer will sense this and switch off. This is great for keeping your electric bills down and using your dryer less and less.
But what about sensor drying? Well this gives you total control over how dry you want your clothes to be. For example, some items of clothing iron much better if they are still ever so slightly damp when you iron them. So you can set your tumble dryer to stop when your clothes reach this level of dryness.
In addition you can set it to stop when your clothes are completely dry, or when they have reached some other level of dryness.
In conclusion
There is a lot more to tumble dryers than meets the eye! That’s why it pays to know more about them before you go out and buy one – and with our guide you should now know exactly what you are looking for.